Starting casting/loading 38 special

[compass will]

I am about to add 38 special to my list of calibers I reload. First, back in the 80's I reloaded 148 gn hollow wad cutters for a ruger but I sold all that gear year ago.

Currently I have a J frame 637 that I target shoot with and to be honest I can do pretty well with that little 1.87" barrel (I have been shooting a long time :) )
Plus I can carry that one on the boat on the FL inland waterways with snake shot (to replace my really heavy and long snake slayer IV).
I also have a desire for a longer barrel 38 special.
I also shoot 5.5" SAA clones in 45 colt for SASS. I could buy another SAA clone in 38 special but I I really think the model 60 with 3" barrel will be perfect. (and the K frame really pushes the budget)
that extra 1"barrel over the 637 makes for a nice site radius, but but that 1" additional makes it hard to carry concealed so I bought the 637

anyway, back to casting. I have been shooting store bought 130gn 38 specials (to gain brass).
Not knowing what I should do, for no known reason (accept to maybe stretch my lead supply over 158gn) I am thinking if buying the lee 30306 which is a 125gn round nose mold (358-125-RF ) it cast about what my 130gn I am currently shooting.
All I will be doing is target shooting and pinking with both guns.
anybody recommend maybe something they found better than the 125gn?

I am also just started doing Powder coating so that should be in my bullet solution process. I do have a sizer but need to buy the die. I am reading I want .359"?
I think I already have the top piece that will match that flat nose round boolit.

next is powder. Current power selection I currently have clay's (use in 45acp), Trail boss (use in 45 colt) and Winchester 572 (wife and I shoot a lot of clay birds).

Primers, I don't load for small pistol at this time, so there is another $100 buck investment to get started.
I can switch to something new in future but for starters its best to stick to something I already have to offset the startup cost.

Dies. Everything I own is Lee accept for my 32 special. I tend to buy the 4 die set with the factory crimp die. is this recommended?

so that about covers it. as an engineering mind who is going to retire in the next couple years, I am working up hobbies for my retirement days. I love the pursuit of finding what works best, but age has also taught me to be willing to learn from others experiences here :). hell I been here learning for at least the last 16 years and you have not steered me wrong yet, so thanks, and Merry Christmas.

[dverna]

For short range plinking, the 105 gr bullets will conserve your lead supply if that is important to you. I shot 125-130 gr bullets when I was into CAS.

Clays will work very well. No need to look for anything else.

Good luck!

[Dusty Bannister]

I have found that the Lee 356-120-TC casts large enough that I can use it in the 38/357 as well as sized for the 9MM. Personally, I believe it to be a bit heavy for the .380 ACP, but that is just me. The truncated nose loads easily into the revolver chambers and do not hang up like a SWC or WC bullet. My lube sizer happens to be marked at .358" and produces .3585" for the 38 special. For my use, it produces a light recoiling round, with sufficient accuracy and not requiring more lead or powder than necessary. I also really like the Lee 358-125-RF for revolvers. Some 9mm require seating shorter, if you plan to use for 9mm as well as 38/357 rounds. Good luck in your quest. Dusty

[Rick Hodges]

I use the Lee #358 125 RF. It drops at 128gr. with my alloy is accurate, easy on lead and a lot more effective on target with the .220"+ meplat than the round nose.

[Thumbcocker]

I use the Lee #358 125 RF. It drops at 128gr. with my alloy is accurate, easy on lead and a lot more effective on target with the .220"+ meplat than the round nose.

+1 one one the 125 rnfp. Great boolit and shoots to sights for me in model 10s. 158 grain boolits shoot about 3" high at 25 yards from them in my hands.

For powder any fast to medium pistol/shotgun powder will work. It would be very hard to go wrong with red dot, promo, or bullseye. Good luck.

[WRideout]

Following a brief search, it appears that Win 572 may be in the same general category as Red Dot et. al. For general plinking and killing paper, I use the Lee 148 gr double-ended wadcutter with complete satisfaction. There are listed loads for Win 572 and that boolit on the Hodgdon site.

Wayne

[racepres]

First...I am Not Confident in 38/357 for snake...especially some of the Aggressive, probably Poisonous, variety encountered down there..
If I had the $$ I would be all over the 44 Spl, Ruger GP100 I saw listed Here!!! With Speer shot capsules...it slays large Nasty Rats . So I suspect snakes (we have No Dangerous Snakes here) and Have slayed Rabbits (close range only) and Squirrels, (at normal 10' type Rat distances)
If a 38 is absolutely the way you go... I have Excellent luck with the 140 swc Lee, and Red Dot.. Tho Not better than the 148 Wadcutter... Good Luck

[P Flados]

I have both the Lee 120 TC and the Lee 125 RNFP.

For me the RNFP has very deep sharp sided grooves and is more difficult to cast with and has more "rejects".

My 120 TC bullets drop easier and nicer, but are a little smaller than I like. This is from a 6 cav mold. If it was a two cav mold, I would probably lap the mold to increase diameter. I ended up using the 120 TC as my standard for flat point 38 Sp type ammo.

I like tumble lube for 38 Sp power level loads (it is much easier), but powder coat the 120s for some applications (the extra thickness fixes the diameter issue).

Either of the above can make great 38 special loads.

I also use a Lee 105 RN for "extra low recoil" 38 Sp target loads. These are mostly for a very light weight Ruger LCRx.

You may find that skipping the sizer works (especially for the 120 TC). If you need to size, you may find your gun wants a specific diameter. Most likely optimum diameters are 0.358", 0.359", 0.360".

Clays is probably your best bet for high volume target 38 Sp. You might want to try the 572 if you want a little extra velocity, but you will be using a lot more powder per round.

For dies, a standard 3 die pistol set with a traditional roll crimp works fine for the 38 Sp. No need for anything fancy.

[45DUDE]

One good thing about the Lee mold is that most drop a boolit that requires no sizing and you can powder coat and save a lot of time. Most of the Smith's I've seen have 357 throats but a 359 boolit after coated will work. I think you will find Bullseye to be the cheaper-best powder for 38. The cheapest -best- <accurate> mold will be a 148 bnwc. Your Winchester 572 will work also.

[mdi]

I use the Lee #358 125 RF. It drops at 128gr. with my alloy is accurate, easy on lead and a lot more effective on target with the .220"+ meplat than the round nose.

Me too! I use this bullet, PCed, in 4, 9mm pistols and 4, 38/357 and 9mm revolvers. I just run them through the appropriate sizing die. Some are cast from my "Mystery Metal" ( a mix of scrap, range and wheel weight lead tunning about 11 BHN) and some straight wheel weights. Well preforming bullet in all guns I use it in. I use several powders with this bullet from W231, Bullseye, Universal and CFE Pistol...

[Mk42gunner]

If I were powder coating (I'm not) I would get either a Lee or NOE sizing die that screws into my reloading press. The simple push through sizer works great for tumble lubed boolits, and I think it would be just ass good with powder coated ones.

Robert

Forgot to mention my die recommendation.

Since I do not like Lee's powder through expander die, I have used it for several different cartridges and since replaced each set of dies. I like the Lyman dies, primarily for the M-die. But most manufacturers dies will work fine.

I think my perfect set for .38Special would be a carbide sizer from Lyman, RCBS, or Redding. They seem smoother to me than the one from Lee. Neck expnder Lyman's M-die. Seater I like the CH4D Speed seater, it works well for flat nosed projectiles, I have never tried RN with it. finally the crimp die, I like Redding's Profile Crimp Die.

Is the great mis match needed? No, I just came into various partial sets and filled in where needed. I have way more .38 dies than I really need, but some do things better to my mind than others.

R

[racepres]

If I were powder coating (I'm not) I would get either a Lee or NOE sizing die that screws into my reloading press. The simple push through sizer works great for tumble lubed boolits, and I think it would be just ass good with powder coated ones.

Robert

Forgot to mention my die recommendation.

Since I do not like Lee's powder through expander die, I have used it for several different cartridges and since replaced each set of dies. I like the Lyman dies, primarily for the M-die. But most manufacturers dies will work fine.

I think my perfect set for .38Special would be a carbide sizer from Lyman, RCBS, or Redding. They seem smoother to me than the one from Lee. Neck expnder Lyman's M-die. Seater I like the CH4D Speed seater, it works well for flat nosed projectiles, I have never tried RN with it. finally the crimp die, I like Redding's Profile Crimp Die.

Is the great mis match needed? No, I just came into various partial sets and filled in where needed. I have way more .38 dies than I really need, but some do things better to my mind than others.

R
I too have a Hodge Podge of dies for Some Calibers..in 38/357, there are Many... I have Nothing against the Powder thru expander from Lee
tho I have Never used it for powder Thru. The One I have will Not allow the expander to go in too deep...it has a Flat shoulder, that you won't be pushing the Brass past! I do Tend to use a different Expander, for different Boolits.. just because I can.
For Seating/crimping, my favorite is older Hornady set, tho, I have Not had any Problems necessarily with Lee seater/crimp.
I guess the only thing I dislike about the Lee Dies, is that I believe that the Sizer, sizes Too Small!!.. Not on my .44 set tho...Go Figure.

[Four-Sixty]

I found the Lee 358-140-SWC mold to be a real darling in my 637 with several powders.

[pcmacd]

I am about to add 38 special to my list of calibers I reload. First, back in the 80's I reloaded 148 gn hollow wad cutters for a ruger but I sold all that gear year ago.

Currently I have a J frame 637 that I target shoot with and to be honest I can do pretty well with that little 1.87" barrel (I have been shooting a long time :) )
Plus I can carry that one on the boat on the FL inland waterways with snake shot (to replace my really heavy and long snake slayer IV).
I also have a desire for a longer barrel 38 special.
I also shoot 5.5" SAA clones in 45 colt for SASS. I could buy another SAA clone in 38 special but I I really think the model 60 with 3" barrel will be perfect. (and the K frame really pushes the budget)
that extra 1"barrel over the 637 makes for a nice site radius, but but that 1" additional makes it hard to carry concealed so I bought the 637

anyway, back to casting. I have been shooting store bought 130gn 38 specials (to gain brass).
Not knowing what I should do, for no known reason (accept to maybe stretch my lead supply over 158gn) I am thinking if buying the lee 30306 which is a 125gn round nose mold (358-125-RF ) it cast about what my 130gn I am currently shooting.
All I will be doing is target shooting and pinking with both guns.
anybody recommend maybe something they found better than the 125gn?

I am also just started doing Powder coating so that should be in my bullet solution process. I do have a sizer but need to buy the die. I am reading I want .359"?
I think I already have the top piece that will match that flat nose round boolit.

next is powder. Current power selection I currently have clay's (use in 45acp), Trail boss (use in 45 colt) and Winchester 572 (wife and I shoot a lot of clay birds).

Primers, I don't load for small pistol at this time, so there is another $100 buck investment to get started.
I can switch to something new in future but for starters its best to stick to something I already have to offset the startup cost.

Dies. Everything I own is Lee accept for my 32 special. I tend to buy the 4 die set with the factory crimp die. is this recommended?

so that about covers it. as an engineering mind who is going to retire in the next couple years, I am working up hobbies for my retirement days. I love the pursuit of finding what works best, but age has also taught me to be willing to learn from others experiences here :). hell I been here learning for at least the last 16 years and you have not steered me wrong yet, so thanks, and Merry Christmas.

Too many questions in this post!

If i were going to shoot my own cast bullets in a 38 SPL, they would absolutely be full on wadcutters.

2d choice would be semi wadcutters.

I cast both at around 150 grains, and either is devastating on either paper or animal.

...

[compass will]

Glad to hear reports on the 572. the advantage to that powder is I buy it by 4 or 8 lb loads since I reload shotguns with it, so there is always a supply around :)

Thanks everyone for the replies.

[Hick]

The Lee 358-140 mentioned above is a good one for 38 Special. Also the 358-148 Wadcutter.

Other powders that work well with 38 Special are Titegroup, Titewad, HP-38, Win 231.

I noticed you mentioned "engineering mind" I myself am a retired Chemical/Nuclear engineer which is probably why load development is so much fun for me.

[Willie T]

358-148 wadcutters is my .38 plinking bullet in a .38. I also like 140 SWC’s in the 637. W-231/HP-38 (same powder) is my powder of choice for plinking in .38. I also like Bullseye and Universal. I own the same smith 637 and a 686. Both have .357 forcing cones in the cylinder. I size for them with a .357 Lyman die in my LAM that sizes to .3575. I want them sized so when I drop a bullet in the cylinder it stops but I can take a pencil and use the eraser end to push it through with a little resistance. For me that is perfect and does not lead in either. I cast for .38 with a soft alloy of two parts soft lead and one part clip on wheel weights. I load that alloy to right around 800fps. I use an old set of Hornady dies and like them. Good luck working out your .38 loads.
Willie

[35 Rem]

The Lee 358-125-FN is my favorite plinking bullet for 38 Special. Largely because my main 38 revolver is a Uberti Stallion which is a downsized SAA clone. The Lee bullet looks more "cowboy" than any semi-wadcutter ever could. Plus the light weight does save lead. My mold drops bullets very well and is easy to cast with. I us Red Dot for the same reason you chose your powder. I started loading shotguns and bought lots of Red Dot in the 8lb cans so it makes sense to use it for any handgun loads that work.

[Soundguy]

I am about to add 38 special to my list of calibers I reload. First, back in the 80's I reloaded 148 gn hollow wad cutters for a ruger but I sold all that gear year ago.

Currently I have a J frame 637 that I target shoot with and to be honest I can do pretty well with that little 1.87" barrel (I have been shooting a long time :) )
Plus I can carry that one on the boat on the FL inland waterways with snake shot (to replace my really heavy and long snake slayer IV).
I also have a desire for a longer barrel 38 special.
I also shoot 5.5" SAA clones in 45 colt for SASS. I could buy another SAA clone in 38 special but I I really think the model 60 with 3" barrel will be perfect. (and the K frame really pushes the budget)
that extra 1"barrel over the 637 makes for a nice site radius, but but that 1" additional makes it hard to carry concealed so I bought the 637

anyway, back to casting. I have been shooting store bought 130gn 38 specials (to gain brass).
Not knowing what I should do, for no known reason (accept to maybe stretch my lead supply over 158gn) I am thinking if buying the lee 30306 which is a 125gn round nose mold (358-125-RF ) it cast about what my 130gn I am currently shooting.
All I will be doing is target shooting and pinking with both guns.
anybody recommend maybe something they found better than the 125gn?

I am also just started doing Powder coating so that should be in my bullet solution process. I do have a sizer but need to buy the die. I am reading I want .359"?
I think I already have the top piece that will match that flat nose round boolit.

next is powder. Current power selection I currently have clay's (use in 45acp), Trail boss (use in 45 colt) and Winchester 572 (wife and I shoot a lot of clay birds).

Primers, I don't load for small pistol at this time, so there is another $100 buck investment to get started.
I can switch to something new in future but for starters its best to stick to something I already have to offset the startup cost.

Dies. Everything I own is Lee accept for my 32 special. I tend to buy the 4 die set with the factory crimp die. is this recommended?

so that about covers it. as an engineering mind who is going to retire in the next couple years, I am working up hobbies for my retirement days. I love the pursuit of finding what works best, but age has also taught me to be willing to learn from others experiences here :). hell I been here learning for at least the last 16 years and you have not steered me wrong yet, so thanks, and Merry Christmas.

That 358 125 rf is a great mold. I do some cowboy stuff in light 38 loads with it in repro richards-mason conversion open frame Colts...save you 33grns lead over a standard 158. The 105 mentioned is even thriftier.. Either should hit targets nicely.

[John Guedry]

While I don't have a 105gr. swc mold I hear nothing but good things about them. I do have and use the 140 gr swc mold and like it.

[MT Gianni]

If you like large meplates the 125 gr RF is a much better choice than the 105. Either is a better choice than the 124 gr rn.

[imashooter2]

Buy the Lee tumble lube wadcutter, lube as cast boolits with paste wax or LsStuff 45-45-10. You will be hard pressed to find a faster, easier solution.