148gr WC load??

[Will]

I use the Lee 148WC made from WW for target and tin can shooting. I've found that I need near 800fps to get a good pattern. To get this I'm using 7gr BlueDot. This shoots OK but leaves unburned powder in the tube of my 4"bbl colt.

Does anyone have a good load for this slug?? I have BlueDot, RedDot, 2400 and Unique.

Thanks
Will

[Wally]

Use 3.5 grains of Bullseye or 3.3 grains of Red Dot--I use Bullseye in my revolvers with this bullet and it provides me with a most accurate load for tin can shooting.

[missionary5155]

Is this for a 38 Special ?? The following is for a 38Special
Personally I would not be using Bluedot. I would have a hard time imagining a LOADING MANUAL sugesting this. Bluedot and 2400 are powders better served used as +P velocity.
Red dot 2.7 grains = 755 fps up to 3.7 grs = 930fps
Unique 3.7 grs = 770 fps up to 4.7 grs = 980 fps
My much used load was 4 grains unique bullet seated flush with case mouth.

[Will]

Yes, 38spl.
I thought you guys were mind readers.
I tried to find where I got the BD load and none of my manuals list it. I don't remember where I came up with it but like I said it soots good groups but I don't like the left over powder.
Will

[Hardcast416taylor]

For 7 yrs. I ran a PPC course at my gunclub. The load we used for the club ammo, used by "visitors" was 3.0 gr. of Red Dot, Win. 231 or HP-38. Put a Fed. or Win. primer behind it and have a great shoot. I`ve trained people from 8 yrs. old to a 67 yr. old nurse aide on this load. Low noise next to no recoil and like eating popcorn - you don`t want to stop shooting `em. I used both the Lee 6 cavity mould and a Lyman 4 cavity to make umpteen thousands of these little buggers. I only lubed the 2 bottom grooves on the bullet. As I used ww`s they were hard enough not to lead. Back then I used the daylights out of Hodgon bullet lube, probably like LEE stick lube now.:Fire:

[testhop]

the target shooters of old (YOU NOTICED I NEVER SAID OLD SHOOTERS )used 2.7 gr of bulleye some used 3.0 but it was rare

[Le Loup Solitaire]

2.7 grains of Bullseye has always been a popular and successful loading for the 38special, especially in the S&W K-38 revolvers. Of course many other powders have been developed that give good results. Alternate choices for loadings can be found in modern loading manuals. Types of bullets vary from hollow-base designs to flat base and double ended versions. All have been used with varying seating depths and with and without crimp. For a S&W Model 52 I have always used an H&G #258 which is a double ended version. The 52 requires that no lead protrude beyond the case mouth so the bullet has to be seated flush with it. That made the 2.7 recoil a little sharper and it then also did not group as well. After a lot of work and experimenting I found that 2.6 grains of IMR 700X worked best for me and shot the best scores. But 2.6 did not work as well in my K-38 and I had to work up to 3.0 grains before the group became tight. Using the 50/50 NRA lube I also found that putting lube in only one groove was sufficient for good accuracy. If put it into 2 or all 3 grooves it opened the grouping, made excessive smoke and crudded up the gun. Red Dot and Unique are good powders to work with in the 38special and both will burn clean and give good accuracy, but I believe that Blue dot and 2400 are more efficient when used for higher velocity loadings in P+ or .357 Mag. For .38 special target loads shooters tend to favor lower velocities and recoil so lighter charges of "faster" powders are preferred. Good shooting. LLS

[Shiloh]

The load of 2.7-2.8 gr of Bullseye is timeless for .38 wad-cutter.

I have used this load for boollits made of all lead alloy configurations. Home rolled as well as gun-show purchased commercial boolits. Superb accuracy has been and will continue to be achieved with this recipe. Bullseye Powder has been around since 1913

Shiloh

[MtGun44]

Bullseye or Titegroup are known for excellent results with tiny dabs
in a big case. Of the powders you listed on hand, I'd use the Red Dot
by far over the others.

Position sensitivity can be a real issue with light .38 SPL loads. Try a
group with the powder at the boolit end (shake or rap it muzzle down
then carefully raise the muzzle to just level and fire) and then another
group with the powder at the primer end (shake or rap with the muzzle
up, then slowly lower to level and fire). This will tell you (esp if you
chronograph!) a lot about the position sensitivity. Since you will tend
to get random positioning in normal use, you can get significant accy
problems with position sensitive powders.

BE and TG are among the LEAST position sensitive powders out there.

Bill

Bill

[EMC45]

I was gonna say 2.7gr. Bullseye myself.

[686]

2.7 gr. be has probley wone more ppc matches than all others put to gether. i have changed my load about 6 yrs. ago to 2.8 gr wst . it is cleaner and just as accret. i put the same load in my 158 gr swc. is you want a real light, i mean light load use the same 2.8 wst with a 125 gr bullet.

[Will]

I just went back and checked my notes on what I had tried and I started with 2.0gr RedDot and worked up to 4.0 (hot) but never got better than 4" at 50ft. That's when I switched to BlueDot and worked up to 7.0gr and got a little better group but I don't like using the BlueDot. Maybe I'll buy a can of Bullseye. It has a burn rate close to RedDot but maybe it will work. This isn't a target gun but has always been pretty accurate.

Will

[eka]

I use the RCBS 148 gr. button type wadcutter and 4.0 grains of Bullseye. Very very accurate. I'm not familiar off the top of my head about the Lee version you are using. Does it have a hollow base? If it does you can get it going with the classic 2.7 gr. Bullseye load. It doesn't take much to get the skirt to obturate. With the standard plain base wadcutter like I use, I find I have to kick it in the seat of the pants a little harder. If you want to give Unique a try use 4.7 - 5.2 grains. Good luck.

Keith

[rbstern]

I prefer 3 grains of Hodgdon Clays for the wadcutter target loads. It leaves the gun a bit less messy.