New favorite load just every little bit.

[Rex]

Every time I go to town the gun shop has powder but never the same powder. This time no Unique, no Bullseye but they did have HP-38. So now the Dillon 550 is set up to drop 4.6 grains HP-38 in a 38 special case. Next trip to town and I'll probably have another favorite load.:|
Oh well, they all seem to shoot pretty good.
Rex

[PS Paul]

You know, one of the greatest things about casting and reloading is the sheer variety of components we get to assemble in a quest for satisfaction.

Truth is, I have many powders I like to use and I frequently play around and experiment with different components for the simple pleasure of just trying something new.

I can't say I have a lot of "favorite loads", but I do have many "favorite powders" for several calibers.

All just part of the process which makes this thing we do so very interesting.

Good luck on your NEXT most-favored load!! ha ha!!

[fecmech]

The nice thing about .38's is they are very unfussy. In a pistol that is capable of 2-2.5" 50 yd. accuracy just about any powder works. I can load Bullseye,231.Unique, AA5, or WAP behind a Lee TL 158 SWC,H&G RN,160 RNFP or 358429 and stay under 3"@50 yds. all day long. Just load to 850-900 fps with the powder and bullet of choice and have at it. I'm sure that there are other powders that would work as well, I just haven't tried them so I can't speak to that. The popularity of the .38 spl. is well deserved.

[tacotime]

Nice.

[Low Budget Shooter]

I've heard that for years many shooters have used HP-38/W231 and Bullseye interchangeably NOT BY WEIGHT BUT BY VOLUME in light to mid-range .38 special loads. Looking through published loads that call for these powders seems to confirm this. LBS

[Rex]

I load 4.6 grains. This load came out of an old Winchester guide I found in the shop. Hornady #3 manual says I can go to 5.1 but in these times, economy of powder charge is important also.
Rex

[Lead Fred]

Powder Valley has 800-X cheap, so I bought 10 cans. Im good for the next decade or so.

[TXGunNut]

I've heard that for years many shooters have used HP-38/W231 and Bullseye interchangeably NOT BY WEIGHT BUT BY VOLUME in light to mid-range .38 special loads. Looking through published loads that call for these powders seems to confirm this. LBS

231 and BE are not interchangeable but very close. BE in mild .38 WC loads is a bit more consistent than 231 but 231 is a bit cleaner. When I was shooting PPC matches I found that certain venues were not well ventilated and BE smoke made me a bit uncomfortable, 231 is enough cleaner that I felt better and (I like to think) shot better.

[fecmech]

I've heard that for years many shooters have used HP-38/W231 and Bullseye interchangeably NOT BY WEIGHT BUT BY VOLUME in light to mid-range .38 special loads. Looking through published loads that call for these powders seems to confirm this. LB
That has been my experience also. I load on a progressive machine that uses different bushings for different loads. In my .38 spl and light .357 loads a given bushing that throws a BE load of X will throw a 231 load of Y(greater weight) but both powders will have essentially the same velocity out of the gun.