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Charley
Administrator
| Joined: | 9 September 2005 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2207 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 19 February 2006 09:30 PM |
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| Just cranked out a couple of hundred rounds today, and realized I don't see much about loading .38 Special on the 'net, except for some cowboy slaction shooters. Does anyone else admit to loading this ancient cartridge? How about admiting owning a handgun in .38 Special?
____________________
"You all can go to Hell, I'm going to Texas" David Crockett (and probably George Bush)
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Gunrunner
Administrator
| Joined: | 3 February 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1469 |
| Photo: | [Download] | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | none |
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Posted: 19 February 2006 10:39 PM |
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 I do. Well, I used to. I still have some boxes of 38's loaded up from three years ago waiting to be shot. Don't have a 38, I use my model 27. I'm sure one of these days I'll shoot em up and load some more.
It's a fun cartridge. 
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"Get off your computer and go load some ammo"
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bea175
Board Founder
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Posted: 19 February 2006 11:14 PM |
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| I always load my 38 spl and 357 mag. I load the Speer 146 gr 3/4 Jacket in the 38 spl with Unique and the 357 mag with H-110 or HS-6.
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caz223
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 29 May 2005 |
| Location: | Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 343 |
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Posted: 20 February 2006 04:14 PM |
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Well, I bought a model 10 last year, and even got some brass for it, but I must admit I haven't shot it yet or loaded the first round with it.
I pretty much heard HS-6 was the way to go.
Last edited on 20 February 2006 04:15 PM by caz223
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I'm not just a gun, I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me!)
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Charley
Administrator
| Joined: | 9 September 2005 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2207 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 20 February 2006 06:30 PM |
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Just curious. One of my carry guns is a Smith M36, so I do shoot a fair amount of .38 Special. I have a Colt Army Special in .38 Special as a toy, and I occasionally shoot my Ruger Security Six in .357 with .38s.
Current load is a 158 grain lead SWC over about 3.4 grains of Winchester Super Target. Not my first choice of propellents, but ended up with 8 pounds of Winchester Super Target and 8 pounds of Winchester Super Field in a trade. 56000 grains at 3.4 per load lasts a long, long time!
Last edited on 20 February 2006 06:31 PM by Charley
____________________
"You all can go to Hell, I'm going to Texas" David Crockett (and probably George Bush)
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caz223
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 29 May 2005 |
| Location: | Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 343 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | pistol |
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Posted: 20 February 2006 07:11 PM |
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OOH, I love WSF.
Anything you can use HS-6 for, you can use WSF for.
I think it even uses less powder. (Than HS-6) 
Last edited on 20 February 2006 07:22 PM by caz223
____________________
I'm not just a gun, I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me!)
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hoashooter
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 8 December 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 361 |
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Posted: 21 February 2006 12:46 AM |
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The 38 is still popular-It just doesn't get much ink these days as the two main uses would probably be home/self defense and plinking.No big time competitor or hunter sees no use for this fine old cartridge.
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anchorclanker
HB Full Member
| Joined: | 10 February 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 11 |
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Posted: 21 February 2006 03:07 PM |
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i load for a K38 8 3/8" barrel using hp 38 and hollow base wad cutters. fascinating trying to get 6 holes in the same area with one hand.
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joerose
HB Full Member
| Joined: | 9 February 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 24 February 2006 03:01 AM |
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I do. I still shoot a S&W Mod 10 with a 2 1/2. I love it and have faith in my handloads. Why do I like it. Cuz I can hit with it. You might as well throw a rock if you can't hit what your shooting at. I can't shoot autos worth beans cept for a 22. I don't like the recoil of 357 or 44 even my 45 colt is not that much fun either. At the high end you can load them up nearing 357 velocities if you have the right gun.
Ya, I still love the 38 special.
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birddogger
HB Full Member
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Posted: 14 April 2006 04:55 AM |
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The 38 spec is alive and well and making a comeback among the fastest growing group of shooters, the ladies. I' ve been seeing more and more S&W and Ruger 38's at the range being shot by women. They like it's light weight small grips and controlable recoil. With the better powders and bullets around today you can get near magnum performance out of them without creating a monster.
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monkeyman
HB Pro Staff
| Joined: | 18 April 2006 |
| Location: | West Central, Missouri USA |
| Posts: | 85 |
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Posted: 21 April 2006 02:47 AM |
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| The only reloading I have done to date has been on my dads press (and a few hundred shotgun shells on my uncles) and it has all been .38 spcl. Im now trying to get money together and get a basic bench set up primairily for .38 spl and may get into .357 and some rifle ammo once I build some confidence. I have a .357 for carry and do 90%+ of my practicing with .38 spcl and figure to load as cheap as I can in those in order to afford more trigger time and also so as to give more safety room for any bad load with the idea that it would take a lot bigger error in a .38 spcl load than in a .357 load to damage a .357.
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CTI1USNRET
HB Full Member
| Joined: | 4 January 2006 |
| Location: | New Hampshire USA |
| Posts: | 6 |
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Posted: 26 October 2006 03:23 AM |
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I do my best bullseye shooting with a 1969 S&W Model 10-5.
The load I use :
38 Special
148 gr DEWC
2.8 gr Bullseye
CCI # 500 primer
OAL - flush with case
Lee factory crimp die - just enough to remove flare
____________________
It's not the critic who counts
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LAH
HB Life Member
| Joined: | 11 February 2005 |
| Location: | Harper Road |
| Posts: | 167 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 26 October 2006 08:22 PM |
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I shoot a 1951 Mfg. S&W Target. I load with a 1050 Dillon. Keep a couple 5 gallon buckets of brass.
Yes some of us still load the 38  ..........Creeker
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saddlesore
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 6 February 2005 |
| Location: | Colorado Springs, Colorado USA |
| Posts: | 478 |
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Posted: 26 October 2006 08:57 PM |
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| Like a good 22, everyone should have a good 38 in thier collection and be required to load for it. There are so many good load combimations and it is so forgiving. Bullseye, HS-6, W231, Unique, Universal Clays all work great
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hoashooter
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 8 December 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 361 |
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Posted: 27 October 2006 01:17 AM |
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The classics NEVER die---just because it can't throw a two foot flame and consume thirty odd grains of powder doesn't mean it has one foot in the grave by any meansThis ol' girl will do everything within reason asked of it.
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Oz in NC
HB Full Member
| Joined: | 1 November 2006 |
| Location: | La Paz, Bolivia |
| Posts: | 15 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | pistol |
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Posted: 2 November 2006 12:50 AM |
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I like the 38 Special.
Recently loaded 4 grains of Win 231 with 146 grain lead cast round nose and 4.2 grains with the same bullet. Real nice easy to shoot load. A little hotter load and more recoil is 160 grain lead cast with 5.5 grains of N350.
Shot out of an old colt SA/DA offical police revolver 4 inch barrel.
Oz
____________________
All we see, hear, touch, do etc. becomes knowledge. How we use that knowledge shows our wisdom.
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LAH
HB Life Member
| Joined: | 11 February 2005 |
| Location: | Harper Road |
| Posts: | 167 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 2 November 2006 01:54 AM |
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| Welcome to the board OZ..............Creeker
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Riposte1
HB Pro Staff
| Joined: | 10 July 2006 |
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| Posts: | 50 |
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Posted: 15 November 2006 05:48 PM |
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While I dont guess I was ever the most ardenent fan of the .38, and my fling with the .357 magnum as a favorite didn't last too long, I still own quite a few and I have to say, I probably like the .38 more today than I did when I started out...mostly due to the guns.
While I started out in .38 with a K-38 and a Lee Loader when I was a teenager, I really did not get going with it until I bought a Chief's Special from a guy who loved to shoot SR4756 loads from the Speer #8 manual (they have since warned about lot to lot variations with 4756 and warn against some of those loads).
Still and all it worked so good that I still use SR4756 today and am just careful to work up each time I buy a new 8 lb keg of powder. Super accurate, hits to the sights and even when pushing 158gr bullets to 1050 fps from a 2" the cases fall out! Had that first J-frame since 1976 or '77 and it is still going strong.
Roll on!
Riposte
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72coupe
Handloading Master
| Joined: | 11 June 2006 |
| Location: | Iowa Park, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1469 |
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Posted: 15 November 2006 11:52 PM |
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I load 38 Special, but not much. My cousin died in 04 and left me an FIE Titan 25 auto and a Taurus 38 Special. The sights on the 38 are so far off that if I zero them the adjustment screw on the rear sight protrudes into the line of sight. Windage is all the way to the right. It looks as if it has fallen of the top of a fast moving car and slid down the road for a long distance.
To make up for these crappy guns he also left me a considerable amount of tax free cash.
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Reloader since 1969.
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Charley
Administrator
| Joined: | 9 September 2005 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2207 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 16 November 2006 12:43 PM |
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Still and all it worked so good that I still use SR4756 today and am just careful to work up each time I buy a new 8 lb keg of powder. Super accurate, hits to the sights and even when pushing 158gr bullets to 1050 fps from a 2" the cases fall out! Had that first J-frame since 1976 or '77 and it is still going strong.
Geez, my 5.5 Unique load on another thread was taken to task, and you are saying you get 1050 FPS from a 2 inch J frame with 158 grain bullets? Current IMR data doesn't even list .357 in a six inch barrel getting that kind of velocity, and they show presures in the 35000-36000 CUP range! .38 Special shows 700-750 FPS, six inch barrel, and 15700 CUP. Seem a might warmish to me, I don't think I will try them in my guns.
____________________
"You all can go to Hell, I'm going to Texas" David Crockett (and probably George Bush)
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