Any shotgun powders that don't make good .38 loads

[FergusonTO35]

I've never had any success with Blue Dot in .38 Special. I think it just burns too slowly for this cartridge. I'm fixing to try 3.5 grains of 700X haven't decided what boolit yet.

[OnHoPr]

I haven't shot revolvers in a while, but first of all are you weighing, dipping, or metering? Why are you using the .38's for in the 357, is it a brass issue or less consumption on powder and recoil? I know the 38 brass will work in the 357. Also, what is your'e acceptable accuracy standards. A lot of variables come into play with your question. I had the same gun a one time and a aquaintinence (which had a few
357s) and I tried a number of loads and powders and we ended up using green dot. If you are trying to aquisition powder to accompany a shotgun and the revolver in a bigger aquisition can then maybe the mid range shotgun powders might an edge on the broader range of things.

[Viper225]

I have been playing with Alliant 20/28 some lately under a 158.
I am using 4.5 grains. My initial information says use about .4 grains UNDER the Unique loading data in 38 Special. I have not got a chance to really shoot it enough to form an opinion about it.
It seems to have a sharper Report about like Power Pistol.

Bob

[UnderDawgAl]

Green Dot, Red Dot, and Promo all are great in .38 Special.

[Outpost75]

Any shotgun powder suitable for 1-1/8 oz. skeet or trap loads in the 12-ga. will work fine for standard pressure loads in the. 38 Special or. 45 ACP. The slower "magnum" shotshell powders suited for shot loads heavier than 1-1/2ozs. tend to be problematic. But the 20-gage target and field load powders will work in full charge. 45 ACP and. 38 Special loads, including +P.

Consult powder manufacturer or other pressure tested, published data.

In my own experience, if your Dillon machine is already sst to throw a safe charge with W231, and you run out, you can safely load the same volumetric setting of WST without getting into any trouble. Velocity will be somewhat lower because WST is less dense.

In the .45 ACP with the 200-grain H&G68, at 1.255" OAL a charge of 4.8 grains of WST is a full-charge IPSC load at 900 fps from a typical M1911 pistol. A good midrange wadcutter load with the same bullet is 4.3 grains, which should not be reduced. We load 4.5 grs. of WST and H&G68 as a gensral purpose practice load, which works well.

[mtgrs737]

My first 38 spl reloads used a 148 wadcutter over 3 grs. of Red Dot powder. It was a very pleasant, economical, and accurate shooting load. I also used to load 5 grs. of Unique under a 150 gr. SWC bullet but will be going to Green Dot as I have a lot of that powder. Alliant Powder has always worked very well for me and It is economical and easy to find.

[Photog]

Alliant Extra Lite may be pushing it a bit. It's about the fastest powder around. It is meant to build up pressure quickly for 3/4 oz. 12 gauge loads which means build up pressure against almost nothing. But being that you can sometimes push a lead bullet out of a .38 special with nothing more than a primer, so long as the powder ignites, you can use it in a .38. I've tried Titewad for low recoil loads and found that it works almost identical to Clays (at least in the 2.5 to 3.0 grain region with a 158g bullet).

Actually Alliant Extra Lite works fine in 38 spl light loads. I used around 3 gr for around 850fps (can't remember off the top of my head the exact recipe). I do remember that SDs were high so I quit testing. Per Alliant, Bullseye is one step quicker than Extra-Lite.

[2wheelDuke]

Lil Gun is a shotgun powder, and I don't think it'd work very well for .38 loads. My .300 blackout seems to like it just fine.