Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 158gr for 38spl

Has anyone ever loaded 158gr bullets in 38spl cases? If yes what powder and load did you use?

Cast/lead or jacketed?

Couple thousand of them cast; RN, SWC, Jacketed XTP's using W231,Universal, 4 gr. Years ago I loaded quite a few cast RN with 3gr of Bullseye . Memory is clouded as to what handgun I had. These were from notes I had made.

Only thing I load now is for my wife's Lady Smith and that is 125 gr semi Jacketed HP's Id IRC that is 3 gr Universal.

The handgun matters, Airweight J-frames aren't as comfortable to shoot with a heavy load as a 6" K-38. You might tell us what gun and what your objective for the load is. That info would be helpful.

In my K frame Smith, I used 158 gr Zero SWC with 3.2 grs of WST to earn my Distinguished Revolver badge. Fairly mild, about the same as the 3.0 gr Bullseye load someone mentioned except my revolver liked the WST load better.
Phil

I used to shoot a whole, big bunch of .38 Specials using the Speer 158 swaged SWCs, with 4.0 231. It was a mild mannered load that shot like it was guided by radar, in several revolvers, a Smith M28, a Smith 36, and Security Sixes. They were pretty mild loads. Whenever it suited me, I'd bump the powder charge up to 5.0 231, but used it in .357 cases. Then I didn't have to brush the cylinders as often. I never chrono-ed that load, but it had to be pretty mild.

I like 158 Missouri LSWC’s in my 38 special loads. I’ve tried a lot of different powders but finally settled on Accurate #5.
Hasbeen

I shoot lead in my M63, a .357 actually, due to the thin barrel on the cylinder end. Usually just shoot 4.2gr of Trail Boss. In my 620 L-Frame, I goose it up with .38/44 level loads with 2400 (look those up yourself!) plus whatever else I have like 231. The TB loads are generally Hornady swaged SWCHPs or RNs.

Read the warnings about sticking jacketed bullets in the barrel of your .38. Bad JuJu!

I've fired tens of thousands of .38 Special reloads with 158 grain lead SWC, RN or RNFP bullets, all using 3.5 grains of Bullseye. This duplicates the standard (non Plus-P) factory load. It's got enough snap to be fun, but is mild enough for a new shooter to enjoy. Shoots very well too in a large variety of revolvers and even a Marlin rifle. Plus, you get an even 2,000 rounds loaded per pound of powder.

I've used Unique, WSF, A #5, and Universal.

This^^^ Which gun?? I've used Universal, Unique, Bullseye and HS-6 for 38 Special 158 grainers in my Ruger SP 101 and all produced loads sufficient for my needs, and recoil was just fine for me. But, for my Ruger LCR those loads are not comfortable at all to shoot. I've switched to Trail Boss for that gun. I have yet to test those loads, but experience tells me that they will be MUCH more manageable recoil-wise.

I know I have shot 15,000 + because in the mid 90's I bought an order for that many. Around 2000,I switched to loading some of them in a .357 case but the 38 sp load. I was shooting Action pistol and cowboy matches.

This thread prompted me to look at my bullet inventory.

I have 1500, 125 gr semi jacketed hollow points and 900 Missouri Bullet, 158 gr SWC , powder coated, brinell 12 for 38 sp type,loads, plus about 100 loaded
Being close to 79 and a 75 mile round trip to the range, I will never shoot them all , although I have powder and primers to load them.

I used 2400 and later 296/H110

Maybe when I posted my loads I should have explained that I load only for accuracy. I prefer they be on the mild side if possible. Acceptable loads for me are 10 shot groups at 50 yards in less than a 3" circle. I use a Ransom Rest to shoot the groups.
Phil

I use Unique but don’t recall the charge weight. Bulky enough I can’t double charge.
Gun is a stainless Rossi with 2 inch barrel. Load data taken right out of a Lyman manual many years ago.

Dale

The first question to be answered is what for? Mild to wild? Plinking, hunting, target or defense? The good news is you can do it it all with a swc or Lrn at 650-750 lmao

On the advice of another member, I tried True Blue with lead swc. Happy with the combination.

an awful lot of 'em, mostly LSCW over Unique, 4756 and 2400

I've loaded 158 gr bullets over about any applicable powder with good results. I've used Red Dot the most as I've had it on hand for 45 years but will grab whatever is at hand. Right now Win 231 is the powder of choice but I do have 9# of it to use.

My first revolver was a Model 10 Smith. I shot buckets full of 38 Special wadcutters over 3 grains of Bullseye. I shot almost as many SWCs over Unique but I don't remember the charge. Almost any relatively fast powder will work in a 38.

These days, I'd load enough of whatever's cheapest to get a cast 158 SWC moving 750-800 fps and call it good. That will be safe in any solid-frame 38 Special. You could go a little hotter in something bigger like a K-frame.


Okie John

4.5-5.0gr Unique with cast 158gr swc's in my Blackhawk. That is a fun .38 spl round.

AA#5 has become my handgun powder of choice. It falls about halfway between Unique and Blue Dot. I tend to load .38s on the warm side for my model 10s and the vast majority of my .38 handholds use cast bullets. I load 6.5 grains of AA#5 with 158 grain cast bullets. That's more than the books call for, but I've never had any problems with it in K-frame 38s. I would consider it a fairly stout +P load. The books call 7 grains of it a starting load for 158s in the .357 magnum. So 6.5 grains of it is below the start for a .357 but up at the top end (or a little bit over) for a .38 special +P.

Don't know about original poster, but I want to shoot the 158 gr bullets out of my 4" G100. Probably buy the 158 gr swc from Xtreme so they'd be copper plated.

PS I would be using Unique powder

For many years, I've had good results in a number of .38 Special revolvers using the original .357 Magnum bullet, a 158 grain SWC cast from a Hensley & Gibbs #51 mould, wheelweight alloy, about 12-13 BHN and either 4 grs. 231 or 3.5 Bullseye. Accurate standard pressure load with a muzzle velocity of around 825 fps from a 4" barrel.

Can't go wrong with 158 gr. I've loaded and shot a few thousand. Mostly cast SWC and RN. Unique, Herco, Titegroup, 2400, American Select, HS6.

Question for you guys use SWC. I seen RimRock has hardcast 158gr swc at decent prices. Thinking about ordering some. Has anyone order from Rimrock and/or use their bullets? Any feedback on them? Any place else I should look to order 158 gr swc? Thanks for the help and feedback!

Depends on how "hard" their hardcast stuff is. If it were over bhn 15 or so I would consider it to be generally too hard for .38 Special use, likely to lead more than a soft one will, bhn 8-12 is A-ok. Do commercial casters advise customers as to the bhn hardness of their bullets? Do they maintain strict quality control over their alloys? I don't know, never having bought a commercially cast lead bullet in my life.

I would be equally concerned if a store-bought lead bullet was the correct diameter to fit the throats of my revolver. That'll have a huge bearing on accuracy as well as leading the barrel or not. At, or even a RCH over, throat diameter is desired. You should feel slight resistance when you push a bullet through the throat.

gnoahhh,

According to RimRock's website, the 158 swc that I was looking at says their BHN 12 for this bullet, sized 0.358"

Missouri Bullets has SWC in .358 diameter, powder coated, hardness for 38 loads (12 brinell) and harder for .357 loads.Prices were pretty good when I bought a thousand last year

Thank you, saddlesore!

Same load except mine is Red Dot. I shoot it out of a Colt Diamondback or model 19 Smith.

kwg