38 Special Target Loads

[Nick_C_S]

Hi Everybody,

I load/shoot a lot of 38 Special target rounds through a few different guns (38's & 357's). And I've been curious for some time now what others like me are loading/shooting.

If you care to share, tell me (us) what your target load recipes are. Chrono data or any other tidbits would be great too.

I'll start: One of my most common is 2.9g Bullseye under a 148 DEWC - both hard cast and soft cast. They run around 730 fps and go exactly where I point them.

Thanks.
- Nick.

[Onward Allusion]

3.0 gr Titegroup & Berry's cast 125 gr 38's. Nothing special, but costs less than half to a third of what the stores will charge for 38spl target ammo.

[Nick_C_S]

That's what I'm looking for. I'm curious what others' "nothing special" loadings are.

[PhantomI]

2.8 PB with 148 grain LWC. Powder puff load.

[ligonierbill]

Speer 158 SWCHP over 5 grains Power Pistol; 800 fps and right on target for an old 4" Model 64. I have added a 5" Colt Official Police and a 6" Model 14, but I haven't done anything but shoot a beer can with those thus far. Also have some OT hardcast 158's to try. Add a grain to those soft Speer hollowpoints, and I think you have the old "Treasury" load.

[Saint Dennis]

148gr DBBWC over Trail Boss in .357 brass. Nice mild target load for the wife. Shoots well in her 6" Highway Patrolman and 2" M60.

[waburn]

Since the shortage began, hornady 148gr hbwc and 140gr cowboy bullets are always in stock at the local gunstore. For the last couple of years these are the primary plinking rounds.
For hbwc 2.8gr of bullseye. Gives me 685fps to 710fps depending on gun. Shoots fine in Model 10, 15, 49, and the model 52 loves them.
For more conventional ammo, the hornady 140gr cowboy bullet and 4.2gr of w231 shoots fine in all my revolvers. This chronos at 880fps to 900fps.

[boondocker385]

4.0grns 700x with a 158 lswc.

[zxcvbob]

148 grain DEWC with 2.5 grains of Promo, or 2.7 grains of International Clays.

Next load to try is 158 grain SWC or RNFP with 3.5 grains of Bullseye.

[SVTCobra306]

Remington 1 1/2 primer, 3.5 gr Bullseye, 158 Gr J&K LSWC. Nothing special or new, More accurate than I am, and adequate for clearing a table of bowling pins!

[Nick_C_S]

Great info. Keep 'em coming.

[Shootest]

3.6g Bullseye under cast 150g SWC (RCBS mold) sized to 357 (my S&W mod 64 just likes them that way) CCI primers.

[Bart B.]

In the heyday of revolvers winning matches and setting records, the S&W K38 Masterpiece or Colt Match Target in 38 Spcl, 2.7 grains of Bullseye under 148-gr wadcutters was the only handload that shot as accurate as factory match ammo. That load was also popular in the Colt Python.

[Salmoneye]

Any 158gr bullet over 3gr Red Dot in a .38SPCL case, or 5gr Red Dot in a .357 Mag case...

[hanno]

2.7 gr Bullseye with Speer 148 gr HBWC

[Sevens]

I authored this thread and got no response:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=536470
If you don't care to click, it's for an oddball commercially plated bullet that I know very little about... judging by the responses it got , nobody else knows about it either. And to further judge, given my experience with it, it's a best kept secret that should be kept secret!

I really should update the thread with what I found, but the bottom line for the purpose of this post is that those are 9mm slugs that I just do NOT like in 9mm so I've been loading them in .38 Special for the select purpose of dropping steel plates for fun. (psssst: these bullets could loosely be defined as JUNK)

I haven't put them on paper to see how accurate they are or are not, but they slap steel all day long and I don't feel handicapped using them. Since I bought EIGHT THOUSAND, it seems like a fine way to rid myself of them.

I can't load them in to R-P headstamp brass because I don't get reliable case mouth tension/bullet pull on them. They also don't shoot well in a J-frame for the same reason, just not much bullet pull to keep them seated in the brass. There's only so much you can do with a roll crimp. They are one-thousandth under-sized for use in .38 Special.

So I tend to load them in Win, Fed or Speer headstamp non-nickel brass and I load them over 4.8 grains of Bullseye (124 grain plated 9mm slugs here) and they go bang every time and steel falls almost every time.

Shooting steel plates is a lot of fun and it's a different skill (when transitioning quickly) but it's somewhat lazy shooting for a guy who grew up shooting small groups and little else. I don't expect these loads are anything that anyone would chase down and WANT but they do allow me to get some grins while I eat through a supply of craptastic bullets.

When you spend some coin on a load of bullets that end up being crappy, any GOOD shooting you get from them almost seems like FREE shooting for a supply of junky stuff you otherwise wouldn't get your money out of. That's circular reasoning, perhaps, but in the end... I'm shooting and smiling so I suppose not all is lost.

Mostly shot at 10-15 yards on steel through a 4-inch S&W Model 10-10 HB with RB frame, a former Ohio DOC issued revolver that looks like hell and shoots like an absolute dream. Also flung downrange by any myriad of .357 revolvers that might make the same range trip.

[McClintock]

My PPC competition load(s) for .38 Special have varied. I was using 231 at 3.1 grains with a 148 grain hard cast HBWC, average velocity was 713 fps. Ran out of 231 (haven't seen any around here for a couple years now), and switched to a 3.2 grain charge of Titegroup with the same bullet; these run a little faster (807 fps), and shoot tighter groups than the 231 load. Oh, velocities are from a 6" barrel Model 10, just in case anyone was curious.

Hope that helps!

Cheers!
Clint

[bledsoeG19]

148 grain hardcast dewc over 2.3 grains of trail boss. 750 fps out of a 6 inch bbl model 19. I can pick things off like I'm shooting a 22. Matter of fact it's like I am shooting a 22 except cheaper at this point in time.

[Nick_C_S]

I was using 231 at 3.1 grains with a 148 grain hard cast HBWC, average velocity was 713 fps. Oh, velocities are from a 6" barrel Model 10, Hope that helps!

Yes McClintock, that's exactly what I'm looking for. That does help.

Ran out of 231 (haven't seen any around here for a couple years now)

I know what you're saying. I haven't seen W231 at my LGS since November 2012 - just before the shortages hit. I'm still kicking myself for not buying at the time. I still have just over a pound of it, but have been in conservation mode with it for over a year now. On the bright side, I was completely out of Bullseye until I scored two pounds of it yesterday. Couldn't wipe the smile off my face all day yesterday

[Shotgun Slim]

3.2 grs of Clays under a berry 125 plated hp is more accurate than I am and as always with Clays it is very clean. This is a real powderpuff load-good to hand beginners.

[precision_shooter]

6.5grs AA#5 with 125gr Rainier RNFP. Accurate enough for me to hit 12"tallx5"wide steel at 50yds offhand 3 out of 5 shots consistently.

[ritepath]

2.7gr of titegroup with a 125gr rainier plated bullet for my DW's 642. Hardly any recoil and she's able to get at least 50 rounds every time we go out now instead of the 20 or fewer she used to shoot because of the recoil of "normal" target rounds.

[Ifishsum]

Cast 158gr SWC or RNFP bullet with 3.5gr of Bullseye. Shoots reasonably soft and (more importantly IMO) POA in my fixed sight .38s. Haven't bothered to chrono it.

[Red_Eagle]

I'm using a Speer 140gr HP with 7.4 grains of Blue Dot and a Winchester SP primer, But that's for a lever action carbine with an 18" barrel.