38 Special

[tbierley]

I got 2000 Lee cast bullets today that came from a Lee Mold DC TL356-124-TC. I checked them, they all mic out a .357 to .358 I need to know if I can use the 38 Special load for my wife around 650 to 750 fps. I was going to tumble lude them. Any load data?

[Lefty SRH]

All I can say is look for some 125gr data for .38spl and try them out. Start low and work up. Is the intended gun a .38spl or .357mag?

[Hardcast416taylor]

For years I shot 148 gr. WC in my .38 for indoor shooting using 3.5 gr. of Win. 231 or HP-38 or Red Dot. I have not shot a light bullet as yours although I imagine my loads would work .Robert

[tbierley]

For a Model 10 in 38 Sp.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Generally 38 special loads in the 650-750 fps range are excellent and accurate over shorter distances. Using lighter bullets like 125 grains is ok. Powders to use would include Bullseye, Red Dot, 700X, Green dot...these are in and around the faster of the powders. There are of course several others to choose from and a good loading manual will help. Bullseye is the fastest of the ones above and the standard target load for 148 grain bullets is 2.7. It is not hot and recoil is low, but you can go lower with 125 grains.... and as well with the others. It is a matter of experimentation and finding what combination works best in terms of accuracy. It is also very economical to work with powders in the 2-2.5 grain range as for example a 2.0 grain charge of powder will yield 3500 loads per pound. Just make sure that you have a good scale and powder measure and keep alert to not double charge any case. Safety first. LLS

[fecmech]

That TC bullet is very accurate in the .38 spl and recoil is almost non existent. It shoots very well from 3 grs of Bullseye to 4.5 grs of bullseye (750-1050 fps) for me in both pistols and rifles.

[FergusonTO35]

You got lucky with that mold. I used to have one and the boolit's we're too small for a 9mm, much less a .38. Your model 10 will likely be very accurate with it but print low. Mine is spot on with 158's but 2-3" low with anything less.

[Rocky Raab]

That last point is quite cogent. Light bullets will hit low - and the faster you launch them the lower they strike. That may work to your advantage if your wife wants a super-light kicking load. You can raise the point of impact by loading slower.

Try as light as 2.5 grains of a wide selection of powders. ANY of the following will work fine, plus others I'll think of after I post... Bullseye, RedDot, Promo, e3, American Select, Green Dot, TiteGroup, Clays, Nitro 100, W231, WST, HP38, Accurate #2, Solo 1000, 700X, VVN310, and VVN320.

Really, ANY of those at 2.5 to 3.0 grains will do nicely.

[bob208]

i used the rcbs 125 gr. tc bullets over 3.5 gr. red dot. i liked because it worked well in the speed loaders.

[Shiloh]

You got lucky with that mold. I used to have one and the boolit's we're too small for a 9mm, much less a .38. Your model 10 will likely be very accurate with it but print low. Mine is spot on with 158's but 2-3" low with anything less.

Same for me. It casts too small.

Shiloh

[smkummer]

I am shooting the Lee 125 TL RN bullet with 2.8 grains bullseye. Very mild and comfortable out of an alloy Colt cobra 2 in. barrel and a old police positve special. Like stated it does print lower than the 158 but for shooting a human sized target at 10 yards or less it not an issue. I am getting very minor blackening of the remington nickel cases so pressure is not too low. Thicker brass may not seal and you may have to bump the charge to get enough pressure so the case will expand. This load was a suggested load in one of the current manuals so I am guessing it was intended for cowboy shooting. I too was looking for a load that would be comfortable out of small frame 38 revolvers for women and this works great.

[tbierley]

She is a former Jar Head. She shoots my 1911 very well. She wants a good shooting round to take to the range and shoot out of my Model 10 that is a 100 years old.

[1Shirt]

Good on her!
Semper Fi!
1Shirt!

[tbierley]

The bad thing is that I am retired USArmy.

[GUINEAPIG WITH AK47]

Best sleep with one eye open!

I use the lee 105 SWC over 2.7 BE for my wife's GP100, will print low but low recoil.
My standard load is 158 Lee RNFP over 3.5 231.
+P is same bullet or 358156 plain base over 5.5 new Unique (in 357 only)

[DLCTEX]

That boolit with 3 gr. BE is the most accurate load in my 38.

[rsrocket1]

Bullseye is my standard load for the 158g Lee RNF boolit, but even with mid range loads, the soot is pretty bad. It turns my stainless Ruger Service Six into what looks like a blued gun. No problem with cleaning it and after an initial coating of soot, it doesn't seem to get any worse even after 200 rounds.

Clays is an excellent powder for light loads. I shoot as low as 2.5g with the 158g boolit and think that about 2.8-3.0g would be great for the lighter projectile. Hodgdon's data says 2.5 for 810 fps to 3.5g for 978 fps using Clays with a 125g LRN. Clays builds up pressure quickly and burns cleanly and completely with very little residue even at sub-optimal pressures which comes from my experience with 3/4 oz 12 gauge light shotgun loads. Powders like Unique, Bullseye and Red Dot tend to leave a lot of unburned flakes when shot at low pressures.

[PAPABEAR]

105gr swc with 3.8 of red dot is clean and accurate in my 38 spec.....

[FergusonTO35]

Accurate #5 is an outstanding powder for the ,38 Special. I would start out with 5 grains, if you can get Federal Gold Medal primers use them, they are well worth it.