Loading .38 Special to similar velocity of 9mm?

[roverboy]

I know I've seen on here something about this. But, couldn't find anything. Has anybody loaded to 9mm velocity with .38 Spl?

[35remington]

Probably not advisable as it will not be within Plus P pressures save with heavier bullets.

[Rick Hodges]

Not happening with similar bullet weights. 9mm are loaded to 35,000 psi and 38 specials even at +P levels are under 22,000 psi.

[tazman]

Last May, I did that very comparison. Similar bullet weights and +P loading in the 38 Special. It came close with one of the powders I tested. The thread and data are here.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?361627-9mm-P-vs-38-Special-P

[35remington]

If you limit 9mm to standard pressure and use +P in the 38 most 125 grain jacketed loadings fall short of 9mm performance by about 100 fps in comparable guns, as in four inch 38 versus four inch service ish size 9mm.

Put cast lead 158 +P in the 38 and versus 9mm 147 jacketed bullets velocities are more closely approached.

9mm +P widens the gap further over 38 +P.

Factory 38 +P in 95-125 grain weight has performance problems from snub barrels in terms of gaining good expansion/penetration performance that even 3 inch 9mm pistols shooting standard pressure loads surpass.

Always have been of the opinion the 38 is better with heavier bullets, overall.

[Petrol & Powder]

35remington hit the nail on the head.

When using heavy bullets in a 9mm (147 grain) you get ballistics close, but not quite to, 38 Special. I've never understood why people want to turn a 9mm pistol into a 38 Special revolver, but there you have it. While heavy bullets in a 9mm can be very accurate, that bullet weight robs the 9mm of most of its positive attributes.

The reverse holds true in 38 Special, you can use lighter bullets and push them with the max +P pressures and get something that is close to, but not quite, 9mm performance. Again, when you do that you rob the 38 Special of most of its positive attributes.

I am a firm believer that standard bullet weight for a cartridge developed FOR A REASON. There is no undiscovered magic out there to be found by using light for the cartridge bullets or heavy for the cartridge bullets.

There's no free lunch in physics. You can trade mass for velocity or velocity for mass, but within a given range of pressure and barrel length there's going to be a limit to what can be achieved. Somewhere in those parameters there will be a good compromise of accuracy, penetration and velocity. That compromise will define where the "standard" bullet weights for that cartridge fall.

38 Special does its best work with bullets between 150 - 160 grains.
9mm does its best work with bullets between 115 -125 grains.

[roverboy]

I noticed with 158 gr bullets that you can get pretty good energy. I've never loaded a 158 gr. cast to higher velocity but, you can't ignore the Buffalo Bore +p load. Pretty awesome load.

[tazman]

If you only have a 9mm or only have a 38 special, it is good to know you can approximate the performance of the other cartridge with loads in your own gun.
Some people are looking for a subsonic bullet for the 9mm for various reasons. The heavier bullets do that quite nicely without the necessity of changing springs in the gun. Unless I am mistaken, that was the original reason for developing the heavier bullets for 9mm.

In any case, those two cartridges are as close to identical performance as you are likely to see.

[bigted]

I agree, the 9mm is a reliable and fast and plenty of power in a many shot unit that does its job very well in an auto firing pistol.

The 38 special does its job very well also. Less shots available, heavier boolits, fine revolvers that handle it and allows a revolver fan the opportunity to shoot and defend themselves reliably with their choice of firearms.

Both weapons give proper results for the choice of weapon that suits the operator.

For the auto fan there is the multiple shots available to them with fair reliability.

The revolver is as close to 100 percent reliable as possible with the lack of many rounds available to the operator of this choice of weapon.

Everything has a price tag. Every firearm has strong points and weak. Choice should be made upon the demand placed upon it.

Rarely can a multiple use be placed upon one single platform. There is strong point for each and mostly trying to cover the gambit of needs requires many platforms for the best outcome.

[roverboy]

My next question. What companies make a .38 158 gr. swchp with a wide flat nose? Thats what I want. Would prefer a little soft too. Does not need to be gaschecked. Yeah, I kow I don't cast yet......

[Outpost75]

My next question. What companies make a .38 158 gr. swchp with a wide flat nose? Thats what I want. Would prefer a little soft too. Does not need to be gaschecked. Yeah, I kow I don't cast yet......

Speer makes a soft-swaged 158-grain all-lead HP component bullet. My experience has been that this bullet leads badly in +P loads unless you provide additional lubrication by tumbling it in Lee Liquid Alox or LSStuff 45-45-10 on top of whatever Speer already puts on it. You can then load it to .38 Special +P levels and get results similar to the Winchester X38SPD factory load. But the Speer all-lead bullet is not suitable for .357 velocities. To get what you really want you are going to need to buy a mold, cast your own from 1:30 tin-lead from Roto Metals or use 50-50 plumber's lead and COWW with about 1% tin added, and use a correct lube for the velocity level, such as 50-50 Alox-Beeswax.

Any of the Accurate molds below would be good choices, but then you would also need to have the hollow-point conversion done by www.hollowpointmold.com at cost about $50 per cavity.

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