True enough that it doesnt make power factor for Custom Defensive Pistol in IDPA or major in USPSA competition. The instructors worked magic in many cases, but having a load like this to gradually work shooters onto full-strength loads would have been a great tool. JHP, 125 gr. Prefer to use the CT model 305 laser grips in lieu of S&W grips. (Cowboy Action) 38 Special (Cowboy Action) 38-40 Win. Hodgdon gives starting load of 4.0 grains and 4.4 grains MAX. I here from quite a few that 3.5 gr of bullseye is a good load for 158 gr lead Bullets for bullseye shooting. It has been many years since I used a Lee Loader and a wooden mallet to reload 8mm Mauser. 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!! Maybe its just me, but having that tiny bit of extra length and weight in the cylinder that I was never going to use just kinda bothered me. Posted March 2, 2013. Reading the "WARNING" on the site, it states to not exceed the loads published and to start 10% below the loads shown and work up from there. Enter to win an FN FAL Rifle. Testing out some bullseye with 125 berry's bullets.. Allgoodhits Posts : 726 Join date : 2017-09-17 Location : Northern Virginia Like : 1,266 1,472 Press. Depending on the drill, 200-grain .45s let shooter push faster or use available time to shoot better, with significantly less recoil than hardball. I guess its out of production now- I havent seen it (or heard of it) in years. I had enough, The Model 1911 pistol will officially turn 100 years old on May 5, 2011. I found the plated wadcutters to have NO accuracy. YMMV. Many reloading manuals also list an estimated pressure with a given load. https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2221-distinguished-revolver-loads-that-don-t-suck. Similar to a 9mm 124 gr RN Cast Bullet. The Bullseye powder pushed five into two inches flat for another 1911 that is typically a four-inch gun. You gotta try the S&W M342 Airlight TI. Data will be standard "book" .38 Special data and I'll not attempt to "hotrod" the loads. .38 special has got to be one of the best calibers there is . 38 special , bullseye, and 125 grain lead rnfp Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting : The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and . Required fields are marked *. Winchester 231 is between Bullseye and Unique for the .38 special (see my personal load above). 01-10-2014, 06:49 PM #4. dverna. Winchesters 231 or WSL are also good powders for the .38 special. This would be for plinking for my wife's ~3" Rossi, so something light and fun to shoot would be great. The SP101 is far more comfortable to shoot but not so much fun to carry. NULLI SECUNDUS. 1.455 in. As I researched loads in the meantime, I kept seeing the same several popping up again and again in sources from as recent as yesterday to long out of print books from when air travel was a newfangled wonder. 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. But not too tough. When I finally got my hands on a pound of Bullseye, I naturally started with some of these loads. You can always back off to the .32 S&W Long or .32 H&R Mag if you choose to. Use data for weight. We look at three classics: one each in .45 ACP, .38 Special, and 9mm. Which left me with the last two. The cowboy loads would be good choices as listed, since these ARE reduced loads for that sport, where usually just hitting a metal plate to make a sound is all that is required of the round. WST for .38 special 125 gr plated bullets, Re: WST for .38 special 125 gr plated bullets. These have a good profile- longer at the top where the middle finger rides, and shorter where the pinkie rests. Swaged bullets do not have the hardness of poured (cast) lead. . 3 gr of WST in a 38 spl case with 125 gr plated bullet is a very light load. They have a large selection about the hard cast loads from 90 to 170 gains. SWC+GC, Im a big fan of .32 revolvers, I do think they are a superior choice for carrying and shooting than .38 is, but that doesnt mean I think .38 or .357 sucks, I just dont think theyre the best choices for a small frame revolver. (For those who would. Good shootin! 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. Case life is excellent, especially for mild loads. 3.7gr WST with Zero 158 SWC did the job for me. 358430 (195 grain) round nose bullet that was used in the old 200 grain police loads as there is always interest in these. Damn. Your previous content has been restored. 125 gr plated or 125 gr lead RN. I have two editions of it from different years that have that data. I have tried several different grips before finding the one that worked for me. 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. Ive saved all my .38 brass over the last couple of years for whenever I find time to get into reloading. 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. Robert Frost. (Note H110 & W296 are the same as of 2008 as is HP-38 & W231), (IMR 4227 is same as H-4227 if made in Australia), * Blackhorn 209 is a black powder substitute with smokeless like qualities. Upload or insert images from URL. I soon traded off a Colt Frontier Scout .22 LR for an S&W Model 15 and happily chased all manner of small game and landfill targets with my stash of wadcutters. I favor the appearance of the C/T load and find it slightly easier to grab and orient in the loading process. You can't rely on this because not all variables for YOUR cases and chamber and loading length, etc. Ethan Johns is a military professional with worldwide experience in specialized units. 38 Special +P 18,500 Jacketed bullets are legal for DR, as long as they are 158 grain round nose or semi-wadcutter. JHP (now discontinued) 5 rounds . Normal, mild .38 loads work fine with lead bullets. An early Les Baer .45 knotted a group of the lead SWCs into a tight 1.3-inch group, while an M&P .45 did 1.25 inches. Cartridge : .38 Special (SAAMI)Bullet : .357, 125, FP Rainier Useable Case Capaci: 20.320 grain H2O = 1.319 cm Cartridge O.A.L. It is also one of the most pleasurable loads a shooter can touch off. A Forum dedicated to the sport of Bullseye shooting, Bullseye-L Forum::Ammunition Discussion, byPacFltShooter Wed Oct 28, 2020 9:00 am, byPacFltShooter Wed Oct 28, 2020 5:36 pm, byPacFltShooter Wed Oct 28, 2020 6:46 pm, byPacFltShooter Wed Oct 28, 2020 8:45 pm, byPacFltShooter Wed Nov 04, 2020 4:50 pm. 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 . Just shows the importance of trying/checking the feel of a gun and if possible, test firing it, before you buy it. Some use powders dispersed in liquids, some use electrostatic guns to spray dry powder on their bullets. Initially I shot them out of my Dads prized Smith & Wesson 686 and learned a great deal about double-action shooting and what a truly accurate handgun can do with a wadcutter. In fact, Hornady's handloading manual includes .357-inch bullets in the load data for the .38 Super, specifically 125-grain and 140-grain XTP bullets, along with .355-inch bullets, and their one remaining .356-inch bullet, the 125-grain HAP. I recently bought trail boss and it runs fine out of my 14-3. Anyone that uses a J frame S&W should seriously think about swapping grips, and finding which set works for them. Shoot cast and coated bullets and you can go much higher in load and velocity. accuracy. 4.4 gr. Case life is excellent, especially for mild loads. Lucky me. I picked some up from my local Scheels yesterday. I have a few 30-30 cases modified to shoot singles with a very light load. If youre recoil averse (and dont have a disability of some kind), its because you havent shot it enough. This. Wife handled it with no problem, those 5 Super Vel had been in the gun probably over 5 years by then, she bought it to CARRY, not to shoot, if she needed to fire it to save her life it would be fine. This post was originally published in 2018. looks like today. I've tried Berry's plated as well as Remington. Each of the classic loads is also economical. BTW, I wish I had any one of those three revolvers today. When I teach other people the basics of reloading, I teach them on the .38 SPL. We look at three classics: one each in .45 ACP, .38 Special, and 9mm. Beginners to shooting can use a full size revolver or their carry gun with light to mild loads to become confident and familiar with marksmanship and trigger control. The big medicine was delivered by a 1911, but S&W K frames (favorites were Models 12 & 64) took care of everything else. The .327 Fed Mag is IT! It was introduced in 1902 by Smith & Wesson, and has since become a worldwide cartridge. Here's what the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook says for cast 125g flatpoint for 38 in the powders you mentioned. 158 gr. I like Bullseye in the 38 Special, and it was a consistent performer with the 125 grain bullets. If there is a search function for these forums (didn't see one) I'd be happy to use that too Go to the Alliant website and find the data for Unique and Bullseye. Ask your Dealer, or call Hodgdon), has a Cowboy Load section, (near the center fold), that lists data for about all SASS calibers. It seems to burn completely in the .38 and is not as critical as the faster powders like Bullseye. Be careful !!!! However, after consulting my several different manuals, 3.5 seems to be a border line max load. Especially if you reload. Read my very long thread about "DR loads that don't suck". Classic loads are economical. Enter 38 Special. The manufacturing process of swaged bullets requires relatively soft lead for two reasons. I have one that has been loaded about sixty times and it is still in use today. My guess would be almost identical, straight wall, not high pressure, definitely. I have several manuals and some say that this load is a low +p, some say it is not, but it is very accurate. Proof of concept with .38 first, then on to 9mm where we have to actually cycle a slide but I think Ive got that problem solved. The .38 Special remains very popular for personal protection and Michelle Hamilton shares her thoughts on the top loads for concealed carry, like this 158-grain SWCHP FBI Load, based on her testing. BrianEnos.com This too is useful information. SWC, 160 gr. Also some WSF. My J frame S&Ws are all older models, and came with the small grips that are still on some models. Posted: 4/17/2014 10:53:09 AM EST. Word to the wise: all handgun cartridges (with the likely exception of .44 Magnum and maybe even .357 Magnum) are underpowered for self-defense. 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.