Favorite Airweight Loads

[cabezaverde]

Just bought a Smith 642 (Airweight) as a concealed carry alternative to my SP101.

Anyone have favorite practice loads for these? What do the cylinders throats usually run?

[MtGun44]

In my experience with larger S&W revolvers they have the throat diameter nailed at .357
for the .38 Spl guns. Other calibers wander around quite a bit.

The only load that I have been able to get to shoot to the sights in my 342 is 5.0 Unique
under a 358429 HP, which is very accurate, a full power load and good for self defense,
too.

Bill

[Piedmont]

I load three grains or a little more with any real fast burner and a 158 gr. This helps keep recoil down. Lighter bullets would kick less but the sights are usually regulated for the full weight bullets. This is just for practice. Plus P 158s are in the gun for business.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Up In Ilinois we have a 340 Airlight 357 5 shot that always has 4 grains Unique with a Lyman 357446 in 1-30 in 38 Special brass. For practice I use the same boolit with 3.5 Unique.
Down here in Peru I carry a 5 shot Rossi with the same load.
Not very high tech but more power than the old 51 Colt load Bill Hilcock was happy with.

[Landric]

I've had good luck with 2.1 grains of Trail Boss and a Lyman 358495. It shoots basically point of aim and is very mild out of my Airweight 37-2.

[NickSS]

my practice load is a 125 gr Lee RNFP ocver 3 gr of Red dot It shoots well enough for practice and I carry +P 38 158 gr HP.

[Bret4207]

5.0 Unique and the 357477.

[drobinson]

4.0 grains of unique with the Lee 158 RF. Shoots to point of aim.

[MtGun44]

Hey, I know I'm on the right track when Bret says it is the right load, too! That 358477
is a really good one. I have found that it or the RCBS 38-150-K are about the best
.38 Spl boolits ever, altho the 358429 Keith is really good, too. The 358477 and RCBS
150 are so close you can almost put one into the mold for the other, slight diff in the
shape of the crimp groove and depth of lube groove.

Bill

[Bula]

Traditional wadcutter 2.8g bullseye under lee 148g wc, shot to POA, with some triger practice single 5 hole ragged hole groups at 10 yds. Easy on the hands and the shooter.