Light loads - light boolits .38 & .357

Well, I found a good thread on this in a search engine (and it is what prompted me to join the forum), but now I can't find it again.

All was about low-weight boolits and appropriate powders & load weights in the .38 SPl case or .357 case.

I have two cast pilotas 95 gr. and 158 gr. and have been racking my brain to come up with good loads. Well, 4 gr of International Clays under the 158, in a .357 Mag case, makes a nice practice load for my somewhat recoil-sensitive wife, but I have not really made myself happy with the 95 gr.

Her "standard" piece is a S&W Lady Smith Titanium .357. (Eventually, I will buy a new Mag. Eng. mould at an intermediate weight, but for now the choice is 95 or 158.) This pistol has a caveat about throat erosion for .38 Spl. rounds with light bullets and hot loads.

So, although I have had some good results (from my point of view) with 10.5 of IMR 4227 and 5.0 of Int. Clays in the .38 case, I'd like to find something with less bang for her to practice with.

My powder choices are limited, at the moment: the above mentioned pair and SR 7625. (I have a supply of H110, but it does *not* like to be downloaded.)

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Welcome to The Guide Merlin.

Your problem is partly your choice of powders.

Bullseye. If you want light .38 or .357 target loads, that's the powder.

I have never had much luck getting any accuracy with anything lighter than 110gr in .38's and .357's, and no spectacular accuracy even with them. At minimum, 125JHP's, but my S&W revolvers all seem to prefer bullets in the 140-160gr range, both jacketed and cast.

148grWC's (Lyman #358091 1/4WW's 3/4pure lead, sized .360 LLA or WL tumble lube) work very well with minimum charges of BEYE in most of my revolvers and I would suggest you start there for accurate loads with minimal recoil.

Lee's 158 SWCTL mould is an excellent performer, no hassles with GC's, and it comes in a 6cav. Light to medium loads with Unique do the job quite well.

For full charge .357mag loads I like Lee's 158SWCGC mould which also comes in 6cav. and I use them over UNQ, BDOT, and 2400.

I got the Lee 148g WC mold, and have shot a lot of the Hornady BBWC and DEWC. Think i got less leading with the Lee bullets and Lee tumble lube.

My load is 2.5gr Tight Group with the lee 148gr bullet. Very mild and very accurate. It's only shooting 700fps.

Seat the bullet deeper, flush with the case mouth. Depending on how much space is left in the case, you can look at heavier bullets loads.

Or, for example, if you have a pet load with the 158gr, seat the 95 so that the same load gets the same burning space.

http://www.levergun.com/articles/thoughts.htm

kg

Thanks folks.
Yes, powder choice is the big stumbling block. My inventories are pretty much set up for my own guns, none of which are .38 or .357. (The 95 gr is for a 9mm Kurz aka .380 ACP.)

I'll do a bit of reading and see If I can afford to lay in a supply of something better suited to her gun. Some Bullseye, Unique, or maybe HP38. I can prolly spring for a 1# can of each and experiment from there.

Seating the 95 gr to match the powder space is an interesting idea. It is .455 in length and the 158 is .646 with .295 sticking out of the case, so .205 from the top of the 95 gr's drive band to the top of the slug ...Hmm, that's .351 seating depth, .105 sticking out of the case mouth, sounds like a bit of free air around the boolit inside the case mouth! :-) Welp, when in doubt, put a few of 'em on paper and see what happens.

I'd like to try a 140 gr slug, too, but don't want to buy a mould just for testing; in case I don't like the results.

Anyway, thanks again, you have given me some good things to think about.

148 GR Wadcutter, seated to the top groove, 2.2 gr. of Bullseye is a nice plinker I put together for my kids. Haven't put it on paper for accuracy, but it hits minute of tin-can at 10-15 yards.

AND it's almost like shooting a .22 in a 4" 686 or 6" Python!

If you wanna play with 140's and 148's, PM me...I've got some of both cast up I could send you to tinker with...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cbunt1

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If you wanna play with 140's and 148's, PM me...I've got some of both cast up I could send you to tinker with...

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All of the above sound good to me. PM on the way. (And the offer is reciprocated if there is anything I cast you could use some of, be it boolits, fishing weights, or fantasy gaming miniatures.)

back your clays load down.
i use about 3 grs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by runfiverun

back your clays load down.
i use about 3 grs.

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I will probably try that, too. I saw one load that used 3.5, so if 3.0 will still group decently out of her gun, it will be a gentler shoot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cbunt1

If you wanna play with 140's and 148's, PM me.....

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Well, I did and He did and fun was had by all.
Both of cb's boolits over 3.6 of International were fun to shoot and very accurate out of Jo's LadySmith.

THANKS!
The helpfulness of RG forumers continues to be a wonderful experience.

oh - yes - and runfiverun's advice about trying a 3.0 gr load made Jo' happy enough to run through a whole box of both cb's boolits and my 158's with a big smile. Even after I kicked that up to about 3.8, she still liked them and has promised to practice at least weekly.

Good job, MERLIN!