Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Light 38 special load

Put together some 38 special for the wife's LCR.

Its a 5 shot with adjustable sights.


It is very light.



The load was a 125 grain swc over 4 grains of Bullseye. It was not as enjoyable as we had hoped it would be.

The Lyman book goes as low as 3.2.


I picked up some DEWC 148s (bevel base....dang!)...and a load I found was 2.7 of Bullseye. Would that be okay for the 125 SWC?

These are juat going to be plinking loads.

Alternatives?


Is 600 to 700 fps unreasonable?

Hey Jim,
Download the LazerCast load manual for free online, their data with a 125gr cast, truncated cone bullet, 2.9gr Bullseye starting load gave 711 fps and went up to 1000fps.
4.1 gr Unique gave 741 fps.

The 148 dewc will likely shoot better but make use of what you have on hand!

Just make sure it has enough "oomph" to clear the barrel.

Some years ago when I first started loading for the .38 SP I managed to stick three bullets in the bore. It was a combination of factors, but mostly due to my own stupidity. I don't recall the bullet, maybe 158 gr. lead, but it was a "manual load", IIRC 2.7 - 2.8 grs. Bullseye. Bulged the barrel, but fortunately the frame was OK.

I shoot a lot of 150 grain cast wadcutters over 2.7 grains of Clays shotgun powder. Very mild and accurate. I don't know the velocity but I sure as heck wouldn't want to be shot with one.

I've also shot a bazillion 158 SWC's with charges ranging from the same 2.7 Clays up to 3.0 of Bullseye with never ever having stuck one in a barrel. I've not ever tried a 125 bullet but I can't imagine those same charge weights not working for it too, unless there's a catch with those bullets not being heavy enough to generate enough pressure for efficient powder burn?

148g Wad Cutter
2.9g of bullseye

Target load to measure others by!

tag

When I was loading a lot of .38 Spl., my favorite load was 4.0 231 with Speer swaged 158 sec. Little recoil and accuracy you would be envious of. It shot well in several different guns, too. If I were still loading .38s, I would still use it.

Jim

I'd try the Lyman 3.2 gr load first, that is a powder reduction of 20%, it will likely make a big difference in recoil. Sticking bullets due to low pressures is a danger to be avoided.

You are saying you stacked three shots in one barrel at one incident? As in fired a shot and the bullet stuck in the bore and then unaware of that you fired two more shots stacking one bullet behind the other and other?

That can happen if the first round is a squib and the shooter continues to fire.

When I worked on commercial ranges, someone managed to fire five additional shots after the first squib in an older S&W K-frame revolver. The last shot split the barrel and you could see all six bullets stacked in there.


Okie John

Trail Boss seems to be a pretty good powder for light loads. Check the manuals for recipes, but I've settled in with 4.0 grains in both the .357 Mag. and 38 Special and they are pleasant to shoot for me. I know you can go even lighter, but 4.0gr behind a 158gr. LRNFP in my .357 is VERY accurate.

Clays is a popular cowboy action powder. I even bought a big jug back in the day.

Clean burning without a lot of flash and pop.

DF

Trailboss

Trail Boss under a cast 125 gr SWC is a great plinker load that'll shoot through a raccoon. I don't think there can be a softer shooting load.

Was shooting a match and the guy next to me stacked two bullets in the barrel of a S&W M27. It was the rapid fire portion of a PPC match and he was shooting very lightly loaded 148 gr. wadcutters through that heavy N frame. Somewhere in the fast string he fired a squib that stuck in the bore and followed up with another immediate shot that stuck that bullet behind the first squib load.

The second shot felt and sounded odd and he stopped firing the gun . He used a wooden dowel rod down the muzzle and tapped the two bullets back out of the forcing cone. There was no damage to the gun in this case.

When using squib (Squibb?) loads one is behooved to keep his wits about him.

Anecdotally, I wonder how the term came to denote a " bullet stuck in a barrel." Originally it was a term used to define very light loads of cast bullets, as in "I went to the range and spent the day shooting squibb loads." There were bullets made for that purpose designed by a guy named Squibb. I guess such events as stuck bullets generally only happened when shooting squibb loads so the term segued into today's vernacular. That or shooters, like everybody else, didn't know or care about word definitions.

The Hornady swaged and coated soft lead bullets are excellent for light 38spl loads. I liked W231 for those loads. During the last shortage I tried 700X as a substitute, and could see no diffence in accuracy or recoil. Trail Boss works well too. The Speer cold swaged bullets are also good for light loads, and can be safely pushed to greater speed if desired. Remington makes swaged coated bullets for bulk purchase too, but Ive not tried them.

The books caution for serious care with jacketed bullets 38spl. Ive not used them for this cartridge in handloads.

In my experience, the faster powders (Bullseye, Tite group, etc.) have a more abrupt and snappy recoil, even though the charge weights are smaller.

You may want to try a bit slower powder, and stay with the starting loads, which are generally lower with lead bullets.

When you compare the 125gr SWC, to the 148gr WC, look at the difference in case volume under the loaded bullet.

The 148gr WC seated about flush with the case mouth, leaves a small volume for powder. A small combustion chamber, which works great with the small charges.

The 125gr SWC leaves a lot more space for a small charge to combust in. It can work, but the 148gr WC seated flush, is tailor-made to optimize a small powder charge.

Bingo .... except mine fluctuates between 2.7-3.0 because I drop those charges in a hurry out of a RCBS Uniflow, but as long as I stay in the range it's a really light low recoil round and very accurate ... and I use Missouri Bullet 148 WCs.

It's my wife's carry ammo. She's golden with it out of a little Bodyguard.