38 Special, 158 gr lead bullet, powder selection
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And it's not a great choice for 38 Special - unless you're loading heavies (158) to +P and beyond.
In the 38 Special world, one has to just kind of accept low fill rates. Most all propellants leave a lot of room in the case. That's 38 Special.
I just finished loading some 38 Spl with AA#5 that a quadruple charge will fit in the case (AA#5 is a dense, fine grain propellant). That was 6.0 grains. I also did a small test batch using TrailBoss, and 5.0 grains came to within 1/4" from the top. It's amazing how powder densities can vary.
If fill rate was a concern of mine (it's not), I'd load almost entirely with TrailBoss, Unique, and AA#2. AA#2 is noticeably fluffy - not like TB, bit is has a good fill rate.
"...leaves a lot of room in the case..." That's not a big deal. 5.7 to 6.3 wouldn't be the tested load if it mattered. 2.7 of Bullseye in a .38 or .357 with a 148 grain WC does that too. Makes no difference. Oh and that 2.7ish of Bullseye has been the target load for .38 Special for eons.
The Max load of Bullseye with a cast 158 is a mighty 3.5 grains. That means the start load is 3.1.
The Max load of Bullseye with a cast 158 is a mighty 3.5 grains. That means the start load is 3.1.
231 is a great powder for .38 Special. Probably does not fill the case all that well for except for wadcutters, but that doesn't matter. I think it fills well enough that you can visually check for a double-charge. I also like Unique, Bullseye, American Select, and all of the "Dot" powders except Blue Dot.
Titegroup is not a good powder for .38 Special with cast bullets. It might be good with jacketed bullets, I don't know. It also does not give the case-fill that you want.
If you want bulky, try Herco. It's a little slower than Unique and works great in magnum revolver cartridges with lead bullets, but I think it will down-load to .38 Special pressures just fine.
Titegroup is not a good powder for .38 Special with cast bullets. It might be good with jacketed bullets, I don't know. It also does not give the case-fill that you want.
If you want bulky, try Herco. It's a little slower than Unique and works great in magnum revolver cartridges with lead bullets, but I think it will down-load to .38 Special pressures just fine.
Flaming dirts red headed cousin.....it will work but not very well. You need to run heavy bullets at +P pressures to get it working anything near consistent.
For case fill the best powder is Trail Boss. Behind that is Red Dot, Clays, Norma 2010, then Solo 100 and 700X as they have the lowest density per cc with the first lot @ 2.1 gr and the last two @ 2.2 gr. per .3cc, the smallest Lee Scoop.
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Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
I prefer clean burning powders.
Bullseye_231 or AA#5.
Bullseye_231 or AA#5.
458winshooter
New member
38 spl loads
Check out the Hodgdon website they have several loads there . They list 9.0 grs of H4227 as a begining load and 10.0 as a max while staying below +P pressures.
Check out the Hodgdon website they have several loads there . They list 9.0 grs of H4227 as a begining load and 10.0 as a max while staying below +P pressures.
Crunchy Frog
New member
The cartridge was developed near the end of the black powder era so excess case capacity is just a fact of life. People worry about it unnecessarily.
If you use black powder or a black powder substitute in a cartridge you fill the case to contact the seated bullet, avoiding an air space. A black powder .45 Colt cartridge is pretty stout in a revolver but a .38 Special or .357 Magnum black powder cartridge is more manageable. It’s a lot of fun to shoot. Amaze your friends!
If you use black powder or a black powder substitute in a cartridge you fill the case to contact the seated bullet, avoiding an air space. A black powder .45 Colt cartridge is pretty stout in a revolver but a .38 Special or .357 Magnum black powder cartridge is more manageable. It’s a lot of fun to shoot. Amaze your friends!
If the OP is a newer reloader, I'd say K.I.S.S.. If there is concern about double charges, develop good safe practices now, and make them habit. I had a squib early in my reloading (1970) and since that OOPS! I have looked in every case I charged with powder to make sure there is powder in it or if it "just doesn't look right" (a charge level different than the others, I'll dump it and recharge). I have a built in, hard habit to look in every case before a bullet is seated...
If the concern is "charge efficiency/volume of case fill", then check your manual and the powders with the largest charge, weight wise, fill the case better. Nosler reloading manuals also give the % of case fill with each load...
If the concern is "charge efficiency/volume of case fill", then check your manual and the powders with the largest charge, weight wise, fill the case better. Nosler reloading manuals also give the % of case fill with each load...
I would think H4227 would be a horrible powder for .38SPC, at least at standard velocity. There's no doubt you would get good case fill, though. BTW, H4227 is no longer available... IMR4227 is. I've worked with IMR4227 quite a bit in the past 2 years... I've found long barrels, heavy bullets, and full charges work best. My experiments with it, even in something like .45 Colt, were not good... at least in pistol barrels... I can't imagine using it in .38SPC.
