Preferred projectile weight for 38 special plinking round?

[Venti30]

Plan on using Hogdon hp38, (win231) because thats what I have in supply.

Just bought a couple wheel guns, J Frame and a taurus in 38 special.

What weights do you ladies and gents prefer to build for target practice?

Thanks!

[Jim Watson]

Most fixed sight .38s are regulated for 158 gr bullets.

[Venti30]

regulated, meaning that's what's preferred?

[2ndtimer]

148 gr full wadcutters. Not good for practicing speed loading, but accurate, mild recoil and cuts nice clean holes in paper. 158 gr cast SWC bullets for everything else.

[rural12]

Those mentioned are good...

And, it kind of depends on what kind of plinking you want to do...I have a 75gr semi wadcutter Lyman mold the drops a bullet that is a blast to plink with...not sure you can buy those anywhere, though.

[jag2]

Any of the above. I tried some 130 (plated or FMJ, I don’t remember which) and the accuracy was terrible. 38s just like those heavier bullets.

[44 AMP]

regulated, meaning that's what's preferred?

regulated, meaning that is what the gun's sights are adjusted to shoot. (applies to fixed sight guns, regulated by the factory, to hit point of aim @ 25yds.

Some decades ago, I decided it wasn't worth screwing about with all kinds of different loads in .38 Special. So I settled on a 158gr LSWC at a nominal 850fps (from a 6") as my .38 load. Loaded a few cases of ammo using Red Dot, because I had a lot of it. The load was accurate, but dirty and smoked. Just like me!

Since I didn't have any .38 guns, it was my plinking load in my .357s, all of which had adjustable sights. I have since gotten a snub .38, and the load shoots ok through it, and doesn't stress the gun.

Used to shoot a lot of 148gr wadcutters for plinking, but decided to just use what amounted to the "158gr service" load with a LSWC.

Pretty much any slug you can get cheap will do fine for plinking. Best option is to match, as close as you can, the weight and velocity of your premium ammo, just use a low cost bullet for plinking.

[BBarn]

Also be aware of the pressure limitations of some 38 Special revolvers. Some are not designed to handle +P loads. The small frame models are somewhat more likely to fall into that category. I

[tlm225]

My go-to load for .38 is a 158 grain LSWC. 3.5 grains of W231/HP-38 for target shooting, 5.0 grains for woods carry. Over the decades it has worked for me and punches clean sharp holes in paper and critters.

[David R]

Full wadcutters or Hollow base wadcutters with a starting load of your 231 would be great.

158 SWC is the most common 38 bullet.

David

[Mobuck]

"regulated, meaning that's what's preferred?"
As mentioned shooting ammo with significantly different recoil and/or velocity may result in POI being no where near the POI of "normal" factory ammo.
My 38 SP carry revolver shoots light loaded 150 grain lead SWC bullets about 4" lower than factory spec 158 grainers BUT the light plinking/practice loads hit nearly same POI as the +P 125 JHP defense ammo. This is what I want anyway. Low cost/low recoil ammo with similar POI to my carry ammo.

[buck460XVR]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

regulated, meaning that is what the gun's sights are adjusted to shoot. (applies to fixed sight guns, regulated by the factory, to hit point of aim @ 25yds.

Which basically comes down to a specific weight bullet traveling at a specific speed. Doesn't mean other weight bullets traveling at other velocities will not hit POA just as accurately. I like 125s in my .38s. They are generally cheaper than 158s and have less recoil. With the charge weight adjusted, they will shoot to the same POA as my 158s. 125s are also my go to SD projectile in .38.

[dahermit]

When a person asks a question like that on a forum like this, one generally gets an answer that is relative to the respondent's "game", not yours. For Instance, my "game" is rapid fire double-action at steel bowling pins of plates at fifty feet. Therefore, I have chosen a Lee 130 grain round nose, flat point to enable very light recoil, rapid reloads (72 rounds every day, in speed loaders and loading block). And, inasmuch as my K38's have adjustable sights, no consideration need be given to what "bullet weight the factory has regulated the sights for". Since my bullets are shot at steel rather than paper, a sharp edge hole for easy scoring is not a consideration. In other words, I have chosen a bullet to fit "my game."

"Your game" is different and you should choose a bullet that you conclude best fits your game. You seem to want a plinking load (informal target practice), not formal competition...so do you need a full wadcutter and its inherent negatives (For example, does not load as well as round nose bullets into the revolver cylinder)? Also, in this day of increasing lead scareness, you may want to choose a lighter weight bullet to save on lead (although 130 grains vs. 148 or 158 grains seems like minimum gain), if you are a bullet caster. In someone else's game, they may want to use a 158 grain semi wadcutter if their intent is to practice for self-defense or hunting.

In short, choose a bullet design that is most advantageous for your game, not someone else's. In my case, 130 grain Lee's.

https://pix.sfly.com/JGSWjy

[Unclenick]

Originally Posted by buck460XVR

Which basically comes down to a specific weight bullet traveling at a specific speed. Doesn't mean other weight bullets traveling at other velocities will not hit POA just as accurately.

That tends to be true only in self-loading pistols due to the recoil momentum passing mainly to the slide instead of the grip frame in the time before the bullet clears the muzzle. In revolvers, the grip frame gets the recoil while the bullet is still in the barrel, so there is much more recoil-induced muzzle flip before the bullet has cleared the muzzle. Lighter bullets in revolvers will impact lower than heavier bullets almost regardless of how warm you load them. It's got little to do with trajectory at normal handgun ranges. It's about how much recoil raises the muzzle before the bullet clears it. Heavier bullets move slower in light loads, giving the recoil more time to raise the muzzle, or they recoil harder at high velocities, raising the muzzle faster. Either way, the bullet impacts higher. This is the reason fixed revolver sights have to set for a specific weight, where auto-pistol sights come close to the same POI at normal handgun ranges regardless of bullet weight.

Now, get handgun loads out beyond about 50 yards and you start to see big POI shifts due to time-of-flight differences in trajectory based on the bullet velocity. That's a whole other animal.

Vent-30,

You want to buy bullets in small quantities until you are sure you get impact elevation that coincides with your sights. 158's are most likely to be it, however, your grip affects the muzzle flip, too, so get some of those and see where they hit on paper for you. I've got one fixed sight gun in .44 Special that is on 25 -yard POI with 200-grain bullets better than the more standard 240-grain bullets for that chambering. I'm sure the same can happen in 38's, so check yours.

Also, if you prefer, say, 125's to 148's or 158's, but they impact too low, you can always file the front sight down.

[rclark]

I've standardized ... 158g SWC for .38/.357, 240g SWC for .44s, and 255g RNFP/SWC for .45 Colt. No sight adjustments, just pick up a box and go shoot. Adjust the sights to the load that shoots well, not the other way around.

[RaySendero]

I Reload,
So prefer a mid-weight bullet for my practice loads
that I can adjust the powder/velocity/recoil
such that t shoots to the same POA as my SD ammo.

I use 125 grain bullets in 38 Spcls.

[Average Joe]

158g , I think that was the designed bullet weight for the .38 spl. That's what I have always used.

[dahermit]

158g , I think that was the designed bullet weight for the .38 spl. That's what I have always used.

Then there was the Air Force load using a 130 grain bullet and the "super" police load using a 200 grain bullet and a .38 Special +P+ load that uses a 110 grain bullet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_Special

[Paul B.]

OK, HP38 and W321 are the same powder, My light "plinkers" and main target load use the same bullet, the Lyman #358495 wadcutter and 3.0gr. W231/HP38.. Accuracy is superb in every .38 Spl. handgun I've shot with that load.
For a more serious load it's a Lyman #358156 gas check bullet over 5.0 gr. of Unique. Good practice load for a J frame snubbie or any .38 revolver.
Paul B.

[Joe-ker]

I stick with 158g. My Henry cycles better. Missouri's Rangers are so blunt----I get the primer safety thing------but I think I'll try semi wads next time. Round nosed store bought never caused a problem----recoil is light on .38s, hot .357 might be different.

[Real Gun]

I stick with 158g. My Henry cycles better. Missouri's Rangers are so blunt----I get the primer safety thing------but I think I'll try semi wads next time. Round nosed store bought never caused a problem----recoil is light on .38s, hot .357 might be different.

SWC generally don't run well in a rifle. Look for TCFP as ideal.

[Real Gun]

I use relative bullet weights and load intensities according to the size of the gun. My lightweight J-frame uses 110-125 and I go up from there. I shoot +p in a .357 Magnum SP101 using 158 gr lead FBI loads from a Remington box or reloads of the same weight.

[Joe-ker]

SWC generally don't run well in a rifle. Look for TCFP as ideal.
__________________

Thanks. I see Missouri only goes up to 140g for TCFP. May have to try some.

[Don Fischer]

I use a cast 150gr Semi wadcutter these day's but only because I don't have a 148gr wadcutter mold anymore. handgun's are fun to plink with and even good for rabbits and squirrels but I'm not that serious about hunting with them. Probably because I can shoot a whole lot better with a rifle! But love plinking with them.

[Real Gun]

Thanks. I see Missouri only goes up to 140g for TCFP. May have to try some.

That 140 Zinger is what I am currently shooting in my rifle but Penn's 158 gr TCFP is my favorite, giving an effortless action in the rifle. The difference is that the Penn has no leading band to hang up, unique for a TC.