358311 favorite powders?

[Divil]

I am intending to get a Lyman 358311 mold soon. What powders do users of this boolit like ? I am asking this with standard pressure .38 Special loads in mind. I am hoping Winchester powders are popular with this boolit since they are locally available and not terribly expensive. Thanks!

[Kai]

Winchester 231

[jdgabbard]

Unique, 5gr in 38spl cases. Teeders on the edge of +P

[Joe K]

As mentioned Winchester 231 will work fine for the 358311 in 38 special.
This mold has been around along time and is listed in every Lyman book that I have from issue 36 to 48 and of course the Lyman cast handbooks. You will enjoy it.

[Jack Stanley]

I have used 231 in the past , currently , 700X and Unique are in stock and work well . That bullet does not seem hard to please at all .

Jack

[dondiego]

There is a powder called Bullseye too.............not Winchester though, but 231 is also HP-38 don't forget.

[Divil]

I have W231, W244, W572 and Unique on hand. I am trying to not use Unique because I have my 1/2 can reserved for my 358242 9mm loading and it has been impossible to find locally. Glad the W231 seems to be liked by many, since it is relatively easy for me to obtain.

[gwpercle]

Locally Available is best , favorites include the following :

W231
HP38



Bullseye
TITEGROUP ( TiteGroup)
Red Dot
Accurate #2
700X

Unique - For mid-range and heavy 38 Special loads , Unique works well ...
but do not light load Unique , it needs pressure to burn completely .

The good thing about the 38 Special is all the loading data available for it ...
lots of powders can be used and lots of data published to guide you .
When you see a powder that may work for something ... buy it ...
... it may be gone tomorrow !
Gary

[gwpercle]

Unique, 5gr in 38spl cases. Teeders on the edge of +P

:goodpost:
LIKE LIKE LIKE !!!
My pet 38 special / 140-160 gr. cast boolit load !
Gary

[txbirdman]

W244 seems to be good in .38; 9MM; and 45 acp. I like it because it seems to burn clean; meter well; and it’s cheap (by today’s standards).

[jdgabbard]

:goodpost:
LIKE LIKE LIKE !!!
My pet 38 special / 140-160 gr. cast boolit load !
Gary

I used to really like 4.0gr under the Lee TL158-SWC, but 5.0gr under any 158-160gr SWC or RN shoots almost like a laser beam. Nice recoil too for SD practice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cowboy4evr]

Unique is " MIA " for most of the country , including my area . Soooo , I decided to try Hodgdon's CFE-Pistol . It's a good unique replacement . I like 5.2 grs with a 158 gr cast bullet . It meters well is very very clean burning as well as accurate . I have tried it in mid range 357 magnum loads using same bullet with very good results . I used 6.7 grs ( max is 6.9 ) according to Hodgdon's load data . I was very pleased enough over all to want to buy more . The faster powders aka : red dot , 700X , bullseye , WST , titeegroup etc all work well in std 38 spl loads . I use a lot of Ramshot Zip in 38 spl , about like HP-38 , green dot etc . Good luck , regards Paul

[jdgabbard]

Unique is " MIA " for most of the country , including my area . Soooo , I decided to try Hodgdon's CFE-Pistol . It's a good unique replacement . I like 5.2 grs with a 158 gr cast bullet . It meters well is very very clean burning as well as accurate . I have tried it in mid range 357 magnum loads using same bullet with very good results . I used 6.7 grs ( max is 6.9 ) according to Hodgdon's load data . I was very pleased enough over all to want to buy more . The faster powders aka : red dot , 700X , bullseye , WST , titeegroup etc all work well in std 38 spl loads . I use a lot of Ramshot Zip in 38 spl , about like HP-38 , green dot etc . Good luck , regards Paul

I haven’t noticed it not being present on the shelves, but I usually buy it by the keg. So I haven’t bought any in several years. Good to know tho…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[avogunner]

One of my favorites for the .38 special. 3.2 gr of Bullseye has been my load for years.
Semper Fi.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tazman]

Bullseye, Titegroup, 231, HP38, and CFE Pistol. Other powders will work as well but, these are the mainstays.
The CFE Pistol gives higher velocities with standard pressure loads but requires a heavier grain weight to do it. Excellent performance and accuracy if looking for a great full power load.
If lighter loads are the choice, any of the others will work fine.
That 358311 boolit is very accurate in all my revolvers.
Load data is readily available from the manufacturers online.

[rintinglen]

You can't go wrong with 231/Hp38 and a 358-311. Size .358, 3.8 grains, crimp in the crimp groove, and then just shoot 'em. That is a wonderful practice load that you can load for 10-14 cents a piece, even with today's 8-10 cent primers. This is one of the most accurate .38 Special bullets extant. At one time, I was using it at 50 yards for PPC competition where it seemed to do better than the 148 grain wadcutters, at least for me.

[Divil]

Dual Cavity 358311 on the way to my home!

Is the #311 top punch (that I use for my 358242) the correct punch ?

[Joe K]

Yes. The #311 is the correct top punch for the 358311.

https://www.castpics.net/subsite/TopPunches/Lyman.html

[Divil]

Thanks Joe!

[jdgabbard]

Dual Cavity 358311 on the way to my home!

Wise choice. Everyone should have at least one example of this mold. I luckily have two, an Ideal 4cav with square grooves, and a Lyman 2cav with round grooves. Enjoy, it's a great design.

[Kosh75287]

Depending on the power level sought, 3.0-4.0/Red Dot/158 gr. LSWC or LRNFP will give you almost anything you could reasonably want from a .38 Special.
The lighter charges tend to approximate the recoil of the 148 gr. HBWC loads. 3.5/Red Dot is very close to factory standard velocity. According to Alliant, 3.8/Red Dot/158 gr. develops +P pressures. Their old reloading data used to indicate that 4.0/Red Dot/158 gr. was +P, but they revised it downward. Since Since I own no .38 Spl. revolvers, I have just stuck with 4.0/Red Dot/158 gr. as my "general purpose" .38 Special load.

When it is time to buy propellant again, remember that Alliant Promo is basically Alliant Red Dot, without the red dots, and is somewhat less expensive when bought in the 8# jugs. You can reload enough .38 Special and .45 ACP to fill every bathtub in your neighborhood with 8 pounds of it. It is also quite useful in reduced velocity rifle loads, and of course, most shotgun gauges.

[jdgabbard]

They've done a lot of Red Dot loadings like that. The explanation I've read is that due to the new methods of measure pressure they've seen more very short pressure spikes than they were able to detect with the old methods. My 4.2gr Red Dot over 115gr FMJ for 9mm is a good example, this is a much heavier recoiling load than I experience with most factory loaded ammo.

[mainiac]

You can't go wrong with 231/Hp38 and a 358-311. Size .358, 3.8 grains, crimp in the crimp groove, and then just shoot 'em. That is a wonderful practice load that you can load for 10-14 cents a piece, even with today's 8-10 cent primers. This is one of the most accurate .38 Special bullets extant. At one time, I was using it at 50 yards for PPC competition where it seemed to do better than the 148 grain wadcutters, at least for me.

Hp38 3.2-3.4 grs,with 358311,,very accurate,,that ol 311 will outshoot a 148 wadcutter!!