Light 38 load for the daughter

[ruger-p94]

My daughter is 30 years old and finally got her to start shooting and we plan to shoot steel. She is using my taurus 85 right now and really likes it, so for Christmas I plan on getting her a S&W snubby for carry. I have been loading the 38s with 3.8 grains of Unique...all I have right now anyways.. and a 158 Lee LSWC. What is the lightest load that will work for steel. thx

[btroj]

Anything can work on steel. If it hits steel, it goes "plink". If you have a plate you want to knock over then that is a different story. It will depend on the size and weight of the plate along with how it is held in place.

I shoot lots of 158 swc with 3.5 g HP38. That is my standard load for teaching a new shooter. Works well for anyone.

[smkummer]

Your unique load is getting about as low as you can go. What happens with unique at low pressures is the case doesn't expand well and they are black with soot. You are probably not even getting 600 FPS. I made a mistake loading this same load. I wanted 3.5 grains bullseye and mistakenly used Unigue at about 3.4 grains. They all made it out the barrel but the cases were sooty and they didn't sound like a full pressure load. One could actually see the bullet going to the 25 yard metal plate, really! Bullseye or 231 (HP38) work well at low velocities. If you can cast a 9mm 125 grain bullet and size it to .358, that is another option I use for alloy 2 in. guns with 3.0 grains of bullseye.

[imashooter2]

Alliant lists 4.7 grains of Unique under a 158 grain lead SWC as max and recommends a starting load 10% less than that.

3.8 grains of Unique is already a very light load. You're there.

[ruger-p94]

I guess i will have to tell my daughter to "man up" lol. A heavier revolver would be better but she likes the snubbies for their size and conceal ability. When I first started reloading the 38s I reloaded light and did get a lot of soot and unburnt powder...really made a mess. I will get her to invest in a good glove till she becomes comfortable with the recoil. Also keep an eye out for some Bullseye or 231 (HP38)

[bobthenailer]

Ive installed Hoge rubber grips on my wife's lightweight 85 as well as a friends wife's LW 85 and it is alot more pleasent to shoot , the grip is of a soft material and adds a little length so you can also use the pinkie finger to grip the gun .

[Larry Gibson]

If you can find some Bullseye switch to that and use 2.7 gr. You might also consider the Lee 358-105-swc.

Larry Gibson

[texassako]

I have been using Trail boss for really light loads. It seems to expand the case well and keep the brass clean, and seemed to stay on the shelves locally throughout this supply crunch.

[No_1]

I have loaded 2.5 grains bullseye under a 105 gr. DEWC with good results for my fathers S&W 642. After he tested the ammo in his pistol his comment was "load me more of these".

[NSP64]

I use Lee 125 rnfp boolits in my 38's and can speed them up with less recoil. I also use 231.

[GH1]

I use 3.0 gr Bullseye under a 158 cast SWC. Low recoil and accurate. Bullseye and the .38 go together like biscuits and gravy.
GH1:mrgreen:

[ruger-p94]

thanks for all the info....cheers from the south

[Scharfschuetze]

Before you buy her the new pistol, you might consider looking for a 32 S&W Smith & Wesson Model 31 revolver. These are made on the J frame and that would be just great for you daughter and target shooting. Mine has a 4" barrel, but there was a model made with a shorter barrel.

When teaching my son to shoot, I loaded a 98 grain lead boolit over 1.6 grains of Bullseye for a velocity of 770 fps over the chronograph.

Later on for hunting vermin, we used a 115 grain cast boolit for the 32/20 over 3.4 grains of Unique for an average velocity of 980 fps.

Just a thought. There are still some good Model 31 Smiths out there and that might be a good option for your daughter.

[cephas53]

Went through this earlier in the year for my girls with a 4" S&W 10. Used a 148 gr WC fully seated to limit space in case. Was an interesting experiment and got me back into Bullseye. An article called "Minimal loads in handguns" in the NRA Handloading manual from the 80's was a good primer to read. Was amazed how low one could go before sticking a bullet in the barrel. Final loads are considerably above that, function in my 6" S&W 19, but a bit under starting loads published. Also found a change of grips to a softer rubber one seemed to help them.

[44MAG#1]

One way is to let her fire a cylinder full of 44 Mag full power and any 38 special will seem light.
Don't believe it? It works.
I know from showing others. It is all relative.
Then you won't have to worry about a "light" 38 Special load.

[rexherring]

I load quite a few for my buddies wife and her Taurus 85. I use a Lee 105 SWC with just enough Trail Boss to leave a little air gap under the seated boolit. Shoots good and light.

[hound_dogs_01]

Out of my j frame snubbie I like shooting the Hornady 110gr HP jwords.

[Duckiller]

From Speer reloading Manual No. 9 (1974), only Speer that I could readily find. 148 gr hollow base wadcutter. 2.8 gr. Red Dot or 2.5 gr 700X or 2.5 gr Bulleye. These a minimum loads that will operate a S&W model 52. They are also the loads that I started my #1 son on when he was 10 or 11 years old =/- . They are also minimum loads in a K38. If your daughter has problems with these loads start her with a 22. #1 is now 34 and shoots a 45ACP.

[9.3X62AL]

I use Lee 125 rnfp boolits in my 38's and can speed them up with less recoil. I also use 231.

Good point made here. To extend the theory out a bit.....for many years, my old agency's carry load for 357 Magnum was the none-too-glamorous W-W 158 grain JHP. Not as sexy and Fackleristic as the whiz-bang Federal 357B (125 grain JHP) load that FBI got all drippy about 30+ years ago, but that was the authorized ammo. From my 4" 686, it ran 1235 FPS and let you know the primers functioned, but wasn't what I would call heavy in recoil.

Well, the years go by and FINALLY someone got around to blasting a bad guy with this 357 load. From a snubby, apparently--the bullets didn't show expansion, and transitioned the recipient completely before installing themselves into the background. I don't call this "bad" performance--even that lab-coated pimp Fackler likes penetration--but "over-penetration" scared the suits upstairs sufficiently to call for an ammo change--to the Federal 357B load. OK, better late than never I suppose.

I changed out my carry ammo, and bought enough of the Federal fodder to give it some chronography and a decent test-drive. Prior to this sea change, I have had little experience with bullets in the 357 Mag lighter than 140 grains. The chronography showed the Federal ad copy to be an honest assessment--my 4" 686 ran these at 1425 FPS (ad claimed 1440 FPS--1% undershot works for me). My subjective impression of recoil is that the 357B load kicks about 15% less than the 158 grain loads do. Win/win, and our suits sleep better at night.

The point here is that a lighter bullet in a given application can pay some dividends for the user if loaded correctly.

[NoZombies]

My wife likes the .32's a lot more than the .38's, but I've been transitioning her into the .38 snubbie by loading a 110 grain RN over 2.5 grains of titegroup. It's not fast (but haven't run it over the chronograph) and has very little recoil. It shoots a bit low, but she has learned to compensate. If she was carrying the gun I wouldn't give that to her as a carry load, but for plinking and target shooting, it does the trick just fine.

[Old Kid]

I have to agree with the Lee 358 – 105 SWC load using bull's-eye. 2.7 to 3.0 grains, sized .358, with LLA, produces a nice, light load that shoots to point of aim with most barrel lengths. More than 3.0 grains tends to impact below point of aim. I've never tried more than 3.4 grains.
My daughter got over her flinching and reluctance to shoot a handgun with this load. And if you get the 6 cavity mold you can cast a lot of boolits with not much lead.

[Double B]

Thanks for starting this thread, it's been very helpful to me. Snubs ain't much fun if they bite too hard.

[Bucking the Tiger]

Green Dot is really mild in .38 Special. I use 3.5 grains of Green Dot behind a Lee 158 grain RF and it is quite tame.

[ruger-p94]

Got all the info I need now the big part is trying to find the stuff...lol I've seen a few sites that still have the 105 mold but the powder and primers are the problems down here near Tampa. Hopefully the hoarders are finished and products will start to show up on the shelves soon....thanks for all the great info.... I printed out the thread and put it in my book...cheers

Just an update...called my reloading store and he has all the stuff..bullseye, primers and the 105 swc mold....will pick it up tomorrow morning when he opens....got to jump on it ....still hard to find stuff down here in Florida....cheers again and will let you know how things turn out at the range.....