38 spl Bullet Advice

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Capt Roy

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I have the 9mm down and now I'm going to reload some 38 spl. First I would like to thank everyone for their input on the 9mm reloads.. I'm going next week to do some some chrono evaluations on them.

What are good bullets for 38 spl? I really like accuracy..

I am going to use titegroup and I am concerned about leading. Looked at berry's but there are no groves for the roll crimp.. Berrys also sells a "Hard Cast" would these give me leading?

I will be shooting them in my Ruger GP100, 6" ss..

Thanks for any input..

Capt Roy
 
Leading occurs when you use the wrong combination of hardness and pressure. High pressure loads need hard bullets, low pressure need soft bullets. Missouri Bullet's tech page has a good explanation. www.missouribullet.com

If you're going for accurate target loads it is hard to beat the 148 gr. wadcutter. MBC sells them with a BHN 10, soft for lighter loads.
 
More leading is caused by a poor fit of bullet diameter to barrel diameter than from any other cause. With that said, most .38 bullets of .358" diameter seem to do well in all of my .38/.357 revolvers, which is over a dozen of them.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Missouri Bullet makes an awesome 158 grain LSWC. Be sure to get the soft ones for 38 special. They're very good quality and ship incredibly fast. I use their bullets in in .38/.357 and 40 S&W

All the Best,
D. White
 
Hey Capt. Roy,

If you got the 9mm down you'll have no problem with the 38....very easy and a joy to reload. Lead and the 38 are a true match....I really prefer lead in the 38. Try some of those Missouri Bullets 158 LSWC and seat to the crimp groove.
 
Read the information about shooting lead bullets that you get in the Lyman or Lee manual or The ABCs of Reloading. Lead bullets can be very accurate and are of modest cost.
That said, they can cause leading of your barrel if you push them too fast or if they are too soft or too small or too big or whatever. Gas checks are useful for lead bullets used in "magnum" loadings. So are half-jacketed bullets, or even FMJs if that is what you are looking for. Plated bullets seem to have a good following, although that may up the cost a little.
For non-grooved lead bullets in my .38 lever guns, I use a stout taper crimp. That keeps the bullet (without a crimping groove) in place even though I am blasting away with 10 in the magazine. I use harder bullets, still well-lubed, with crimping grooves for more OOMPH at a higher velocity. Crimping the case mouths will shorten case life, but it allows more horsepower from the slower powders. Take your pick.
Learn with some shooting buddies and tell us how it's going.
 
Using TiteGroup in a 38 Spcl might lead to fill issues since that brass is cavernous compared to the 9x19. You might be better off with a fluffy powder, like Unique or Trail Boss, simply to get better case fill and prevent double charges.

Dense powders like TiteGroup can lead to erratic performance as the powder re-distributes itself around inside the case. Like #2 below....

PowderFill.png
 
Roy - I'm just like you! Newbie reloader, just got a Ruger GP 100 SS 6" like yours, and have experimented with 38 spl and 357 loads. I'd echo the praise of the Missouri Bullets products - cheap, fast to arrive, and easy to work with. I bought 158 gr LSWC's for both 38 spl (softer) and 357 (harder), and have used Trail Boss and Clays for 38 spl and 2400 for 357. No leading at all, though shooting the 38 spl's leaves a ring inside the chambers that's a pain to remove.
 
Thanks for all the inputs... I called missouri bullets, told what I wanted, and ordered 500 158gr Target bullets. I'm going to give it a try next week.

Thanks again, what a wealth of information is on this site..

Capt Roy
 
I'll second Bison's use of Clays in 38 Special. It's very clean. Very soft shooting. A little goes a long ways. Downside is the small charge volume can easily allow two charges in the case resulting in spontaneous disassembly of your gun. If you use it be VERY careful. I run 3.3 grains under the 158 grain lswc's I use. This is about max on some data. Mid-range on other. I don't push Clays too far.

All the Best,
D. White
 
Capt Roy, consider this (flame suit on). :D

I have read posts that some uses 9mm lead bullets for 38 Spl. with good results. So ... the curiosity in me pondered ...

Well, I loaded some MBC 18 BHN 9mm 125 gr RN (0.356") with 3.0-3.5 gr Promo on the last range trip for cheap plinking loads. Powder charge came up almost halfway up the case and OAL was 1.445" and taper crimped only (no roll crimp). Accuracy was good and recoil was mild with no noticeable leading.

Any comments from other more experienced with 38 Spl loads?
 
I like Clays in .38 Spl as well. Competition is a good one too, but as posted, it is a small charge and one must be careful not to double charge.

You said you like accuracy. The best for that is 148 Gr lead hollow base wadcutters, period. Of course that is a very light load. If you want accuracy at higher velocities, you must use a solid bullet, whether lead, plated, or jacketed.
 
While rfwobbly is correct, I have had good results with a 148 gr LSWC with 5.2gr of HS6. Out of a 6" S&W 686 makes one ragged hole out to about 15yards.

I have been experimenting with Clays Universal and 148 gr plated full wadcutters. 3.4gr seems to work ok, but still refining the load. That is a light load, and as Walkalong mentioned, I will probably see better performance at higher velocity.
 
MBC 158 gr. SWC pushing this bullet with Trail Boss can't be beat!!!!!!

In my Ruger Blackhawk it is my go too squirrel load:D
 
My main plinking load for my .357 is a Lee 356-120-TC poured of wheel weights over 4.5 grains of green dot in a .38 case.

Shoots great.
 
To contradict rfwobbly, titegroup is designed to be a low-density fill powder. It has I believe to be the highest nitroglycerine content of any canister powder. It has been in my experience quite uncaring about if the powder is in the front, in the back, or upside down in the shell case. 3.5 gr is a smidge in a 38 spl case- you CAN triple or quad charge with titegroup if not careful- and so far in my experience it is position insensitive to a large degree especially when compared to other powders.
 
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