Powder recommendations for .38 special revolver loads.

[aris]

Thanks, how should I change or take into account the difference in barrel lengths? Is it a case of adding powder due to my 12” barrel?

This is a question beyond my pay grade but can take an educated guess.

I would have thought you needed less powder, as the longer barrel gives more time for the burn to propel the bullet through the barrel.

Someone above said Unique 5gn - which is close to the max in the Hornady table (at a 4" barrel). Perhaps start at the low end of the table (600fps) which is 3.9gn of Unique, and chrono it. Does your range have a max energy requirement? Do the maths - and see where you need to be fps wise. Every gun is different - so you will need to make some test loads and find what works best for you. This published Hornady data is tested - so it is a good starting point no matter what powder you use.

Also - please do get a consensus from other shooters before trying any load rather than relying on a single rando like myself. While I do understand the principles behind it - i'm still no expert.

I'd be interested to know how you get on as i'm getting a 38/357 under lever sometime soon. Personally i'm going to be using N340 once I start reloading this calibre. I've pretty much stuck with Vhit powders for all my reloading as it is "European" and i'm confident will be available in the future

[DannyT]

This is a question beyond my pay grade but can take an educated guess.

I would have thought you needed less powder, as the longer barrel gives more time for the burn to propel the bullet through the barrel.

Someone above said Unique 5gn - which is close to the max in the Hornady table (at a 4" barrel). Perhaps start at the low end of the table (600fps) which is 3.9gn of Unique, and chrono it. Does your range have a max energy requirement? Do the maths - and see where you need to be fps wise. Every gun is different - so you will need to make some test loads and find what works best for you. This published Hornady data is tested - so it is a good starting point no matter what powder you use.

Also - please do get a consensus from other shooters before trying any load rather than relying on a single rando like myself. While I do understand the principles behind it - i'm still no expert.

I'd be interested to know how you get on as i'm getting a 38/357 under lever sometime soon. Personally i'm going to be using N340 once I start reloading this calibre. I've pretty much stuck with Vhit powders for all my reloading as it is "European" and i'm confident will be available in the future

Thanks for the detailed reply, yes my range does have a max energy requirement, I will look into that. I’ll test it over a chrono when I borrow one as I don’t have my own.

Thanks again.