light plinking loads for .38 special

[AZMark]

I guess most people are asking how to get more power out of a .38, but I'd like to know if anyone purposely loads them very light for plinking. I'm thinking of a .22 for goofing off on my 4 acres, since I can use colibris or CBs for shooting cans and stuff and not worry about them being deadly for any appreciable distance if they ricochet. It occurred to me that if there was a light enough load for a .38, I'd have a much more versatile gun. I've got everything I need to cast except the mold and I have my nifty Lee Loader.

I've read several posts here and you guys seem very creative. Can you give me advice here?

[Glen]

Just use standard .38 wadcutter target loads (e.g. 2.7 grains of Bullseye or 3.0 grains of Winchester 231 with a 148 grain wadcutter). They make great small game loads and any ricochets won't go very far because wadcutters start to tumble out past about 75 yards and lose velocity quickly.

[fishhawk]

my light load for the 38spl with a 158 gr wad cutter or semi wad cutter is 2.3 gr of red dot slow enough i can some times see the boolit fly down range but it sure drops a grouse or squirell

[BD]

Same as Glen. I use 3 grains of HPC-18, (surplus 231), under a 148 grain wadcutter, or a 158 grain swc. I tried real light bullets but they didn't shoot to point of aim and the heavy bullets goin' slow aren't hard on ya either, even in a j-frame.

If you want to try something interesting try loading a 158 gr RNFP backwards and seated deep over a very light charge. In a 6" barrel they're pretty quiet and still will thump a critter. I've done this in .44's as well. I think I got the idea from a book, Veral Smith's or Elmer Kieth? Sort of a larger bore CB cap.
BD

[sd5782]

In my mod 60 3" J-frame I like the lighter boolits. The lightest is the Lee 102 SWC and it shoots nice with around 3.5-3.7 of bullseye, with a noticeably light recoil even when compared to 148 WC and 3.0 of bullseye.
I also recently acquired an old Lyman 135 SWC that shoots nice, and I have an older 358242 Lyman 121 RN that is OK, but not as accurate as the other 2.

[trickyasafox]

4.5 grains of unique with a 158 LSWC is very light too :) same powder charge over a 135 gr boolit is even softer, velocity is low, but i've never chrono'd it. you can watch them going down range on a sunny day though. . . .

[redneckdan]

lowest i've gone is a 115gr wadcutter over 2.0gr of red dot. goes pop and you can see it fly.

[Dale53]

I've shot tens of thousands of the standard target load (148 wadcutter ahead of 2.7-3.0 grs of Bullseye or equivalent). I've used factory swaged HBWC"S as well as solid cast wadcutters. They both, in good guns, will shoot under an inch at 25 yards. Generally, the edge goes to the HBWC. However, since I cast my own, I am more often shooting the solid base wad cutter cast from multi cavity moulds.

Lee has a dandy six cavity mould for WC's. You can get tumble lube OR standard lube designs.

Dale53

[Lucky Joe]

Depends on how lite you want to go. Currently there is a Group Buy for a small wadcutter. I've shot it for years out of a Lyman #358101 mould and once you get it tricked out it will do a good job for it's limitations. If you're interested here is the link.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=20237

[Bob Jones]

I've been shooting the Lee 105 grain SWC with about 3.5 grains of Clays. Not a powderpuff load but a light plinking load and very, very accurate in my guns. And, I get a LOT of bullets out of 20 pounds of lead...:-D Figure it's costing me just a little more than my .22.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Yer reading my mind Lucky Joe, I can't wait to get that mould, it should make a nice plinker/popgun load for instructing my girlfriend.

[StrawHat]

I've shot tens of thousands of the standard target load (148 wadcutter ahead of 2.7-3.0 grs of Bullseye or equivalent). I've used factory swaged HBWC"S as well as solid cast wadcutters. They both, in good guns, will shoot under an inch at 25 yards. Generally, the edge goes to the HBWC. However, since I cast my own, I am more often shooting the solid base wad cutter cast from multi cavity moulds.

Lee has a dandy six cavity mould for WC's. You can get tumble lube OR standard lube designs.

Dale53

I have one revolver set up for the cast bullet and 2.8 grains of Bullseye. The only load I use in it.

This combination has accounted for thousands of tin cans, targets, dirt clods, big rocks, cow patties, snapping turtles, possum, coons, and other stuff.

I find that three 2 cavity molds allow me to cast faster than one 6 cavity, but that may be just me.

When some of these group buys get delivered, I will be able to try using two 6 cavity molds. The pot ought to run dry before the room warms up!

Good luck.

And Happy New Year to All

[Crazy4nitro]

4.5 grains of unique with a 158 LSWC is very light too :)

I like 3.8gr of Unique under my 158gr bullets. Works well and shoots to Point of Aim in my S&W Mod10

'Nitro

[9.3X62AL]

Lotta good info here on fun loads for the 38 Special. One of my longtime favorites for introducing kids and new shooters to revolvers uses Lyman #358477 atop 3.0 grains of WW-231 in 38 Special, and 3.3 grains in 357 Magnum cases. This latter load runs about 775 FPS from my M-686 x 4", and did about the same velocity from a 4" M-64 now long-departed. I haven't chrono'd these in my 6" OMT yet, but they are VERY accurate and mildly-recoiling. Kind like refillable 22 LR's, you've emptied out 100 of them before ya know it.

[Crash_Corrigan]

For a nice training load for a new shooter you cannot go wrong with a 133 gr LWC by Lee with alox lube. The six banger makes 'em really easy to cast and using only 2.7 to 3.0 gr of W 231 for powder gives you a really comfortable round with low recoil and decent ballistics.

Once the shooter is comfortable then I bring them up slowly to more powerful loadings gradually so as not to induce the dreaded FLINCH.

The Lee DEWC is supposed to cast 148 grs but my alloy has so much tin (melted solder from a radiator shop) that it is lighter and harder than ww's.

You can shoot these all day and not get tired out if the targets are interesting enuf. :-D

[AZMark]

It seems you guys feel okay about Lee molds. I was thinking of Lee because from what I've read I think I can make good bullets with less practice with the aluminum molds. Plus, they're way cheaper. I also like the idea of the tumble lube bullets, since I don't think I would have to buy a sizer.

[trickyasafox]

AZMark-

I'm not the most experienced caster- but I have run Lyman and Lee molds. The Lyman is a pleasure to work with, but the lee molds are very functional; and for the money- they are all i'll continue to buy for the foreseeable future.

don't take my word as gospel, as I know slightly more than most roadkill- but as a relatively new caster myself I'll bet you'll be about as satisfied as I am with their performance.

[Kraschenbirn]

RCBS 38-148-WC cast from straight wheelweights over 3.0 gr 231 or Bullseye. Load groups quite from every .38/.357 I've ever owned and my wife and I have shot thousands of these for a plinking/practice.

Bill

[EMC45]

158 gr RNFP Lee boolit over 3 gr Bullseye. And I aint changin' it!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

H&G number, 50 WW metal with 2.7 grains Bullseye, sized .357, lube in one groove only. Used in 2 S&W K-38's-6 and 8&3/8 barrels. Slight roll crimp. Clean and accurate.
H&G number 251 WW metal with 2.7 gr. 700x, sized .357, lube in one groove only, seated flush with case mouth.-runs the slide fine on S&W M52 and works as well in 2 S&W K-38's 6" and 8&3/8 barrels. Clean and accurate. Slight roll crimp.
RCBS-115 grain CN and Lyman # 356242RN ( w/both grooves lubed)- 120 grain WW metal, both sized .357 with either of the above loads in 2 S&W M-28 Hi-Way Pats. 4" & 6"bbls (.357 Mag) Travels faster, due to lighter weight. Slight roll crimp. Clean & accurate.

[Lloyd Smale]

lee 105 swc and 2.5 grains of bullseye. Its about like shooting a 22. Accurate as hell too!

[Ghugly]

It seems you guys feel okay about Lee molds. I was thinking of Lee because from what I've read I think I can make good bullets with less practice with the aluminum molds. Plus, they're way cheaper. I also like the idea of the tumble lube bullets, since I don't think I would have to buy a sizer.

The Lee tumble lube boolits work well. Don't think you are limited to using them just because you don't have a sizer. You can tumble lube pretty much any boolit that you care to use in the pressure and velocity range you're talking about, and most of them will be okay unsized. If you decide that sizing is necessary, the Lee sizing kits work really well and are really affordable. I have better luck using iron moulds. I can get good boolits out of Lee moulds and their prices are amazing, but I get more good boolits faster with iron. They seem hold a more constant temperature for me.