38 Special reloads

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pearlhandle

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I have been reloading 38 Specials with 9 gr of Blue Dot powder and 125 gr JHPs and am very satisfied with this load. Recently, I had to purchase more 125 gr JHPs from my local supplier. He sold me some copper clad Berry's Bullets as a substitute for considerably less $ since I use them primarily for target practice.
I brought them home and loaded up 20 of them only to realize all of a sudden that he had given me 158 gr instead of 125 gr bullets!
Now I have 20 rounds of 158 gr loaded with 9 gr of Blue Dot!

Is this a safe round to fire in my 357 Mag. or should I just disassemble them and cut my losses? I don't wish to keep this combination in any case.

I am also looking for a recommendation for a moderate target load for 9mm using Blue Dot and 124 gr Hollow Base Flat Point Thick Plate Berry's Bullets. (At least until I run out of Blue Dot powder, then I'll buy some Red or Accurate, or Unique)
I have no books to reference.
Thanks,
Pearlhandle
 
My Lee manual gives a 6.1 grain maximum for 158 grain bullets using Blue Dot powder.

You need a manual.

I would not fire them in a 357 or any other revolver. Take 'em apart and redo them correctly.

I check weigh a couple bullets from a new box to verify what the label says. I'm anal about safety.
 
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I have to recommend - in the strongest terms - to pull down those rounds.

9.0gn of Blue Dot under a 158gn bullet in a 38 Special case, has the potential to develop tremendous pressure.

Definitely not worth the risk. It's only 20 rounds. Pull 'em.
 
The load data for 158gr with Blue Dot in 357 varies greatly between sources. Old Speer gives a max of 13gr.


They are probably okay, but since you are only talking about 20, I'd play it safe and pull them. If you had loaded 100 I would say work up to that load, and if you get there okay, then shoot them in 357.

Your 38 load under a 125gr looks awful warm in some sources, but not so much in others. That one varies a lot too. My HD load is 125gr over 10gr Blue Dot in a 38 case which I shoot from a GP100 and have the box labeled "357 only". It will never go into my 38.
 
The 357 load data would only be valid if the COL he loaded to was the same as the 357 COL.

Also, I would think, because of their similarity, that the Alliant warning not to use Blue Dot with 125 grain bullets in the 357 Magnum would apply to doing it in 38 Special brass as well, and I would not be using the OP's original load, either.

I agree with the general consensus to pull the bullets down. However, you could also set them aside while you do a load work up from about 6.5 grains, watching for pressure signs and for problems with accuracy and fouling with the plated bullets (they are not as hard as jacketed bullets). If you get the workups to 9 grains without problems, you can then shoot the 20 rounds you've already loaded. If you don't get them up that high without problems, get an inexpensive inertial bullet puller and pull them down and reload the bullets with the best charge you've found.
 
I think the gun would stand it although it is better to pull 20 bullets than to depend on the opinion of a stranger on the internet.

My one concern is why do you "have no books to reference"?
Handloading manuals are not expensive and there is a lot of stuff in them besides the grains. If you know everything about the reloading process and all you need is powder charges, those are available free in print or www by the powder companies.

My other concern is why did you not look at the box label to know what you actually had?
 
Data for Blue Dot has varied a lot over the years. I don't know if the powder itself has changed.
The following load is from the Sierra reloading manual second edition.
38 special, 8.8 gr blue dot, 158 gr jhp, magnum primer.
 
Since the case size is different for 38 spl than 357 mag, I would doubt that I would shoot them due to differences in the amount of pressure it will cause. Pull them and be safe.

Jim
 
My one concern is why do you "have no books to reference"?
Click to expand...

I have several to reference, and none of them agree, and none of them address his error. He knows he made a mistake. He simply wanted to know if his "too hot for 38" loads could be shot in his 357, and the answer to that question is a matter of subjective judgement based on max 38 load, max 357 loads, and an unknown fudge factor guess of how much the shorter case would impact pressures. Then you have to guess about the Alliant warning on 125gr in 357, that does not include 38 with 125gr bullet.

I guess his two choices of pulling them, or setting them aside and working up the load are the only practical ones.
 
If you don't own an inertia puller, you need to buy one and you should own one. Using them isn't a heap of fun either, and banging out twenty of them in a row is a little pile of unenjoyable work.

The experience of doing that SHOULD help you to be careful of what you are doing in the future -before- you load 20rds of the wrong stuff.

It begs the question: at what point did you stop and ask yourself "Hey, I wonder if these are 125gr bullets -- uh-oh, they are 158s..."

The goal is to make yourself ask that question before you make any and the experience of making (and disassembling) the bad rounds will assist you.
 
I have 4 different books here that have loads for 180 grain bullets in the 357 magnum with blue dot. Three jacketed, one lead. The longer bullet loaded in a 357 reduces the case capacity to about that of a 38 special with a 158. Max loads are at least 9 grains. Plus, it's a heavier bullet.
You should probably work up to it, but I don't see a problem shooting these 158's in a 357.
 
Thank you all for your information, help and advice! I think TimSr stated it best when he said that I knew I had made a mistake and just wanted to know if I could salvage it. I do have an inertia puller which is no fun to use even for a few shells!
When I went to my dealer for the new bullets, I brought the empty boxes of the 124 gr bullets I had been using. He saw them, but didn't have any of those brands and offered me the Berry's brand since they were for target practice. When he turned around and got them off the shelf, I didn't notice he had grabbed the wrong weight shells. So when I got home and started reloading them, I had taken them right out of the bag and began, before I happened to read the label on the end of the box! I never thought to compare at the sales counter because I know this guy to be very knowledgeable in his field. Have you ever reached for something and grabbed what's next to it by accident? I think that's what happened.
I will use the 158s in my 357 cases with no problem. I will now "unload" the 20 rounds, since that is the safest route to take. I'm not into the experimenting with loads, just the shooting! And I guess I'll have to get a book or two.
Thanks Again! It's great having a multitude of counsel!
Pearlhandle
 
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