I agree it is amazing how much difference the right load can make in a gun. I take every gun I buy that I plan on keeping and find the best load for it depending on how it will be used the majority of the time. In my 40+ years of loading for revolvers, I've found that the correct bullet usually makes more of a difference than the powder. With exceptions of course. FWIW, here is how I start and I usually get to the final tweaking faster this way. For .38/.357 target loads, I have narrowed down my starting bullets to 3. I use 148gr LHBWC (don't think I've ever seen a .38 that wouldn't shoot this bullet at least decent) with 2.8-3gr Bulleseye, 130gr TCFP HYTek coated with 5.0gr of Universal and 158gr TCFP HyTek Coated also with 5.0gr Universal. What I've found in the past, is a lot of revolvers will like light bullets and some heavier bullets. Once I get a feel of what a gun will like better, then I start tweaking. One thing that has helped me greatly is most of my daily shooters are stainless for ease of cleaning mostly. Also I have a Weaver no drill scope mount that along with a Red Dot Tube helps take the guess work out of my ability and eyesight. Once I find a combination that will shoot around 1" at 25 yards, then I move to 50 and 75 yards which is the limit to my backyard range. Of course you will see a much bigger change at longer ranges when changing bullet and or powder. I've also found that 800-1000fps to be all of the velocity needed to shoot good groups even at 75 yards. Just because you are shooting over 25 yards, you don't need a ball busting magnum load. Of course beyond 25 yards the HBWC is pretty much useless. Everybody that reloads has their own pet powders and I would never try to tell someone what I use is better than theirs. I probably have at least 15 handgun powders in my loading building but for 95% of my shooting these days, it is limited to 5. Bullseye for HBWC. Universal and HS-6 for medium and +P .38 loads and H110 and 2400 for Magnum Hunting loads. I love to shoot and to me the fun of shooting is loading to wring out the utmost accuracy of a gun. Knowing what load is the most accurate in a particular gun sure is a lot more fun than shooting at a steel plate and wondering where your misses are going. AT least when I shoot, I know the misses are caused by me and not the wrong ammo.
