38 Special --WC vs. SWC?

[yellowfin]

A thought popped into my head a few days ago to get my dad a fairly nice Christmas present at a fairly low cost: load him up some 38's for his Ruger Security Six which he enjoys.  I don't shoot .38 myself but I keep the dies around because I have a couple of friends who do and I've loaded for them a couple of times as a gift/favor to trade.  The objectives are accuracy and mild recoil--not that .38 is ever particularly spicy like .357 can be, but I know it can be like a .22 when you want it to be.  I wish I could have time to work up a load but he'll be at the house on Thanksgiving so I want to be able to have it ready for then and the whole batch done.  What's to know about the difference between 148gr WC's and 158gr SWC, generally speaking?  I'll be using Lee dies on my 550.  I'll consider cast lead, coated, or plated.  Thoughts?    

[rdinga]

148 wc can be loaded lighter than others and still deliver stellar accuracy.  SNS makes a coated .38 WC that is a joy to shoot. Very little smoke....gun, press, hands all stay clean.

3.0 of 231 make for a mild target load that has stood the test of time. 

This is very accurate in every .38 I own  from airweight j frames to k frame with 8 3/8 barrels. 

 

Hope this helps

 

[dons]

A 148 Wadcutter is pleasant to shoot with a variety of powder charges: 3.0 of 231 as mentioned above, or 2.7 of Bullseye, and I've used Red Dot  and 700X, but don't remember the exact charge.  However, if I were loading for someone else, I'd use the 158 SWC simply because the rounds are a little easier to handle and load into the cylinder.  The same charges will work fine. Very small amounts of powder for the case so watch out for double charges.

Just checked, I have a stash of .38s loaded with 3.5 gr of Red Dot behind a 158 SWC.  Good all around plinking/target load.