.38 Special Eco Loads

W

Wallyl

New member
I own a few .38 Special revolvers that I find most enjoyable to shoot with---I use them more than any other calibers, for plinking. As lead has gone up in price and WW's are now hard to come by, have worked on loads that use less lead and that are accurate..I thought I'd share with anyone that might be intersted.

For bullets I cast with a Lee 90316 (105 SWC) or a Lyman 358345 (115 SWC). I lube/size to .359". I use eitrher Bullseye or Prome (Red Dot)...4.0 grains gives me just over 1,000 FPS---or 4.25 for 1,100 FPS. I use a 9mm expander/belling die so that the bullets are a tight fit. I also use a small tuft of poly-filler. These things will aid in the load consistency which can be quite tricky with such light bullets and small powder chrages. In my guns they are about as accurate as with a 148 grain WC bullet, out to 100'.

Using these bullets one gets 67 / 61 bullewt pre pound of lead, respectively. I also shoot into a sand hill/berm that I sieve every so often, to reclaim most of the lead.
 
I really like the new version Lee 125gr RF. Drops out at 130gr and with 3gr Clays it seems to shoot pretty good and absolutely no kick in 38spl shot from my 357. It'll make a fun rabbit load this winter. I aint chrono'ed them.

I have the 100gr FN Ranch Dog for 380's (shoots great) and really want to try that one in 38's. That is a very sweet little bullet.
 
I haven't gone quite THAT light in my .357/38, but I do have a 356402 that throws just a tad large that scoots at a pretty good clip through the Ruger. Drops about 128gr on my alloy, if memory serves, and darned accurate, too. Long nose on it, so it seats a little deep in .357 to fit the cylinder, but I found swagging it into a slightly blunt HP does some nasty things over a full-house load. Couldn't give a velocity off the top of my head, but it's a serious whistler.
 
I forgot I have the 356402 Lyman one too. Pointy, cone nose that drops at about 125gr.
Tried it a couple years ago. I dont remember the load, but it shot pretty good. Not good for much other than plinking, but you could get massive penatration with it.

I made some soft boolits once, 1/8" hollow pointed them and shot them at 950fps thru milk jugs. Expanded very nice then.
 
I have the best results using the Lee 158 grain TL SWC mold. Shot over a load of Trail Boss. Clean, and more accurate than I can milk them for out of a hand gun.
 
I got turned onto the LEE light weights Last spring. I had been pulling my hair out trying to get a good 100 yard load for my Rossi M92 lever action.
These guns have a 16 inch barrel with a 1 in 30 twist rate.
The engineer who decided a 1 in 30 twist rate was a good idea, should be cold cocked.

Any thing over 158 gr bullets results in super looking key holes in the target ( if it hits the target at 50 yards) . 158 gr was ok to 50 yards but out to 100 yards its a crap shoot 6 inch grops are the norm some allot bigger.

SO I ordered a LEE 6 cavity 105gr swc and a 6 cavity 125 gr rnfp.

The 105 gr is a clover leaf shooter out to 50 yards with a small smack of Unique or Bullseye. 100 yards I haven't mastered it yet. Not enough velocity to get them that far with out a pretty high hold over.
I intended to work up a better load for 100 yards, but then I tried the 125's
The 125's are the perfect bullet for this gun. No need to look any farther.
I can cut the bull out of a target at a 100 yards all day long, shot after shot.

Best load is the 125 gr Lee ahead of 6 gr Herco in 38 special cases or 7 gr Herco in 357 cases.
You get the same groups with 5gr Unique or 6 gr Unique respectively, but you loose 100 fps on the velocity out of the 16 inch barrel.

If you have a Rossi w/ 1in 30 give it a try.... You will be happy.
 
Here is a target from those LEE 125's at 50 yards with a 5 gr Herco load.

100_8371.jpg


And the 105's at 50 yards.

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