Anybody have a good Unique .38 load for 148 gr. WC?

[roverboy]

Supposed to get some 148 gr. wadcutters from a friend. and wondered if anybody had some good Unique loads.

[45DUDE]

Dewc-bnwc-hbwc-swc-It's not my go to powder for wc's but in my bench tests 3.7 of Unique with a flush seated 148 dewc-bnwc or hbwc boolit with a small roll crimp is hard to beat. They function in my 38 special Clark long slide and lock the slide back on the last shot --and custom revolvers group good as well. This load will also function in a S&W 52. The Lyman reload manual is a good place to start.

[gwpercle]

If they are cast , solid base wadcutters , a decent mid range load with Unique is anywhere from 4.5 grains to 5.0 grains of Unique . Don't try and "light load" Unique ... it needs a certain amount of pressure to burn cleanly . Some report going as low as 4.2 grs. but I have always had better accuracy and cleaner burning at min. of 4.5 grs.

My "pet" loads are from 4.7 grs. to 5.0 grs. ( velocity 800 to 900 fps) with a cast flat base WC like Lyman #358091 or the
Lee 358-148-WC
Gary

[Dale53]

I have shot thousands of rounds of a full charge wadcutter over the years, but always used Bullseye or another fast burning powder with both my 148 gr. Button nose wadcutter or my 150 gr. Dbl ended wadcutter. My load with Bullseye is the old standard full charge load of 3.5 grs. Those loadS are to be ONLY used with solid base wadcutters.

At any rate, I just checked Lyman’s #4 Cast Bullet Manual and they show the max load with Unique and a 148 gr. Solid base wadcutter is 4.2 grs. Of Unique showing a pressure of 14,000+PSI (not a + P load) with a velocity just short of 900 fps in a 4” pressure barrel.

FWIW
Dale53

[contender1]

What do your loading manuals suggest? You do have a couple of loading manuals don't you?

[sharps4590]

^^^^^ This, first.

[rintinglen]

Using a 358-495 or a H&G 50, button-nose, wadcutter, I found that it took a fairly stiff charge, 4.5-5.0 grains of Unique to seal and make for decent accuracy. A fairly hard crimp helps.

However, you will be much better served with a faster powder. Bullseye and WW-231 are much more likely to give you the accuracy that you would like in a midrange load. Unique is better for service level loads and seems to burn better when pressures are >14,000 psi.