What is a good plinking load for .38 for a 5 shot rossi 2" and a 4" tauras with w231 powder? All opinions read with interest.
Richard
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What is a good plinking load for .38 for a 5 shot rossi 2" and a 4" tauras with w231 powder? All opinions read with interest.
Richard
Welcome to the Guide.
Ask your revolvers. Their opinions are the only ones that count.
Start at the bottom of the charge table and work up until you get the accuracy you are looking for. I haven't used a lot of w231 as initial experiments didn't give any better accuracy than the Alliant powders, but that doesn't mean yours won't like it. I don't post specific charge weights for two reasons: First, what works best in mine is unlikely to be the best in yours, and, second, you have to work them up for safety's sake anyway. Testing in your guns is the only way to find out what you need to know.
You don't mention what weight and style of bullets you are looking at, so....
I load/have loaded for around a dozen different S&W .38spec & .357mag revolvers over the last 30 years, these days I'm down to three and I only shoot cast in them. Each has its own favorite loads. This is what has worked best in mine, YMMV. I hunt and shoot out to 100yds with .357's, but limit the range of .38's to 50yds and while I don't purposefully hunt anything with them, I do carry a S&W m36 24/7 loaded with either 125 or 158 JHP's over charges of UNQ. Because it is always with me, it has taken woodchucks, a skunk, porcupines, raccoons, and a few large dogs that were running my sheep. (I never seem to see anything when I have the scoped .357 or the Contender with me to hunt.)
Speaking specifically about the .38spec, not the .357mag....
I like BEYE best with wadcutters and find that most of my revolvers do fine with minimum charges, even out to 50yds.
Generally, I like UNQ with cast 158 SWC's. I load and shoot more 158's from three different SWC moulds than anything else. I shoot them at 25 & 50yds.
UNQ and 2400 for jacketed 125 & 158's.
4grs 231 and a 158 lead swc is hard to beat.
It's taken longer than i thought to get my stuff together,. but your replies are certainly welcome.
I'm going to try all bullet wheights that are avaivalable in .38 cal. and cast my own later.
I'm curently looking for wheel wheight lead and have found several sources.
Thank goodness for an honest site like this.
.38 King or soon to be, ha,ha but working toward that end, thanks guys.
RichardKCMo