Any good loads for Zero 125g JSP 38 spcl?

[Typetwelve]

Looking over my usual haunts (Lyman, Hodgdon, Alliant, Western, Hornady), I compiled a list of "typical" loadings for 125g rounds, but the info is all over the place as they all use different projectiles. I'm seeing depths of 1.440" all the way to 1.470", again depending on projectile type.

Messing with the Zero projectile, I came to a seating depth of 1.425" OAL, as that is the highest I can seat it with the cannelure properly lined up with the case mouth.

I pretty much guessed some charges, and of everything I tried, only the Bullseye data from Lyman was right. They called 860 fps with a 4.4g charge, I saw 855. Their +P charge of 5g est at 920, I saw 909. Outside of that, everything else I made was worse. Tight Group charges were down 10% across the board and rounds I made with Silhouette were a complete disaster. Hodgdon called for a +P load of 6.7g and an est of 1188 fps, I saw 815 fps. Their "max" charge of 6.2 was so low, I thought I was going to squib some of them (some were as low as 525 fps, and threw unburnt powder everywhere).

So, does anyone have any good loads with these projectiles? I'm kind of afraid to go off the beaten path too much, but I'd like more performance from these.

 

[Walkalong]

Roll crimp into the middle of the cannelure and that’s the proper OAL.

I pretty much guessed some charges,

??

Anyway, data for the XTP and other big name JHPs will be so close it won’t matter in .38 Spl.

 

[Typetwelve]

Roll crimp into the middle of the cannelure and that’s the proper OAL.

??

Anyway, data for the XTP and other big name JHPs will be so close it won’t matter in .38 Spl.

"guessed" as in took some charge data from various sites, came up with averages. Lyman stated that 5.1g of W213 was max, 5.4g was +P. Hornady stated that 4.6g of TG was max, 5g was +P. Hodgdon states that 5.3g of TG was +P...you get the paint.

None of them align, because they're all referencing different 125g projectiles.

 

[Walkalong]

"guessed" as in took some charge data from various sites, came up with averages.

Gotcha.

Magtech 125 Gr JHP. I used big name JHP data. Shot well, still have some somewhere.

 

[EricBu]

38 spl is pretty forgiving, long as you stay on the rez. Any brand name will give you a start point. Speer and sierra both make bullets of a very close profile to zero. Walkalong nailed it for your oal.