.38 Special 105gn Loads

[MikeyS]

Hi Gang,
Looking for a load for a 105gn SWC. My available powders are: Bullseye, Unique, 231and Green Dot. Trying to stay with powders I have. Thanks in advance.

Mike

[Gofaaast]

Welcome to the site Mike. 105 swc seems light to me. I’d load them with 4 grains of Bullseye. I recommend finding a manual and using data from it though.

[tazman]

If looking for a light practice load with low recoil, 3 grains of Bullseye works well.
For a full power load Bullseye at 4.2-4.4 grains.

[MikeyS]

Yeah, pretty light, it's what I have at the moment. In the market for a 125 or 158gn mold, but everyone is out or charging crazy stupid prices. On a notification list from Midway.

My first load was around 3gns of Bullseye but the accuracy was horrendous out of both a 4" and 6" barrel. The alloy was a goulash, used a completely botched recipe with fresh lead added, so that might be part of it. Won't know till I load some of my normal recipes.

[brewer12345]

I load it at 4.5 grains of bullseye. Very accurate in my 4 inch revolver.

[MikeyS]

I load it at 4.5 grains of bullseye. Very accurate in my 4 inch revolver.

Have you chronoed this load?

[brewer12345]

Have you chronoed this load?

Nope. Believe it was a top of the range load from the Lyman cast bullet manual. Since every 38 I own is rated for +P or 357, it doesn't bother me to be at the top of the standard pressure range if that is the accurate load.

[Thumbcocker]

The Lee 105 can be very accurate in .38 special.

[JoeJames]

With 148 grain Lee cast wadcutters I get the best accuracy with 2.7 grains of Bullseye. I tried that load after reading 38 Special target loads in the old NRA Handloading Guide. With a 105 grain I'd probably back it down to 2.3 or 2.4 grains. But I am more than a bit OCD on accuracy.

[bedbugbilly]

I haven't loaded the Lee 105 gr. in 38 spl. for quite a while but used to use it for a nice plinker round. I don't have my data with me here in AZ,, but if I remember correctly, I think my load was around 3.5 grains of Bulls Eye and around 3.5 gr. with Red Dot.

Follow what tazman says - try 3.0 grains of Bulls Eye and work you way up until you find the sweet spot for your particular pistol.

I have also used Green Dot as it was all I could get at one point when things were short during the Obama shortage. If you don't have a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook . . . you need one. There are four different editions. I refer to the 3rd edition all the time and it is my "reloading Bible". The newest edition, the 4th is also excellent IMHO. I don't have it but someone else here probably does as there used to be a link to the 3rd edition that you could download. I don't have my 3rd edition handy but I do remember that it has loading data for the 38 special for the 92 grain version of the Lyman/Ideal 358-242 - I know it doesn't have anything in it for the Lee 105 grain boolit. As with any load, start low and work up - don't exceed maximum charge - until you find what shoots best from your handgun - and keep an eye out for squibs. Good luck and have fun.

ADDED NOTE: I also used to load that Lee 105 grain boolit in 38 Colt Short - I used 1.8 grains of Bulls Eye or 2.0 grains of Red Dot. I don't have a crony so don't have the FPS but that 105 grain boolit in a 38 Colt Short casing was a fun little plinking round and critter getter on the farm out of my 3" S & W Model 36.

[gwpercle]

Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th edition
38 Special - Lee #358-105-SWC - sized .358"
4" barreled Universal Receiver

Bullseye* : start. 3.6 grs @ 844 fps (12,200 psi)
max. 4.6* grs @ 1056* fps (16,700 psi)
(+P) 4.9 grs @ 1098 fps (18,400 psi)

*Potentially most accurate load

231 : start 4.2 grs @ 809 fps (11,800 psi)
max. 5.3 grs @ 1059 fps (17,00 psi)
(+P) 5.6 @ 1090 fps (17,800 psi)

You might want to get a copy of Lyman CB #4 , they now contain other makers boolits ...is nice.
Gary

[tazman]

My Alliant manual from 2001 shows a load for a 110 jhp for Green Dot at 4.6 grains maximum.

[BC17A]

My most accurate 38 Spl load with the Lee 105SWC is 4gn of Bullseye. They average 745fps from my 4" Taurus 65.