Favorite load for 38 special?

For lead bullets used for target loads, I generally load about two grains below max load on what the manual says with whatever powder I have on hand.

Russ said:

I tried unique many years ago and decided that I either needed to load near max loads or clean the gun after every 40-50 rounds. Still have the container but have not used it since the 90’s. I seem to remember that unique was very dirty burning almost like flaming dirt unless you load it a little on the hot side. Is that your experience?

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Unique is a little dirty but it has gotten better. I use it a lot because while not the best powder, it will work in most pistol loads as well as shotgun. Great if you do not load enough to keep a bunch of different powders on hand.

Russ said:

I tried unique many years ago and decided that I either needed to load near max loads or clean the gun after every 40-50 rounds. Still have the container but have not used it since the 90’s. I seem to remember that unique was very dirty burning almost like flaming dirt unless you load it a little on the hot side. Is that your experience?

Click to expand...

Unique does tend to be a tad dirty but it performs well for me in certain calibers......it honestly makes no difference to me if a powder has a tendency to burn clean or dirty because I always thoroughly clean all my firearms right after firing them anyway.

Russ said:

going to get that 231 out to the Dillon in the morning and load a range of different powder charges to try your theory.

thanks for the info.

Click to expand...

If you find that you like the 231, Hodgdon HP38 is almost identical. I always keep a few pounds of it around.

HP38 and 231 come from ST Marks plant in Florida.
They are the same powder and One guy posted he got 231 and HP 38 at the same time and they had the same lot numbers.

As we all know powders can vary from lot to lot.
ST Marks makes ball powders only and there are many that are the same.
Like 414 and 760
Code:
Powders from 2009 MSDS sheets (some newer MSDS sheets lack the powder name information due to
changes in MSDS requirement regulations).

Note that bulk grade versions have wider burn rate specs and can vary significantly from the
canister grades, which are controlled for burn rate by blending with held back fast or slow
lots, as needed to adjust them to within ±3% of their nominal burn rates.

Canister | Bulk Grade | Canister | Canister | Canister |
Grade | | Grade | Grade | Grade |
| St. Marks | | | |
Hodgdon | Mil & OEM | Winchester | Thales | IMR |
___________________|__Numbers___|________________________|__(ADI)___|______________________|_
| | | | |
HP-38--------------|-- OBP231 --|- 231 ------------------|----------|----------------------|-
| OBP124 | AALite (WFL) | | |
Titewad | OBP132 | | | |
Tightgroup --------|-- OBP242 --|------------------------|----------|----------------------|-
| OBP465 | Super-Handicap (WSH) | | |
Longshot | OBP473 | | | |
Lil' Gun ----------|-- OBP516 --|------------------------|----------|----------------------|-
Hybrid 100V | SHP771 | | | |
| SMP224 | AutoComp | | |
-------------------|--- WAA90 --|- WST ------------------|----------|----------------------|-
H110 | WC296 | 296 | | |
HS-6 | WC540 | 540 | | |
HS-7 | WC571 | 571 | | |
-------------------|--- WC748 --|- 748 ------------------|----------|----------------------|-
H414 | WC760 | 760 | | |
H335 | WC844 | | | |
BL-C(2)------------|--- WC846 --|------------------------|----------|----------------------|-
H380 | WC852 | | | |
US869 | WC869 | | | |
-------------------|-- WMR780 --|- Supreme 780 ----------|----------|----------------------|-
| WXC170 | WSF | | |
Clays | | | AS30N | |
International Clays|------------|------------------------|- AS50N --|----------------------|-
Universal Clays | | | AP70N | |
H4227 | | | AR2205 |IMR 4227 second source|
H4198 -------------|------------|------------------------|- AR2207 -|----------------------|-
| | | BM1 | |
H322 | | | AR2219 | |
Benchmark | | | BM2 | |
-------------------|------------|------------------------|- AR2210 -|- IMR 8208 XBR -------|-
H4895 | | | AR2206H | |
Varget | | | AR2208 | |
H4350 -------------|------------|------------------------|- AR2209 -|----------------------|-
H4831 | | | AR2213 | |
H4831SC | | | AR2213SC | |
H1000 -------------|------------|------------------------|- AR2217 -|----------------------|-
Retumbo | | | AR2225 | |
H50BMG | | | AR2218 | |
-------------------|------------|------------------------|- AR2215 -|IMR 4198 second source|
| | | AS25BP |IMR Trail Boss |
__________________

Looked better on this link.
http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=245283

I just started loading .38 How do you measure Win.231 do you dip it or trickle ? Also do you seat wadcutters flush with case ? I am shooting a Smith model 15 . I plan to load 3.1- 3.5 grains powder ... thanks

Leadlobber said:

I just started loading .38 How do you measure Win.231 do you dip it or trickle ? Also do you seat wadcutters flush with case ? I am shooting a Smith model 15 . I plan to load 3.1- 3.5 grains powder ... thanks

Click to expand...

I have used both a dipper and trickle, I bought a Hornady digital that I use now. For the dipper I used my Lee beam scale to measure out the proper load weights and after settling on the charge I was going to use I soldered a piece of wire to the case for a handle on a 38 brass case and cut and sanded it down until it was dipping the proper amount.

I use the powder hopper / dump on my Dillon 550. Once I get it set on a charge it consistently throws the exact same charge with .1 grains every time. For pistol rounds I think that is more than adequate.

My favorite load for a 38 Special is a 357 MAG - 125 grain JHP loaded to 1450 FPS.

Thanks I am use to using Varget in rifle rounds .l learned from a friend wadcutters can be seated 1/8 or more above the case when used in revolvers