38 Spl, 2 1/2" bbl

[PWC]

Recent posts have got me thinking; what is the best load for a short bbl .38 Spl shooting 148-158 gn lead bullets, round or truncated. Not carried for SD, a range fungun, occassionaly a night stand gun.

Load manuals usualy use charges for 6, 8, 10 in bbl. I have no chrony. I use Bullseye and Unique. Other than letting the target tell me the best load for accuracy, is there any recommendation for powder vs bbl length efficiency? Thanks in advance.

 

[forrest r]

with light bullets (+/- 110gr) unique & p+ loads

158gr/160gr bullets power pistol is your friend with p+ loads

I use cast/coated bullets, they tend to have higher velocities for the same load compared to their jacketed, plated or traditional cast/lubed counterparts.

The bullet design plays a huge roll in efficiency, large bottom drive bands and long bodied bullets are more efficient.

As far as accuracy goes it's hard to beat 3.3gr to 3.5gr of bullseye and 150gr/160gr bullets or plain old wc's/hbwc's and 2.7gr/3.0gr of bullseye.

 

[Ej3]

As far as a best load, I guess that would depend on your goal.

For general shooting I like 3.1 gr of Titegroup using a 148 gr polycoated RN bullet from Eggleston Munitions. Out of 2” barrel, this is a soft shooting and accurate load.

I had tested 3.0 gr and later decided to go with 3.1 gr. 3.0 gr on a 60* F day produced an average of 590 fps from the 2” barrel and 700 fps from a 6” barrel.
Accurate #2 is also good for this application. 3.3 gr on a 70 *F day produced an average of 615 fps from the 2” barrel and 745 fps from a 6” barrel.

 

[Alaskamike]

Don't get hung up over powder efficiency vs barrel length. The same load that gives the best velocity in a 6" barrel will also normally give the best velocity in a 2.5" barrel.

Both powders you have are capable of excellent loads in .38 special. That said, Bullseye has undoubtedly won far more trophies over the last 100 years than any other powder with target .38 special loads.

 

[George P]

Tightgroup, Bullseye, Unique or Universal all work well in my snubbies with 148WC or 158 LSWc

 

[12Bravo20]

Tightgroup, Bullseye, Unique or Universal all work well in my snubbies with 148WC or 158 LSWc

Good to know since I have a bunch of Hodgdon Universal and was planning on some type of 158Gr bullet (thinking coated round nose). An 8 pound jug of Universal lasts a long time when all you use it for is pistol ammunition.

 

[George P]

Good to know since I have a bunch of Hodgdon Universal and was planning on some type of 158Gr bullet (thinking coated round nose). An 8 pound jug of Universal lasts a long time when all you use it for is pistol ammunition.

Besides pistol, I also use it for 3/4oz 20 gauge reloads (28 gauge level)c- great for targets, quail and doves and easy on the shoulder

 

[12Bravo20]

While Universal is not the best for a wide variety of pistol caliber, I have had good result with it for practice ammo in 380, 9mm, 9mm Largo, 40S&W, and 45. I figured if it works well might as well use it for 38sp too. I would probably use it for 410 if it was suitable for that. I use H110 for my 410 shells.