.38 Special mold suggestions.

[slim1836]

I have a 38 special Taurus with a 2" barrel that I'm looking a mold for. It shoots Federal 130 grain bullets really good at 6-9 paces and is for the wife for personal protection and plinking.

I don't have access to pin gauges so I don't know sizes of the cylinder or barrel which I know is important for fit. I couldn't find any sinkers that fit the barrel but will probably make a few different lead slugs and try to check the barrel. I've never done a chamber cast but open to suggestions on that also.

I have not cast for wheel guns in the past so this is a first for me. Any suggestions is appreciated like "What type of crimp is needed" etc.

Thanks in advance, just wanting to do this safely.

Slim

[Outpost75]

In a 2-inch .38 Special you can't go wrong with a 146-148-grain double-end, bevel based wadcutter similar to the Saeco #348 with a standard pressure, but "full charge" load of 3.5 grains of Bullseye.

260508https://www.grantcunningham.com/2011/11/ed-harris-revisiting-the-full-charge-wadcutter/

For most .38 Specials just cast the bullets from wheelweights, tumble in Lee Liquid Alox and run through one of the Lee push-through .358 sizers and you are good to go.

[redhawk0]

I have three that I cast for my Taurus 85.

Lee 90388 158gr RN
Lee 90485 158gr HP (single cavity...hard to find)
Lyman 35891 148gr WC

I shoot mostly 158gr RN and the 148gr WC....they are quite accurate at 20 feet.

redhawk

[Thumbcocker]

In a 2-inch .38 Special you can't go wrong with a 146-148-grain double-end, bevel based wadcutter similar to the Saeco #348 with a standard pressure, but "full charge" load of 3.5 grains of Bullseye.

260508https://www.grantcunningham.com/2011/11/ed-harris-revisiting-the-full-charge-wadcutter/

For most .38 Specials just cast the bullets from wheelweights, tumble in Lee Liquid Alox and run through one of the Lee push-through .358 sizers and you are good to go.

This is spot on. If you only have one .38 special mold get a wadcutter.

[FlyfishermanMike]

I have the same gun and it's crazy accurate. I use a Lee-158-RF. Roll crimp into the bullet crimp groove. Be warned revolvers are addictive!

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[Burnt Fingers]

This is spot on. If you only have one .38 special mold get a wadcutter.

I'd get the MP H&G 50 hollow base mold. I actually just ordered one.

Cast them of 20-1 or 16-1 alloy, put that hollow base forward and it makes one hell of a short range defensive boolit.

[clemje]

My go-to target load for 38 special is a Lee 358-158-RF boolit, cast with range scrap, powder coated and sized to .358. 4 grains of W231 with the boolit seated to the crimp groove is good for 860 FPS out of a 6" barrel (I'd guess 780-800 range out of a 2") and is wicked accurate. Recoil is quite mild so a gentle roll crimp into the crimp groove is sufficient.

If you're shooting out of a 357 or +P revolver, you can step the charge up to 4.5 and gain an additional 100 FPS.

[tazman]

Take an fired 38 special case and melt a soft sinker into it. Then use a hammer type bullet pullet to get it out of the case after it cools. This slug will be tapered on one end due to the shape of the inside of the case.
Start that end into the barrel and use a brass rod and hammer to drive it through the barrel(cylinder open). Make sure to oil or otherwise lube the barrel and slug before you start.

This method provides a slug that is larger than the barrel but not grossly so. This type of slug will normally work for cylinder throats as well.

After you get the slug through the barrel, see if it will drop through the cylinder throats freely. That will tell you if you need to have the throats worked on.

[dverna]

You are overthinking it. It is not a target gun. Any Wadcutter offers a large meplat to deliver a good “whack” at short range. Size to .358. Load it to maximum for self defense. There was a good thread a few months ago if you can find it.

[Bazoo]

I agree with size to .358 and don't over think it. If yall that bullet weight range, I've had good results out of the lee 358-140-SWC. It's been pleasant to shoot and accurate out of the wife's 686. If you like some to try, PM me.

[winelover]

I load just two different bullets in 38 Spl for CC practice. A 158 grain SWC or a 160 grain RN. The RN works better if using speed loaders. Sized so they are a snug slip fit for the cylinder throats. All of my three 38's are snubbies, so I don't worry too much about accuracy. Lack of leading is more important to me. Been casting for 40 years, never owned a WC mould, never will.

Winelover

[Petrol & Powder]

Having shot a truckload or two of 38 Specials in my lifetime, I will concur with the advice to use a wadcutter in the 150-155 grain range.
Another option is the tried and true 155-160 grain SWC.

If I was looking for a single bullet for SD and target work out of a 2" barrel, I would go with the wadcutter.

A good place to start in terms of size is to match the diameter of the throats, which will very likely be in the .357" -.358" range.

If you're using tumble lube, the SAECO #348 that Outpost75 suggests is probably the easiest way to go. If you're using a lubersizer, some form of the H&G #50 or RCBS 38-148-WC would be my suggestion. (I think the flat base is easier to deal with when using a lubersizer)

The 38 Special is one of the most forgiving cartridges to load for and one of the most satisfying. All of the secrets and tricks to great performance are in the open.

As for crimp - If the bullet has a crimp groove, use it. That sets your OAL and don't spend hours scratching your head trying to figure out where to seat the bullet. A roll crimp that turns the case mouth into that crimp groove is all that is needed.

I've used just about every powder that you can burn in a 38 Special casing but Bullseye or WW231 [AKA HP-38] is all you will ever need. The bulk of my 38 Special loading was done with WW231 but Bullseye has replaced that as my go-to powder for 38 Special. You cannot go wrong with either of those powders.

If you're casting bullets for 38 Special, you do not need or want a hard alloy. Unless you are shooting magnum loads; roughly 10 BHn is about as hard as you need and frankly, you can shoot a softer bullet in 38 Special.

As for bullet lube, if you're using tumble lube, I can't help you much. If you're using a lubersizer, NRA 50/50 is the way to go. Big shout out here for White Label - they are THE source for bullet lube and they are great people to deal with.
I used BAC lube for handgun bullets for a while, and it is a good lube for magnum cartridges and some of the hotter 9mm stuff, but it didn't work as well for standard pressure 38 Special.

If you haven't read Fryxell's, "From Ingot to Target - A cast bullet guide for handgunners", I STRONGLY suggest you read it. It is available here: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

[Petrol & Powder]

I don't know which Taurus 2" 38 Special the OP is using but I'm a long term devotee of the snubnose 38 concept. The Taurus model 85 was one of Taurus' better efforts.
Don't underestimate the 38 Snubnose, they are capable of excellent accuracy. While a snubnose isn't intended to be a target gun, with practice, very good work can be done with the snubnose.

Outpost75 included a link to Grant Cunningham's article on the full power wadcutter and that's a good article to read.

[Dapaki]

I agree with everybody replying that the .38 is probably the easiest to load and get performance from without trying. In my case, I got for simple over performance, a cheap is the goal so a simple load of 2gr Red Dot under the LEE 358-140-SWC is my go-to all day long.

It punches round holes in paper, stays stable for a long distance and is so very mild that it feels more like shooting a .22 than a .38. I cast them with whatever I have in the pot and heap PC them.

[atr]

One of my favorite molds for .38Spl is a 125 gr RN plain base. Easy to cast and gas-checks are not required.
have fun
atr

[gwpercle]

Lyman # 358432 160 grain WC , this accuracy winner has been discontinued by Lyman but brought back by NOE . I picked up a used Lyman 358432 single cavity ...after discovering how well it shot in all my 38/357 revolvers ...especially a 2" barreled J frame S&W in 38 special .
I spotted a 3 cavity mould at the NOE store "available" I ordered it so fast it made my head spin .
1-cavity moulds are such slow producers ...since it's about the only boolit I was shooting ...the 3 cavity aluminum NOE was a Godsend !
Thanks Al Nelson for bringing this excellent design back to life ... I love it !
Gary

[oso]

My wife likes the Lee 125 RF cast at 130 grains loaded to about 720 fps out of her Taurus 85. Wide meplat but easier/quicker loading than a full wadcutter. Accurate and comfortable to shoot at lot.
With age and infirmity who (other than a perp) is looking for punishment. I save heavier boolits for heavier guns, but Amy still does best with a 130 gr GC in her Ruger Sec Six 357 Mag.

[rintinglen]

I went through a spell where I was miking and measuring and making sure everything was according to Hoyle, but I don't do it any more, unless I encounter a problem. First, I shoot the gun.

Far more often than not, it works just fine. I may tweek a powder charge or try a different boolit just to see if I can coax a better group, but before I start analyzing the gun, it has to demonstrate a problem. For a .38, I size .358 and am very surprised if those boolits don't shoot at least reasonably well.

I did that for years before the internet persuaded me to do otherwise. But though the all-knowing, all- seeing and wise Wizard of the World Wide Web decreed otherwise, I found that all my fiddling and finagling accomplished in most cases was to lead me back to where I had been in the first place. And in those rare exceptions, it was seldom that I could modify my loads to fix the problem, without first testing the gun and ammo to determine what correction was needed. YMMV, but probably not by much.

[FlyfishermanMike]

My SD load is 6 gr. Power Pistol and Lee 158 gr PC coated. This runs 840 fps out of my Taurus 2". Work up to this obviously.

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[downzero]

I'm loading the Lee 158 SWC. I accidentally ordered the pan lube one instead of the gas check capable one they make but it shoots and loads just fine. I'm experimenting with powders right now, Power Pistol and CFE Pistol (5+ grains).

I'm looking for a 158 hollow point mold at the right price but I haven't found the right one for me yet.

If I was going to carry these for self defense I'd have the hollow points in the cylinder and 158 round nose in my speed loaders or speed strips.

I have no use for any other weight bullet in a .38/.357 revolver (except the suggested 148 wadcutter, that is good for targets for sure).

[slim1836]

Thanks guys, lots of info shared here and is appreciated. I will mull over all the information and come up with something that will work for my 856UL. I'm in no hurry as I have some factory ammo which shoots great, I just want to cast my own.

Tazman, I think I'll try the slugging method per your advice. That should tell me a lot.

Outpost75, I like your advice on the double bevel, makes lots of sense, thanks.

Petrol & Powder, I have read "From Ingot to Target - A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners", perhaps it's time to check back in. Lots of great info there.

It seems there are a lot of different molds to choose from, I'll probably go with the wadcutter, just don't know which one. I can tumble lube, powder coat, and lube the grooves thanks to the lubrisizer I received from BrassMagnet a while back.

I'll continue to read the comments as they come.

Slim

[FlyfishermanMike]

I'm loading the Lee 158 SWC. I accidentally ordered the pan lube one instead of the gas check capable one they make but it shoots and loads just fine. I'm experimenting with powders right now, Power Pistol and CFE Pistol (5+ grains).

I'm looking for a 158 hollow point mold at the right price but I haven't found the right one for me yet.

If I was going to carry these for self defense I'd have the hollow points in the cylinder and 158 round nose in my speed loaders or speed strips.

I have no use for any other weight bullet in a .38/.357 revolver (except the suggested 148 wadcutter, that is good for targets for sure).With the Lee 158-RF and 5.1 CFE Pistol gets me 727 fps out of my 2" Taurus. I haven't gone any higher. Power pistol has been the best performer with Unique close behind.

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