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Zee
Posts: 28,456 Senior Member
.38 Spl - Load Work & Testing
Zee
Posts: 28,456 Senior Member
I’ve never loaded for the .38 Spl before but, since I got that Rossi revolver, I decided it was time to learn. Then, a couple days ago, I was talking to a friend and he mentioned he carried a .38 Spl S&W but only had FMJ ammo to carry. I told him I’d work ya both up a defensive load to carry. 
They actually weigh in at 147gr +/- for the ones I weighed.
Received my Matt’s Bullets 148gr RFHP last week and decided to start with them first.
They actually weigh in at 147gr +/- for the ones I weighed. The only powders I had to work with were Trail Boss and Unique (found out later I can use Longshot as well)
Determined the seat depth and filled the remainder of the case with 5.0 gr Trail Boss as is doable with the powder. Went with 4.0gr of Unique as shown in my Hornady manual and hit the range.
Determined the seat depth and filled the remainder of the case with 5.0 gr Trail Boss as is doable with the powder. Went with 4.0gr of Unique as shown in my Hornady manual and hit the range.
The TB load was a little faster than I expected and accuracy was so-so.
Penetrated 3 gallon jugs with less than stellar expansion and effect.
Next was the Unique Load.
Speed was paltry as was the accuracy at 10 yrds. But the expansion (or lack there of) was negligent. The nose actually collapsed and caved in. Basically turning it into a LRN. Penetrated 4 jugs with little effect.
Dejected and disappointed, I decided to let my boy shoot up more of the target ammo for brass.
Packed up and headed home. It was time to start over with load work.
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
Replies
I think a 148 wc driven to 850fps might do as well.
Soooooo. . .here's a topic for contemplation:
The Winchester bonded loads will penetrate more because they expand a little less than their non-bonded rounds like the SXT with it's widespread talons. The same effect can be achieved with cast hollow points by fiddling with alloy or by going to a reduced-depth cavity. Some molds can be purchased with as many as three or even four sets of nose pins - solids that eliminate the HP entirely, low-depth "cup points" for mid-level controlled expansion, long points for a deep cavity and more expansion, and something called a "penta-point" - giving a pentagon-shaped cavity that splits the nose into five petals.
That's all great if you're pouring your own. Since you're not, I think you should definitely try that same heavy charge of Unique with a traditional soft-alloy wadcutter, and compare them with the Winchester Bonded. My guess is that the results will be pretty similar - expansion to maybe .45-.50 caliber, and hopefully four jugs of penetration.
The unofficial pseudo-science in my head is that three jug penetration is on par with a lot of autoloader duty loads, and is probably ideal for the relative narrow "vertical orientation" of a standing human torso. Giving up a couple tenths of an inch expansion to gain a fourth jug may play better for quartering shots on a horizontally-oriented critter.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
"The Un-Tactical"
How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and [how] hard it is to undo that work again! -- Mark Twain
From the Alliant website they list a 158 grain LSWC from a 6" barrel using 5.2 grains of Unique at 919 feet per second.
They also list a 135 grain GDHP from a 6" barrel using 5.2 grains of Unique at 988 feet per second. Both of these loads are listed as +P.
In both cases they're not reaching 1000 f/s and they're using 6 inch test barrels so I would guess you're in the Elmer Keith zone as far as Alliant is concerned.
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?type=1&powderid=3&cartridge=27
That listing for 125 grain GDHP's looks promising.
How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and [how] hard it is to undo that work again! -- Mark Twain
How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and [how] hard it is to undo that work again! -- Mark Twain
Load some up and test 'em.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
I'd line up at least 8 or 9 jugs. My closest point of reference for testing with a true wadcutter at the speed in question:
That's a pair of 130 grain WFN's .32 fired out of my Martini Cadet at about 1200 fps. Bullet on the left is a hard alloy and while slightly compressed, is basically unchanged. That stopped in Jug #9. Bullet on the right is 20-1 lead/tin and stopped in Jug #3.
Alloy hardness. . .if you can dent it with a fingernail, it's fairly soft. The impression I get is that Matt's is kind of high-end for commercial cast, and they probably tailor to the expected application. Wadcutters don't NEED to be hardened up due to the low pressures they're usually shot at, but commercial cast is typically pretty hard to minimize the slugs getting dinged up in shipping.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Right off the bat, the load moved some water and showed potential.
TURN. . .
IT. . .
AROUND!!! The alloy there is soft enough you'll probably get SOME expansion and a deeper dive.
But better still, find some solid WC's. The potential problem with a hollow base and short barrels - especially the way you plan to load them - is that there's enough residual pressure after the bullet exits to blow the stern of a soft HB bullet all out of kilter.
Good thing on your test though - it proves the soft stuff will expand at some lower speeds.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and [how] hard it is to undo that work again! -- Mark Twain