I've tested a few powders for .38 Special for 110, 125 and 158 grain bullets. The best by far has been AA#2 powder using Accurate Arms data. Most uniform velocities and good accuracy. Even Unique powder gives wider velocity ranges and Blue Dot is absolutely the worst powder for .38 Special. I've personally seen blooper loads with Blue Dot that you can see the bullet in the air and see it hit the ground way short of the target. I'd pick AA#2 or Bullseye or similar faster burning powder. The long case with some powders especially slower pistol powders I don't think ignites well with most of the power up next to the bullet? Just be careful and prevent double charges in .38 Special as most powders do not fill the case.
Your favorite 38 special powder?
- Thread starter Chainsaw.
- Start date
OUt of all the powders I have loaded the 38 Spcl with over 5 decades, I have settled on VV N340. I shoot a lot of cast bullets and it is great with those as well as jacketed slugs.
I don shoot anything lighter than a 125 gr and not much of those. Most are in the 150 gr and up weights.
I don shoot anything lighter than a 125 gr and not much of those. Most are in the 150 gr and up weights.
Accurate 5 is very bulky, charge weights take up a lot of space, velocity figures are high, a very effective powder.
I personally believe that position sensitivity in a .38 is not an issue.no matter what you do, that primer blasts into the case with such energy that the charge will be instantly scattered into a literal cloud and it will ignite simultaneously.
I personally believe that position sensitivity in a .38 is not an issue.no matter what you do, that primer blasts into the case with such energy that the charge will be instantly scattered into a literal cloud and it will ignite simultaneously.
Mike Irwin
Staff
WW 231 hands down.
jetinteriorguy
New member
HP-38 or WW231 are what meet your criteria. They are both the same powder, just sold by different names.
mikejonestkd
New member
231, Unique, and Bullseye are outstanding for 38 special.
I go light with 2.8 gr of bullseye and 125 lead TC or 158gr SCW.
I use 231 for all midrange and top end 38 special loads.
I'd use 231/ HP-38 if I had to choose only one powder.
I go light with 2.8 gr of bullseye and 125 lead TC or 158gr SCW.
I use 231 for all midrange and top end 38 special loads.
I'd use 231/ HP-38 if I had to choose only one powder.
sawdustdad
New member
My target load for .38 spl is 2.8g 700x. Loaded thousands. Tens of thousands, actually. Well, about 30,000 a this point. Another choice is Clays, same load, same results, but haven't loaded nearly as many.
Carolina65
Inactive
Powders
I've never been able to substantiate the "fill the case" theory, other than the extreme example of gallery loads which are definitely less accurate; but here we are talking about 450 f/s. And if the theory had any merit, Bullseye shooters wouldn't just about all be shooting the nearly universally accepted 2.8-3.0 gr Bullseye which leaves a huge amount of unfilled volume in a 38 special case, even with flush seated HBWC's. Back when reloading components were scarce, I ran out of BE and needing to find something fairly quickly as it was in the middle of the Bullseye season, I tried Red Dot, Clays and HP-38 as recall. I didn't see any difference between any of them and with HBWC's went right back to rested groups (wish they were offhand
) of under an inch at 25 yards with my Model 14. I would think that any of the above would be fine for your light-medium loads. I can personally attest to the accuracy and appropriateness of slightly higher velocity loads because my revolver's twist requires me to be up in to medium loads (775-825 ft/sec) for best accuracy and all the above can do this. Though Unique is the quintessential powder for medium loads, I've never used it. Good shooting.
I've never been able to substantiate the "fill the case" theory, other than the extreme example of gallery loads which are definitely less accurate; but here we are talking about 450 f/s. And if the theory had any merit, Bullseye shooters wouldn't just about all be shooting the nearly universally accepted 2.8-3.0 gr Bullseye which leaves a huge amount of unfilled volume in a 38 special case, even with flush seated HBWC's. Back when reloading components were scarce, I ran out of BE and needing to find something fairly quickly as it was in the middle of the Bullseye season, I tried Red Dot, Clays and HP-38 as recall. I didn't see any difference between any of them and with HBWC's went right back to rested groups (wish they were offhand
) of under an inch at 25 yards with my Model 14. I would think that any of the above would be fine for your light-medium loads. I can personally attest to the accuracy and appropriateness of slightly higher velocity loads because my revolver's twist requires me to be up in to medium loads (775-825 ft/sec) for best accuracy and all the above can do this. Though Unique is the quintessential powder for medium loads, I've never used it. Good shooting.Mike Irwin
Staff
"Id like something that fills at least half the case both for position sensitivity and for course safe loading."
The only powders I can think of off hand that will do that will be Unique and Trail Boss. Red Dot might come close.
Unique is generally pretty dirty, and Trail Boss won't give you as much velocity as other powders.
That said, I don't think you really need to worry about powder position and case capacity with the .38 Special.
Even though you might have a very small powder charge, the .38 Special seems to be very resistant to the sort of issues you might see (and which I did see with .44 Special and WW 231) in a larger case.
The only powders I can think of off hand that will do that will be Unique and Trail Boss. Red Dot might come close.
Unique is generally pretty dirty, and Trail Boss won't give you as much velocity as other powders.
That said, I don't think you really need to worry about powder position and case capacity with the .38 Special.
Even though you might have a very small powder charge, the .38 Special seems to be very resistant to the sort of issues you might see (and which I did see with .44 Special and WW 231) in a larger case.
Master Blaster
New member
Bullseye, and 231 are my .38 special favorites. Throw in trailboss for .38 special velocities in a .357 case with a soft lead bullet.
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
What Mike Irwin said ^ Winchester 231
reloader28
New member
231 and Bullseye got 90% of the votes on here and you chose HS-6?????
You will be pleased with HS-6 for warmer loads. I use HP-38/Win 231 for target loads. and HS-6 for the hotter stuff. Works great.
nukeandjuke
New member
Chainsaw...I know exactly what you are talking about. I recommend 700x and trailboss.
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m&p45acp10+1
New member
For case fill, and clean. Trail Boss is the one that will fill both. Otherwise most powders that will burn fast enough, and not going to give the case fill you are asking for without being dirty.