Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading .38 Pressures

I was reading a comparison between the .38 vs the 9mm in small carry firearms.
It explained how how the 9mm is loaded to much higher pressures.
I get there are a lot of older .38’s out there, but can the .38 round be hand loaded to 9mm pressures? I’m guessing no, but looking to learn why not?

Thank you.

The Sporting Arms Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute sets industry pressure standards. The way those pressures used to be and are currently messured is to me, very interesting. You can fing a great deal of information on line and in print in relation to this subject.

Oddly enough. Particularly with the 38spl cartridge. Insufficient pressure can be as much of problem as too much pressure. Especially with jacketed bullets.

The 9mm has also had a past history of being loaded to insufficient pressure in American ammo. No longer the case now.

These things are very interesting to me, and I subscribe to specific periodicals and purchase books and manuals to read about them. YMMV.

I have reloaded handgun ammo for the range, but never really looked for top notch performance like I do with reloads for the bolt action. Do those who reload for the .38 spl exceed those industry standards, or is that considered wreckless?

Does the long slim case just not stand up to the pressures of the stubby 9mm case, or were the limitation more about older revolvers?

Thanks for the reply.

The 38 can be loaded to much higher pressure, read up on the 38/44. It was essentially a hot loaded 38 for use in heavy frame revolvers, the precursor to the 357.

IIRC in the 1980's S&W studied recoil effects of the 44 magnum cartridge on their model 29 revolver using high speed photography. What they found out was that the parts inside that rotate and lock the cylinder into battery are subjected to flex during recoil. They made changes to some of those parts to strengthen the gun afterwards.

Yes the 38spl can be loaded hotter than SAAMI pressure guidelines. Some prudence and care in the selection of the gun using such ammo is likely a good idea. Some guns may be too valuable and/or cherished to subject to extra strain.

I don’t subject my prewar S&Ws to heavy loads, regardless of caliber. But my post heat treat guns I’ll push up into the +P or higher range without a second thought. Even the little J frames, they’re chambered for 357. The K frames I don’t even give it a second thought.

As I said earlier I’m not looking for 357 performance, generally just enough Unique or PowerPistol to get a 158-170gr SWC going about 1000fps. To me this is a good compromise between shootability, killing power, and trajectory, yet without the ear splitting crack of 1300fps 357 loads.

just enough Unique or PowerPistol to get a 158-170gr SWC going about 1000fps. To me this is a good compromise between shootability, killing power, and trajectory, yet without the ear splitting crack of 1300fps 357 loads.


Have a couple of loads you would care to share for a 70's model 60 J-frame?
I have read where many prefer a 125 out of a snub, for better manageable recoil.

I load all my 38spl for 357 mag revolvers. Ive read a bit of this forum. There are those here with the experience you seek. Im sure they'll help you out before long. 1,000fps may be a bit much for J frames. But I'm without hands on experience there.

OP, it depends on the particular handgun. There are .38 Special +P loads which exceed standard SAAMI pressures but they are not recommended in some .38 revolvers. If using hot .38 Special loads in a .357 Magnum revolver you can exceed .38 SAAMI pressures safely, but there is no pressure-tested data for the .38 Special which exceeds +P loads. It is not difficult to exceed .357 Magnum pressures in the .38 Special case, so the risk is entirely on the OP.





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I generally start at 5.5gr Unique. IIRC 5.5gr does about 975-1000fps out of my Outdoorsman. I’ve went up over to the old Skeeter load but decided that was a bit more than I liked. They won’t do 1000fps out of a 2”, most of my shooting is with the 6.5” N frame, but they work fine out of my K and J frame snubs. I used to use the 358429 and 358156 quite a bit but lately have shifted to the RCBS 38-150KT. It uses less lead, no gas check, and hasn’t been at all finicky to get to shoot in a wide variety of revolvers.

I don't hunt with a .38 (or any handgun for that matter, and likely never will), nor do I rely on a .38 for self defense (that's why God and John Browning gave me 1911 .45's). I do rely on .38's to punch holes through both sides of paper targets and hit steel at 25 yards and less, hence everything I shoot and all the loaded ammo on the shelf are mild - very mild - cast bullet loads.

m

John Browning’s .45, runs a little heavy in the front pocket. 😉

Myself

Yep, but if I carried a pistol of any kind anywhere on my person, it would earn me a stretch in Stoney Lonesome. I was speaking theoretically, outside of my domicile where a 1911 or two are within easy access.

Kinda in your zip code on some .38 Special loads. Wanted some double duty fun stuff and defense on the way home from the range. Wife has a newer +P Airweight that she’s lost without and my daughter a Nickel Colt Detective Special full undercut from when Momma was around to love us. Decided on powder coated 148 gr DEWC Hard Cast to do the damage and 5.4 grains PowerPistol to push the bullet. AND for the ladies,‘this is a very good looking round. Full nickel plated case with gold bullet and full roll crimp. Can’t wait to build some more using a semi wadcutter powder coated black or dark red. They’re comin!!

Barkoff,
The 9mm is loaded to 35,000 PSI, a 38 Special loaded to 35,000 PSI is actually a 357 Magnum. The 357 Magnum is loaded to 35,00 PSI. The 38 Special is loaded to 17,500 PSI, the 38 Special +P is loaded to 20,000 PSI.

I've loaded .38's to .357 pressures, but I also shot them out of .357's.