Your favorite 38spl snub practice load.

[fourdollarbill]

I have found the 125gr plated with cci500's and 3.8 to 4.0 of bullseye to be a very comfortable load in a snub. It may be reaching 950 ft or so.
I hear 6.6gr of blue dot is also good.

What is your favorite practice (range) load?

 

[Claude Clay]

i'm right there with you.
though i often throw about 20% 4.4 bullseye into the mix so as to keep the grip honest.

 

[Slamfire]

158 L anything, 3.5 grains Bullseye, any case any primer.

Chronographs just at standard velocity 38 Spl ammo. Shoots to point of aim in snubbies regulated for a 158 bullet, and is accurate.

 

[fourdollarbill]

I certainly don't like loading anything +P myself as i'm a revolver noobie but the fella 2 lanes down was bragging thats all he uses for the range. I saw his bullets and they were also hollow point semi jacketed. Sounds a bit of a waste.

 

[rcmodel]

+1 on 158 grain lead bullets at standard velocity.

Anything much else won't print to the fixed sights.

rcmodel

 

[jjohnson]

Blue Dot?

Okay, you got my attention.

Blue Dot is a pretty slow burner - I use QuickLoad software, and it can tell you how much of the powder is burned by the time the bullet leaves the barrel. It takes into account charge weight, bullet weight, barrel length, and other trivia.
I know that Blue Dot won't burn entirely unless you have a much longer barrel than a snub - and I mean like a foot or so.

Bullseye, on the other hand, will burn entirely by the time the bullet leaves the muzzle, so unless you're interested in muzzle flash as the unignited powder blows out of the muzzle and is lit by the hot gas behind it, Bullseye is a more efficient load.

Most of what I do at the range is working on marksmanship, so I can justify shooting 148-grain wadcutters if I'm working on accuracy, or 125-grain cast RN ("cowboy loads") if I'm working on some sort of draw-and-shoot exercise.
I usually reserve the full power load stuff for the end of a range session so I don't develop flinch as soon as I get there .

For both the 125 and 148 grain bullets, 3-4 grains of Bullseye does just fine, as will a small charge of Red Dot.

 

[fourdollarbill]

Excellent info on the Blue Dot. Thank you...

 

[fireflyfather]

I use 3 grains of red dot under 158gr LSWC or LRN. Shoots just fine. Low flash, fairly low recoil.

 

[jfh]

For practice SD loads, I shoot reloads that nominally match my carry loads.

I carry GDSB 38+P 135-gr. factory rounds in the summer, so the practice round is a 140 LTC over approx. 7.0 gr. of AA#5. Both the factory ammo and the practice ammo clock 860+ fps from a 2" barrel.

For winter carry, the round is the Rem 38S12--so the practice round is a 158LSWC over approx. 6.2 gr. of AA#5. It runs just over 800 fps, about like the factory round.

Both of these are 38+P loads, but not at 38 CIP pressures.

If I want lower recoil, I simply back up the loads to standard pressure, dropping the charge by about three-tenths to five-tenths grain.

Although I did an acclimation / training for shooting these rounds in the lightweight J-frames, so far I have not wanted to drop back the typical max load.

This winter I am planning to sort out some 125-gr. loads for plinking as well--probably using Ramshot's True Blue.

Jim H.

 

[Walkalong]

3.1 to 3.2 Grs Clays or Red Dot under a 158 Gr plated bullet. Clays is less position sensitive at those levels.

700X and American Select work well too. I used nothing but 700X in .38 Spl for years.

 

[grsjax]

148gr HBWC over 3gr of Unique. Nice easy load.

 

[joneb]

I hear 6.6gr of blue dot is also good.

I tried Blue Dot with 125gr JHPs and I had lots of unburnt powder and poor accuracy.
Bullseye , W-231 and AA#5 work well for me in .38spl. 2,4 and 6" barrels.

 

[floydster]

A load that can't be improved on:
3.3 grs Red Dot pushing a 158 gr SWC, the most accurate load I have ever found for the 38 Spl.
Floydster

 

[Trekbike]

I will load 148g HBWC with 3.0g - 3.4g of WW231.

David

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

+1

3.2gr of W231

148gr BBWC

 

[joneb]

I like jfh's answer, I would find a carry load that is regulated (sights) for you gun and then emulate that with your reloads for practice. I carry a S&W 36 1.875" barrel and I reload 158gr LSWC for practice.

 

[KINGMAX]

158 grain lead bullets at standard velocity.

+ 1 for the 158 grain lead bullets at standard velocity. I get the white box Winchestr from Wally-World, a 100 to a box of ball ammo for target practice.

 

[funnelcake]

158gr. LSWC, 3.4gr. HP-38/ W231.

Funnel

 

[Bush Pilot]

125 gr plated bullet over 3.5 grs of Bullseye with which ever SP primer is close at hand.

 

[oneounceload]

4.5 Unique or 4 of Universal and a 158 SWC have always been accurate in my K frames

 

[HANDLOADER]

I use 5 grains of Unique with any of my home cast 150 grain Kieth bullet size .358. Primers are always CCI 500 and cases are mixed unless I have friends come over and help me sort then the ammo is brand sorted.

 

[chriske]

For practice ? Either 148gr. (HBWC or DEWC) + 3.1 gr W-231 or any 158Gr lead bullet ( RN or SWC) + 4.0 to 4.3 W-231.

 

[The Bushmaster]

140 grain SJHP or Hornady HP/XTP over 5 grains of W-231.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

3.4gr W231 under a 148gr DEWC
4.0gr W231 under a 158gr LSWC
5.5gr Longshot under a 158gr SJHP
6.8gr AA#5 under a 140gr Hornady XTP
7.0gr HS-6 under a Hornady 158gr LSWC/HP I use a Magnum primer with this load. **Warning, this load is a little hot but it isn't over SAAMI limits according to Lyman 49th Edition.**

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I just loaded a batch of 38 spl using 5 gr Unique, 125 gr Berry FP, we'll see how they do tomorrow. I'm shooting a 4" revolver also.