38 special 125 grain load data bullseye 38 special 125 grain load data bullseye

ammunition in the same gun enables that shooter to hunt larger game and to fend off beasts that snarl. Just an FYI. I have two editions of it from different years that have that data. To many shooters, .45 ACP means 230-grain hardball at 830 fps. I routinely use only two powders: Trail Boss and Titegroup. Load shot well out of a variety of service handguns. Any clues for powder and starting loads???? A gun on you always works better than the gun left at home. Ethan Johns is a military professional with worldwide experience in specialized units. I load my own, 130 gr RNFP using Win 231 powder a little over the mid point in the published load data. I use 3.2 gr Bullseye to push a 125 gr cast along at 750 - 775 fps in the 38 SPL from 5 and 6" barreled revolvers. These are the bullets I bought: 158 gr from Roze dist. Hornady YMMV. Be careful !!!! I'm planning to use Alliant's Unique powder to reload with 125 grain flat point jacketed bullets from Berry's and Winchester small pistol primers. It'll look funky, but it will shoot. IIRC, I used 4.5 gr of Bullseye under a 125 gr lead bullet for a light plinker, and 5.6 gr of Bullseye under a 148 gr wadcutter (~815 fps, 4" bbl, probably around 750 fps out of a snub). It is a very versatile and useful round. I dont see much conversation on these specifics but I think Its all about the size of the explosion in the chamber. 9.) At belly button range, very nasty load. Powder coating. looks like today. Two years into my second century a Colt MK IV Series 80 LTWT Commander 45 ACP still delivers the big medicine, but I have become enthralled with a new wheel gun- a Charter Arms Professional 32 H&R Magnum. 100 except where otherwise noted in "remarks" Be Alert: Publisher cannot be responsible for errors in published load data. Like Wobbly. Thanks for the start load Power Pistol will run lower pressures for the same velocity than W-W 231. Your email address will not be published. I have tested both brass and nickel-plated cases using mild loadings and have not yet worn out a case. The load you use will be up to your gun. : 1,266 1,472 Press. Do you folks think a start at 3.0 gr and work up from there with a 125 gr bullet would be a safe load. more weight than the similar size CA .44 Bulldog, were available, a lot more people would also like the .44 spl. (See note on Powders below or read all about various Powders.). .38 special has got to be one of the best calibers there is . Where many shooters quickly tire of even standard-pressure .38 in the little five-shooters, the wadcutter invites cylinder after cylinder of practice. A revolver shooting .38 SPL only requires the power of your finger to make it fire and can thus be loaded with ammo that is extremely mild or hotter than hot. In my area, Bullseye is one of the first powders to disappear from shelves, lasting about a heartbeat longer than an econo bulk box of .22 Long Rifle ammunition. They are low because of swaged bullets. My Dad has advanced arthritis and could not longer easily work his auto loaders. 3.) How can I tell if they are cast or swaged? The 38 Special Ball round was designed a long time ago to comply with specifications laid down for ammo that was : 1) Compliant with the Hague Accords of 1907 in regard to "unnecessarily" injurious ammunition. Magnum 44 S&W Special 45 Colt 45 Auto 45 G.A.P 9mm Luger 9x18mm Makarov 32 S&W Long (Cowboy Action) 32-20 Win. Me too! Designed in 1898, the .38 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge went on . Wes, SASS Wire rules prohibit posting specific load data on the forum, but it can be passed along via private message or email. Posted March 2, 2013. But I found 2.4 and 2.7 interesting at 25 yards off the sandbags. There are so many new powders today, its hard to keep up. Don't know of any bullets like that. Dennis, I dont reload and Im only 72, but shooting the .38Spl in my 6 S&W 586 is a sublime experience. Boolit Grand Master. Im also impressed by the apparent durability of your Airweight J-frame. 110gr JHP! SWC, 160 gr. VV N320, N330 and N340 are products of VihtaVouri Oy Company I have used everything from simple lead to the most advanced machined copper bullets and found them all to be extraordinarily easy to load and shoot. For 3 that actually doesnt kick too badly. i use a Lee mold 150 round nose with 4 grains of bullseye crimped into the crimp groove of the bullet. I fired 3 Remington 125 SJHP 357s from a 340 and thought i had nerve damage in my hand. So I expect recoil would be substantial and not very target-ish. The 357 magnum about 45,000 psi and the std 38 special about 17,000 psi. Did you cross post the bullet weight? Allgoodhits Posts : 726 Join date : 2017-09-17 Location : Northern Virginia Like CorBon Self Defense, 38 Special, 125 Grain, Jacketed Hollow Point, +P, 20 Round Box 38125 I burned up about 300 of them before giving up. Nickle cases look pretty but dont seem to take the number of resizings that plain brass cases do. Bullseye is one of the oldest smokeless pistol powders and still one of the most popular. Its worth mentioning that loaders do all kinds of obsessive rituals to squeeze the groups down. Posted: 4/17/2014 10:53:09 AM EST. I love a nice, full-size .357 Magnum on the range because it is so easy to train new shooters on. You may find it will need to be faster for good 50 yd. Im not recommending that you carry the Bullseye load, but dont feel as if you are going to tactical purgatory for enjoying this load, either. Any pistol competitions yet? Most DNR (Do Not Reduce) loads are well over 900-fps. I can not be held responsible for. Jacketed bullets are legal for DR, as long as they are 158 grain round nose or semi-wadcutter. swatmag.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The majority of my shooting with .38 has taken place with soft lead bullets. Just shows the importance of trying/checking the feel of a gun and if possible, test firing it, before you buy it. Compac for my little finger to wrap around under the butt. We look at three classics: one each in .45 ACP, .38 Special, and 9mm. A light target load, which tends to be very accurate, is about 3.1 grains, with a 158 grain bullet. I have read some posts online from people who claim that it makes no difference whether the bullets are swaged or cast; and they can be loaded to the same velocity, but the swaged bullets will lead up a barrel faster because the lead is softer. My usual 38 Spl load is a 125 gr plated bullet over 5 grains of bullseye. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. in 158 weight berry's bullet 3.8 grains of bullseye with a taper crimp. My more serious RN is the 358311 that drops @150 gr. I use 3 gr. I bought him as a gift a 642 with the black rubber grips, a few speedloaders w/big knob tops, and Hornady 125 grain FTX loads. it seems awful confusing, but with time you will be able to interpolate the published data into something that will give you good starting points to work up your loads. If youre recoil averse (and dont have a disability of some kind), its because you havent shot it enough. This. Especially if you reload. Installed some wood boot grips, modified them with grooves at the bottom of each side panel, similar to those on Pach. Since it hit the market 103 years ago, it has been a staple for most handloaders and the backbone of most accuracy loads in the popular calibers. Main issue is that the .44 spl. Thank you for the article. These are put into a large hydraulic press and extruded into a continuous coil of wire. Plated bullets are to be loaded as lead bullets. You have entered an incorrect email address! Hornady I had enough, The Model 1911 pistol will officially turn 100 years old on May 5, 2011. I picked some up from my local Scheels yesterday. Even though the gun was chambered for .357 Magnum, I plinked and practiced with a lot of .38s over the years. Easy to reload and it started my reloading experience. I was looking through the Lyman 49th edition reloading manual and see the bullets you are talking about. I'm new to reloading, starting off with a single stage Lee press reloading .38 special and .357 magnum with Lee's 4 die carbide set. : 13,300 16,800 Starting Powder: 6.0 gr Starting Velocity: 1,266 I used to reload .38s and .357s with 158 grain LSWC bullets over 4.3 and 6.5 grains of Unique. I dont miss lubing casescarbide is king! My Lyman 49th has data for 125 gr JHP and 120 gr LRN. Or does the CMP make the rules for DR, and the NRA admins it? I did 400 rounds in one afternoon on my Hornady progressive. Yes, I had no issues with the 38 SPL, but the 32 is just more FUN- especially when I get seven shots of it in a revolver the size of J frame! For best accuracy in slow fire shooting, you may want to raise gun before every shot. At one time or another, I also owned and shot a M38 Bodyguard (nka the 638), a M37 Chiefs Special (now the 637), a M60 (which is a tad heavier but no more user-friendly), and a couple of others. rattlesnake of a revolver made me bleed. I was hoping I could use this combo to make use of available components. You can post now and register later. .38 Special (Alliant Data) Warning! SASS# 85224. I have some W231 that I use for my .38 super. Thank you. The Lyman is handy for sizing or priming while youre watching a movie. I found some data for 148 and 158 gr bullets but no published data on the 125s. Great article & thread!!! The 9mm Bullseye load is a good stand-in for either training or match ammo, with the velocity putting the power factor comfortably over the minimum for action sports without too much extra oomph. The upside of the grainage is that the small charges mean more loaded rounds per pound of powderhelpful since Bullseye can take a while to reacquire once the container is empty. Paste as plain text instead, https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2221-distinguished-revolver-loads-that-don-t-suck. Biggest problem I had was the lubricating cases for sizing and then cleaning them afterwards, I guess grit was somehow scratching the cases after getting stuck in the lube. I'd imagine I'm not the first person to use this load, but I have found it is a very sooty/smokey load. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I use 158 grain coated RNFP and don't use any of those powders that you list. Bullseye or Titegroup cover 90% or more of my .38 Special loadings. I shoot a Glock 21, and had a great time shooting some poly coated 230 grain round noses today. Haven't tried it in the Colt Officer's Model Match yet. I only wish the brass was more available locally. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The beauty of shooting a .38 is that you can easily practice at the ranges youd fight at using basically any cheap bullet at minimal expense. Fifty yards of course is the preferred distance. But you guys need to practice more. These loads are for my wife's revolver. accuracy. There seems to be a dearth of information using WST powder for the 38 Spl cartridge. A Tyler T grip would have helped here, but is incompatible w/ factory grips. Load it like Trail Boss. It will then fit in your 38 Special gun. https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2221-distinguished-revolver-loads-that-don-t-suck?highlight=distinguished+++%2Bloads, Load question on Penn Bullets for Distinguished load. I still think highly of the LCR but would shoot only 148 grain wadcutters in .38 Special or .32 H&R Magnums in the .327 Magnum model. As I said I am not familiar with your frame and suspect it is one of the latest models out by Smith. * 3.7gr WST with Zero 158 SWC did the job for me. Ive done the majority of shooting in .38 Special in my Smith & Wesson 642. I may have to rethink my plan. No benchrest, nothing but two shakey hands holding the pistol. Good shootin! 38 spl.s. The big medicine was delivered by a 1911, but S&W K frames (favorites were Models 12 & 64) took care of everything else. 38 special was also my first cartridge to reload, and one of my greatest loves for reloading to this day. I find the Pachmayr Compac grips on my 640 reduce the slap of full-boat .357 to less than that on my 3 M65 (w/ wood Altamont grips) or my 4 686 (Pachmayr Gripper Professional grips.) Current J frame factory grips have similar features and are made of a stiffer compound. Recoil is mild enough that for many years it was the golden choice for the next introductory step for young or new shooters after rimfire. This 1911 halved its normal so-so accuracy with 200-grain Hornady C/T SWC, shooting this nice two-inch group. Generally, I'm looking for a load that produces accuracy from approx. While I wish I could carry a 5 .45 WITNESS with several 10 round mags, as a senior citizen, the S&W J frame is my user friendly alternate. My sq. I started with a Lee Loader for my shiny new Python .357, because all the ammo I could find (in 1968) was lead semiwadcutters, loaded so hot they sloughed off the lead in the bore, so after a box you couldnt see any rifling, it looked like a smoothebore, and lord was it hard to clean!! (Note: These are near maximum loads (in some cases ARE MAXIMUM), you should use 10%. Thanks for the excellent article, Josh! I like the smell of Bullseye, dont mind wiping the handguns down after a range day, and the dark soot that accumulates on my support hand when shooting wheelguns in particular just reminds me to wash up. I keep thinking about trading it for a Model 27 or, maybe, one of the new Pythons for extra weight. Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue. 358430 (195 grain) round nose bullet that was used in the old 200 grain police loads as there is always interest in these. Winchester's 231 or WSL are also good powders for the .38 special. Min Charge Max Charge Optimal Charge Bullet Make Bullet Type Primer Notes; Hodgdon - 700-X: 125 gr. Brass collection is easy since it doesnt eject. "Berry's Superior Plated Bullets are the finest bonded copper-jacketed bullets available today.." ?. Lucky me. The average street punk today has more firepower than the Russian Army did in WWII and trying to re-load a revolver in a fire fight is the best way to commit suicide that I could ever think of. It seems to burn completely in the .38 and is not as critical as the faster powders like Bullseye. Most notably the lighter weight bullets. S&W M637-2 2" barrel Wow I learned something vital from this topic. Notes: primer: CCI 500; case: Speer; NOTE: All loads are maximum. LRNFP - your load, with a plated bullet should be Very Similar, or slightly slower and safer. My brother put CT laser grips on his wifes M36. Content . In 38/357 they don't list 105 gr bullets, but the do list 90's and 125's. Easy enough to extrapolate for a 105 grain . One cool load Im working on is two pellets of 000 Buck.. Bonus is the CT #305 grips are both large enough to be actually useful, and can use the laser, or turn it off if you dont need the laser. 38 Special 17,000 I once rented a Ruger LCR in .38 Special. Interestingly, I had pistols that would shoot one well and the other impressively, but have not yet had one pistol do magic with both. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. (This is prevalent among most aftermarket designs- they are smallest in the longest, strongest finger area, and largest at the bottom pinkie area.). At 25 you can get away with a lighter load. I have 125 grain jacketed bullets, Bullseye powder and CCI 500 primers. I realized that I had hit a very special count for a very special cartridge: 20,000 rounds of .38 Special. Loads for .38 S&W: This short, little cartridge has been around since the 1870's and was most common in the "break-top" models. Shoots well in my K-38, 686, and a friend's K-38 at 50 yards in the Ransom rest. You will find plenty of Red Dot loads there. Reloading supplies and load recipes are available everywhere. I will start ouy at the minimum velocity then. Im new to loading the 38 for accuracy, but the biggest issue I found with case length is your crimp. Hehe, back before Nick skimmed down. I thought about trying 2.5 gr. The cases are large enough that they can be easily manipulated by inexperienced hands and yet small enough to not require much force in the sizing stage. Replaced w/ Altamont laminated wood, and later w/ open- back Pachmayrs- the less-pronounced finger grooves fit me better. A GI surplus 1911 that puts most loads into dinner-plate sized groups cut 3.8 inches with the classic recipewhich is probably the only time Ive gotten excited about an almost four-inch group! ,I looked at Speer data, nothing there. Ive tried full metal jacket and the Hornady Action Pistol (HAP) match hollow point in this load, and both ranged from good to great in my nines. Good job on you! Winchester 231 is between Bullseye and Unique for the .38 special (see my personal load above). Interesting. JHP (now discontinued) 5 rounds . Yeah no. 44 Rem Mag 36,000. (bullseyeforum.net). Winchester's website has data for W231 and a 125 gr LRNFP, but not plated. Just got back into reloading 38 special again after a long hiatus with no revolver, and was instantly reminded of what a joy it is to reload. Years back, for indoor matches I teamed the heavier S&W Model 28 with 3.4 grains of the same powder and bullet in . I always used mixed brass because it was all I had. I wanted a good carry gun that was light and reliable, so I decided that the .38 would fit and I just went with it. The design of this modern revolver makes the SW guns seem archaic. But still nothing under 3.5". During my first half century on this planet, my caliber of choice for defense was 45 ACP- but for everything else it was always 38 SPL. While I do have a GP100 in .357 magnum, I dont like shooting .38 special ammo out of it, because cleaning powder residue out of the longer chambers is a real bitch. Best to start a little low, and work up slowly with a chrono, though. of Bullseye, 148 gr lead DEWC and Federal 100 primers. Anyway, you are probably right that the revolver guys trend towards the older end of the spectrum, but I think some of the younger guys are starting to catch on to the magic of wheel guns. They all shot horrible at 25 yards. In a day you can make over 100,000 bullets. Power Pistols works well in short auto cartridges and higher pressure cartridges but no so well with a 158 grain bullets in 38 Special. Both have fed 100% in a variety of pistols and have shot very well. What I learned after 50 years of shooting and reloading 38spl cases some where around 100 thousands rounds. are you loading .38 special brass, or .357 magnum brass? It seems to burn completely in the .38 and is not as critical as the faster powders like Bullseye. NULLI SECUNDUS. I carry 38 /357 every day have used them in real world shootings. Something like the Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 yup, theyre the best caliber for those size revolvers. There is almost no recoil and the student can increase power level when they feel ready using the same gun. Although the .357 cylinders are the same length so they can be timed to a 642. In half a dozen different sixguns, it ranged from accurate to spectacular. The Pistol a Smith and Wesson model 27-2 The goal is two fold. I just bought some 158 gr SWC bullets that are pure lead. That's usually +P power level in .38 Special. I thought the DR program was NRA, not CMP. The quality of the loads equals a bargain. Ive long since changed to a press, but that Lee Loader in its cardboard box is still in a storage box for obsolescent reloading gear. Anything goes with bullets. This load is in the general velocity bracket with most generic or bulk box 115-grain loads and zings over my chronograph at 1,125 to 1,140 fps from a Glock 17, depending on bullet style. Most double end wad cutters are 148 grain, and DR bullets must be 158 grain. The trigger has smoothed out over time. 4.0 gr. I did start out fawning over all of the tactical gear, but once I had that covered my tastes matured I think to love the wood and steel guns. Many people tend to poo-poo .38 Special (standard pressure) for self-defense as being somehow underpowered. I found it to be a nice blend of accuracy, soft recoil, and sure functioning, with enough spice behind it to reliably topple steel targets. Ive not had a handgun entirely reject either load, so the recipe seems to be a worthy third alongside the previous .38 and .45. I have loaded wadcutters for plinking , Double end 148 grain,, mixed brass over 2.7 gn WST or Bullseye. L6: 1.550 inch = 39.37 mm Barrel Length : 2.0 inch = 50.8 mm Powder : Hodgdon HP38 Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge, incremented in steps of 2.0% of nominal charge. The mention of a Lee Loader somewhere above took me back to the good-old days. Not as easy to find brass these days as it is not the most popular round anymore. This is an easy-shooting load that can cause some power-philes to tusk-tusk and comment. I'm looking for some recipes for 38 special for a 125 grain copper plated (like Berry's) flat point bullet using Unique, Bullseye, or W231. Just want to state for the record, that with one of the more heavy duty Corbin presses it is possible to easily swage some hard cast bullets. Too early Are you sure? load is 4.4 grains for 38 special and 5.0 grains is a +P load. You need a .357 Magnum revolver if you want to try a 9MM cylinder. for 38 special COPYRIGHT 2021, THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. Nitpicking is its own reward., I believe the correct spelling is loathe .