Wanted Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I looked at my manuals and came up with 3.2gr. start load for Missouri 158gr LSWC for .38sp. I calculated max at 4.1grns. After reading some posts on the topic, this seems pretty weak. What do you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOF Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 It takes 5.2 grains of 231 (or HP-38... same powder) to reliably make 125 PF in any of my four inch revolvers. This load is above max for .38 Spl, but well below .357 Mag pressures, and perfectly safe in .38 brass in a .357 chambered gun. GOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 My load is the same as GOF's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanted Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 Thank you, That's a big difference. Yes it will be used in .357 magnum handguns with .38 cases. So I could start at a much higher load? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) You can, but may get excessive leading in the barrel. Missouri Bullet makes different alloys according to how fast the bullets will be pushed. You might call them or go online to see if you have the correct alloy for that load. The pressures of 5.2 231 will be low and quite safe compared to 357 mag pressures. Edited January 1, 2011 by Toolguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOF Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) I push 158 LRN Speer/Hornady swaged bullets with 5.2 231... velocity 840 average. No significant leading with that load. Swaged bullets are normally softer in Brinnel harndness than cast, so you shouldn't have any leading problems at 125 PF velocities with any reasonable quality cast lead bullet. One way to speed barrel clean up is to run 12 jacketed slugs through the gun after you have fired lead. The jacketed slugs seem to strip a lot of lead out of the barrel, and cleaning is easier (although at 840-900 fps there isn't much leading). The pressure in CUP for 5.2 231/HP-38 is slightly above max SAMMI pressure levels for .38 Spl+P... maybe 22,000 cup or so ... with a 20,000 CUP standard for .38 Spl+P. The max pressure for a .357 Mag load is around 40,000 CUP. Don't sweat .38 Spl loads in a .357 until you start trying to duplicate .357 full pressure loads (with slower burning powders) in a .38 case. With these charges of quick burning powders you are fine. GOF Edited January 1, 2011 by GOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanted Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 Thanks again. I have used the jacketed bullet trick in other calibers before. It does help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eisenhow Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I must have a tight gun, a fast bullet/barrel, or a hot batch of powder. My IDPA SSR load is 158gr BBI RN 4.5gr HP-38 1.45" OAL Wolf SPP I get ~830fps or 131PF out of my 4" 686SSR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I must have a tight gun, a fast bullet/barrel, or a hot batch of powder. My IDPA SSR load is 158gr BBI RN 4.5gr HP-38 1.45" OAL Wolf SPP I get ~830fps or 131PF out of my 4" 686SSR We should chrono each of our loads in each of our guns for comparison. I'm sure some are faster than others for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOF Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Chronographing each individual chamber in the cylinder can also be eye opening. I have one gun that shows a pretty consistent 50 fps variation between the slowest and fastest chambers with handloads or factory. I have also seen my handloads not make 125 out of another shooter's gun. Some guns are faster/slower than others, so you do need to chrono a load from your own gun. It also helps to note which are your fastest chambers, and load those at match chrono time. The new rules addendum would seem to allow the competitor to load and fire three rounds over the chrono himself. GOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eisenhow Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I must have a tight gun, a fast bullet/barrel, or a hot batch of powder. My IDPA SSR load is 158gr BBI RN 4.5gr HP-38 1.45" OAL Wolf SPP I get ~830fps or 131PF out of my 4" 686SSR We should chrono each of our loads in each of our guns for comparison. I'm sure some are faster than others for sure. It wouldn't be a bad idea. We should try multiple chrono's too. The same day (April 4th 2010, don't remember if it was particularly warm or not) the same load averaged 838 fps or 132 PF out of Jar's K-frame. Two out of three passed easily at CT States, one was a little slow. I've got a cheap digital scale but I go through the calibration procedure and use 10 throws to get the weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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