Looking for suggestions for .38 sp SD load

crimsondave · May 15, 2010, 02:49 PM

for a snubby Smith Titianium carried by my gf. If I were loading for me, I'd just ramp them up to around max and let it go, but I don't know about for a women. (She can shoot, but is not a very experienced shooter.)

Also, I have Bullseye, Herco, and Titegroup available. I also have H110, but that would be interesting to say the least.

*Note: I'm not asking about legalities of using reloads for SD, so please don't post about that in this thread. Thanks.

zxcvbob · May 15, 2010, 03:04 PM

Magnus #515 bullet (158 grain soft lead SWCHP) with 3.8 grains of Bullseye.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...p?sku=00051515

You could go up to about 5.0 grains with the Herco, but i don't know that I'd want to shoot it in a very light gun.

briandg · May 15, 2010, 03:09 PM

My personal reloads for .38 combat are the sierra hollow point 110 grain with a charge of either accurate 5 or hs 6 at +P level. The sierra bullet is soft, and it turns into a marble on impact. You don't get penetration, but I can assure you that they make a brutal wound for the first 8 inches based on my testing, and they will go completely to pieces on building materials.

they aren't intended to meet fbi standards, they are intended to rip a very large hole into a perp as deep as it can go. The biggest benefit is that this bullet will never fail to expand, IMO. They will still collapse and flatten even if the cavity becomes compromised, because they have an exposed led point.

Controllable recoil, moderate blast. it will feel approzimately like a 9mm, not a heavy combat load.

crimsondave · May 15, 2010, 03:38 PM

Quote:

My personal reloads for .38 combat are the sierra hollow point 110 grain with a charge of either accurate 5 or hs 6 at +P level. The sierra bullet is soft, and it turns into a marble on impact. You don't get penetration, but I can assure you that they make a brutal wound for the first 8 inches based on my testing, and they will go completely to pieces on building materials.

they aren't intended to meet fbi standards, they are intended to rip a very large hole into a perp as deep as it can go. The biggest benefit is that this bullet will never fail to expand, IMO. They will still collapse and flatten even if the cavity becomes compromised, because they have an exposed led point.

Controllable recoil, moderate blast. it will feel approzimately like a 9mm, not a heavy combat load.

Interesting load. What velocity are you getting out of that? If I could use one of the powders I already have to reach that same velocity, it should perform basically the same, right?

crimsondave · May 15, 2010, 03:39 PM

Quote:

You could go up to about 5.0 grains with the Herco, but i don't know that I'd want to shoot it in a very light gun.

You know of any manuals that have many pistol loads with Herco? None of mine have very many at all.

briandg · May 15, 2010, 04:12 PM

I don't even find any at the website, but they list a +P load for .38 super 110-124 so it should work for heavy .
38 loads. keep looking.

WESHOOT2 · May 16, 2010, 10:00 AM

In my wife's S&W M38 Airweight Bodyguard I chose the Hornady 140g XTP-HP over HS6.

treg · May 16, 2010, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Magnus #515 bullet (158 grain soft lead SWCHP) with 3.8 grains of Bullseye.

+1, those are great bullets for .38 sp velocities.

I bounce between those and a hard cast lswc, over WW231. Seems to be a good velocity vs flash / bang / recoil ratio in a snubbie. Bullseye should be too.

May 15, 2010, 02:49 PM	#1
crimsondave Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2009 Location: North Augusta, SC Posts: 490	Looking for suggestions for .38 sp SD load for a snubby Smith Titianium carried by my gf. If I were loading for me, I'd just ramp them up to around max and let it go, but I don't know about for a women. (She can shoot, but is not a very experienced shooter.) Also, I have Bullseye, Herco, and Titegroup available. I also have H110, but that would be interesting to say the least. *Note: I'm not asking about legalities of using reloads for SD, so please don't post about that in this thread. Thanks.

May 15, 2010, 03:04 PM	#2
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	Magnus #515 bullet (158 grain soft lead SWCHP) with 3.8 grains of Bullseye. http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...p?sku=00051515 You could go up to about 5.0 grains with the Herco, but i don't know that I'd want to shoot it in a very light gun. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

May 16, 2010, 10:00 AM	#7
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	In my wife's S&W M38 Airweight Bodyguard I chose the Hornady 140g XTP-HP over HS6. __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

May 15, 2010, 03:09 PM	#3
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	My personal reloads for .38 combat are the sierra hollow point 110 grain with a charge of either accurate 5 or hs 6 at +P level. The sierra bullet is soft, and it turns into a marble on impact. You don't get penetration, but I can assure you that they make a brutal wound for the first 8 inches based on my testing, and they will go completely to pieces on building materials. they aren't intended to meet fbi standards, they are intended to rip a very large hole into a perp as deep as it can go. The biggest benefit is that this bullet will never fail to expand, IMO. They will still collapse and flatten even if the cavity becomes compromised, because they have an exposed led point. Controllable recoil, moderate blast. it will feel approzimately like a 9mm, not a heavy combat load.

May 15, 2010, 04:12 PM	#6
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	I don't even find any at the website, but they list a +P load for .38 super 110-124 so it should work for heavy . 38 loads. keep looking.