The learning I was referring to is this. My 38 wadcutter on top of 3.5 Unique is not what I consider a known go to load vs the standard 2.8/2.9 Bullseye load which everyone has heard is a go to load. I happened on this load through experimentation. Having shot this load in all my 38's and 357's and every 38/357 that comes to our range, (all total comes to around 30 different firearms) it has proven to be very accurate in everyone of those guns. Is it the most accurate in each? Sometimes yes and sometimes no, but in the no guns it was a very slim difference.
So, What did I learn? I learned that every new 38/357 that comes down the road this is the load I start with if I want a wadcutter load.
Now if I want a 158 grain load I have the same story as above with HP-38/158 grain boolits.
None of what I said has anything to do with one's ability to shoot well, that takes a lot of practice, but one needs to practice with an accurate load. I have accurate loads that "I" don't shoot well offhand and there's the rub, either learn to shoot that load or find a load you can shoot to your standard of accuracy.
I would like to think that anyone that shot as much as Elmer Keith would have had a standard load to start with, on a new to him gun. If it preformed well then no problem, if not then that's where the tinkering begun.
Tony