A comfort load for the airweight .38

[Bill*B]

My little S&W model 37 "Airweight" weighs only a pound, fully loaded. I never shot it much, because a cylinder full seemed quite enough with standard loads. Recently I decided to develop a "comfort" load for it. Here's my favorite to date:


Accurate 36-159B (http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-159B-D.png) wadcutter (152 grains when cast from my scrap alloy)
2.6 grains of Ramshot Competition (http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/WesternLoadGuide1-2016_Web.pdf) shotgun powder
Remington 6 1/2 primer
COL 1.332"

This clean burning load develops 622 fps, and can be shot all day without discomfort.

I do have to cast more frequently now, as the little snub is eating bullets like popcorn.

[country gent]

2.7 grns bullseye under a 148grn HBWC isn't bad either. For The ultimate soft load. take 50 cases and drill out the flash hole to .100 ( mark them so they don't get mixed in with normal brass)
Mix up a 50-50 mix of beeswax paraffin and pour in a tray 1/2" - 5/8" deep. push mouths of cases thru this to cut your bullet into case mouths. Seat primers. These are very light loads but still deserve respect. If you seat the primers first the bullets air lock and air pressure pushes them back out again. This load is great for fun and games but it will break skin and raise nasty welts. The wax can be reused

[Bill*B]

Yes, I think any light wadcutter load would work fine. One which I have enjoyed is the tiny Lyman 358425 wadcutter over 2.8 grains of Competition - never ran it through the chronograph, but by extrapolation it should clock about 650 fps, and is very soft shooting.

Your wax bullet idea is interesting.

[country gent]

I made up 100 cases converted to LPP with the 105 flash hole and used them in my air light ( 340) with the wax load. Helped me learn "instinctive" with it comfortably. A lot of fun and very inexpensive

[Winger Ed.]

I cast a RCBS 148 wadcutter, and like it for small frame .38's.

I use mostly Unique, the weight is right in the middle of the loading data for it.

[RED BEAR]

I like 2.9 unique under a lyman 115 rn.
Wife just loves this load. But could be cleaner.

[Outpost75]

I often carry a S&W M37 as a low-profile EDC and "Church Gun" and normally stoke it with factory 148-grain HBWC target wadcutters, These are accurate, controllable, give full-caliber crush with good penetration and are not hard on the gun. At other times I often carry a S&W Model 12 Airweight K-frame as a New York Reload to my primary Model 10-5, particularly in winter when wearing a coat. I feed all my Airweights only factory wadcutters so there is no mistake inadvertently putting a hot load in them. They last longer that way.

When carrying ONLY one Airweight gun, wadcutters are loaded in it. As spare ammo I carry a Tuff Strip with standard-pressure factory 158 LRN old school service loads, either Winchester, Remington or Federal, in which the noses have been cut off to 1.40" overall cartridge length to reduce bullet weight to 148 grains and produce a 0.25" diameter meplat. These are a speed-reload friendly round, and shoot to the fixed sights of a carry gun I have had the sights gunsmith tweaked especially for wadcutters. They give 700 fps from a 2-inch snub, penetrate four 1-gallon water jugs with straight-through penetration and no flip. Pass the "one-shot kill groundhog test," which indicates to me that they are about as reliable as .45 ACP hardball.

This system works for me.

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[Bill*B]

It is interesting how deeply low velocity wadcutters will penetrate. And - if we can believe the FBI - penetration is THE most important factor in handgun ammunition.

[kayala]

I use 158 commercial coated over 3.0 gr of Clays. Can shoot it all day long. It makes 640 fps avg with 11 SD.

[Outpost75]

It is interesting how deeply low velocity wadcutters will penetrate. And - if we can believe the FBI - penetration is THE most important factor in handgun ammunition.

If a defense load cannot perforate a defensively positioned arm held over the sternum, and drill through that AND the sternum to damage vital organs, or have enough energy to dump a perp by fracturing the lateral pelvis, the load is no good.

I'm not worried about attacks from The Rabid Jello Man, but from a determined violent criminal actor who is trying to kill me. Shot placement, knowledge of human anatomy, and a flat-nosed, deep-penetrating bullet will save your life. A fragile, violently expanding bullet fails in penetration, only creating a surface wound. If your bullet cannot reach and do major damage to major organs, blood vessels or CNS, the no good SOB just may kill you.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Outpost75, I like your idea of flat pointing the round nosed cartridges,as I have a lot of RN bullets loaded, just used for plinking.

[35remington]

A charge of Titegroup or Bullseye or WST that gets 660 fps with a cast 148 grain WC has good consistency and is controllable for longer practice session. This is the 0.27cc cavity on the discontinued Micro Disk from Lee when using Titegroup. Bulkier Bullseye and bulkier yet WST need larger cavities.

Strangely, though, the 0.30 and 0.32 cavities of the Lee Pro Auto Disk, being deeper but narrower in diameter than the 0.27 cavity of the Micro (which has a depth attenuating slide as part of the equation) will throw squibs with Titegroup. This seems odd given supposed good metering properties of Titegroup, but it has occurred repeatedly enough that I cannot use Titegroup with these cavity sizes which produce about 705 and 750 fps from a short barrel Smith. Squibs with the 0.32 cavity, showed, for example, 509, 518, 743, 258! and 753 fps. Odd but there you have it. The small PAD cavities do not like a granule size over a certain diameter and Titegroup must be in that zone.

Bullseye has shown no such tendency, so Bullseye it is for volume loading of rounds in those velocity ranges. While not entirely on topic I thought it worth mentioning for potential users here.

The 660 fps loads use either Bullseye or Titegroup. The cast 710 fps loads suggest about 21 inches in gelatin equivalent depending upon type of wadcutter used which is a gracious and reassuring plenty.

In an Airweight Smith top end standard pressure 158 SWC or RN handloads get around 810-820 fps using Unique or Power Pistol. This is a bit snappy. A recent lot of Winchester LSWCHP 158 +P did an 833 fps average for five shots. Swaged factory HBWC ammo is hard to get locally except at Guns Unlimited. Suitable lots that get the same 660 fps as my handloads are probably better choices for defensive use than the “lite” 38 Special self defense loads that use 90 grain bullets that somehow manage to avoid all the 38 Special’s good virtues while emulating the downsides of an inconsistent 380 load.

[Paper Puncher]

The Lyman 358242 92gr with 3.7gr Bullseye should be about 650 fps out of a snub gun. Very low recoil.

[Bill*B]

Thanks to all for your kind thoughts and observations. The little Airweight revolvers can be great fun and fine companions with the right loads.

[dangerranger]

Just as a practice load I put a 100 gr lead bullet over 3/4 case of Trail Boss. Its what I used to learn to shoot left handed. They come out at + or - 600 fps. It doesn't take much to put a hole in a paper target! DR

[rintinglen]

I use a 141-ish grain 358-495 WC with 2.7 grains of Bullseye for practice in my snubbies, especially the airweights. They (and I) can appreciate a milder bump when then cartridge goes bang.

[Outpost75]

Outpost75, I like your idea of flat pointing the round nosed cartridges,as I have a lot of RN bullets loaded, just used for plinking.

I was told by my now-departed mentors, that this was common practice pre-1950.

I inherited several ex-cop guns in .32 S&W Long, .38 S&W and .38 Special which came with these file-trim dies.

Hanned made these for .22 LR, but the .32 and .38 ones to clip off LRN service loads often go begging at gun shows because nobody knows what they are. They could be easily made by a clever mechanic.

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[quail4jake]

When the day of apocalypse comes I want Outpost 75 on my side! I have nothing to add, only my compliments!

[FergusonTO35]

Some of my favorite snub loads. All are very accurate and easy to shoot.

3.2 grains Bullseye/Lyman full wadcutter/F-C primer
3.1 grains Accurate Nitro 100/Lee 358-150-SWC/CCI primer
3.2 grains Bullseye/Lee 358-150-SWC/F-C primer in .38 Long Colt brass

[Lloyd Smale]

2 grains of bullseye and a 105 lee. Get a 6 cav version tumble lube them and don't even size them unless your gun wont chamber them. Ive even shot them just pushing them in fired brass I deprimed and put a new primer in. 2 grains of bullseye and your good to go. Cheap way to shoot. only problem youll run into is its hit and miss where the point of aim will be with that little airweight. I usually do it with a 15 and can adjust sights to any load. But like my dad says if you cant hit the bullseye move the target closer.

[Walks]

I guess I'm the same as the rest of you. I load a Lyman #358495 cast of 20/1, weighs 144grs over 2.8grs of Bullseye.

Except I carry an old Colt Cobra, that 6th shot is reassuring. Especially with a speed strip full of #358439HP over 3.0grs of Bullseye for a reload. Cast at 164grs of 20/1.

Probably need to cast new bullets and make up new loads. These are 20+yrs old.

[trapper9260]

I was told by my now-departed mentors, that this was common practice pre-1950.

I inherited several ex-cop guns in .32 S&W Long, .38 S&W and .38 Special which came with these file-trim dies.

Hanned made these for .22 LR, but the .32 and .38 ones to clip off LRN service loads often go begging at gun shows because nobody knows what they are. They could be easily made by a clever mechanic.

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I had my gunsmith make one for the 22lr . He made it from a short part of a 22 barrel .

[MSD MIke]

I'm a fan of Lee's 358-125-RF with 3.5 Grains of Red Dot if I actually want to put a few rounds through an Airweight Smith.

[9.3X62AL]

If a defense load cannot perforate a defensively positioned arm held over the sternum, and drill through that AND the sternum to damage vital organs, or have enough energy to dump a perp by fracturing the lateral pelvis, the load is no good.

I'm not worried about attacks from The Rabid Jello Man, but from a determined violent criminal actor who is trying to kill me. Shot placement, knowledge of human anatomy, and a flat-nosed, deep-penetrating bullet will save your life. A fragile, violently expanding bullet fails in penetration, only creating a surface wound. If your bullet cannot reach and do major damage to major organs, blood vessels or CNS, the no good SOB just may kill you.

Complete agreement with all of the above.

[ShooterAZ]

Another good light Lee 105 load is 3.0 grains Clays, but my all time favorite snubby load is 3.2gr Bullseye with the RCBS 38-140 Cowboy boolit.