Is 4.6 gains of universal good......

[Budda]

Is 4.6 gains of universal good to go under a cast lead 125 swc? I was looking for a good middle of the road recipe for my 125 cast boolits.

[bradh]

What caliber my friend?

[Budda]

Oh...so sorry. .38 special...shot out of snubbies and a 4" Colt.

[bradh]

From www.hodgdon.com, 4.6gr for 872fps and 4.7gr for 1036fps. Start low and work up!

[runfiverun]

4.6 sounds good.

[35remington]

Try the following:

Chronograph with powder near bullet for several shots, then powder near primer for several shots.

Report your findings here.

[runfiverun]

he will be using a whack a lee die set, a chronograph is faar down the road for him.

[olafhardt]

From www.hodgdon.com, 4.6gr for 872fps and 4.7gr for 1036fps. Start low and work up!
Hey, that's a 164 feet per second jump for ONE TENTH of a grain increase. This raises red flags for me.

[bradh]

Meant to say 4.3gr for 872fps and 4.7gr for 1036fps; my mistake.

[Jeff82]

I load Universal for my 357 carbine and pistol. 4.7 grains seems pretty hot for a 38, and Univeral might be a bit slow burning for a snubnose or 4" Colt. I'd load it with a magnum primer and start at the minimum load (which also seems pretty hot, but my point of reference is with a 158-grain bullet).

[scattershot]

if you are new to reloading, the best thing you can buy is a good reloading manual. A lot of guys start with loads they get from the internet, and they can be "fat fingered" sometimes in a misleading way.

Good luck, and good shooting!

[Sonnypie]

A good scale is a good thing to have when 1/10ths of a grain are critical.
Especially when starting out.
Even after a lifetime of reloading I still rely on my scale to double check. ;)

My preference is a beam type.

[Jeff82]

The Lee reloading manual has excellent Load data for 38/357 cartridges using Universal Powder. The Lyman manual (my favorite) unfortunately does not reference Universal powder very often for these loads.

[Budda]

I will try different powders with a scale and load manual, I am new and want to try some different loads... because this is America I feel the need to make some noise!! :) thanks for all the help. I will be loading about 300 rounds this weekend. I will load about 12 at a time till I get one that I like. I will post pictures and data.

[Jeff82]

If you're looking to try some different powders, you might try Bullseye at least for your snubnose.