38 at 357 pressures

[Govtman]

Does any one have/know of any H110 loads for 110/125 gr. bullets? I have an abundance of 38 Special +P and +P+ brass, 125 gr. bullets and H110 powder. I do not own a 38, and never will, so I am not worried about pressures up to 357 mag. All rounds will be fired in Smith 586, Rossi 971 & Rossi 92 rifle.

Do you know difference(%) of case capacity between 38 and 357. If it were say 15% I should be able to decrease the 357 listed load by 15% and have an equivalent pressure load, RIGHT????

[meanc]

I DON'T RECOMMEND IT.

You can load pretty stout, well above 38spcl +P, I have done it using 125gr and 158gr, just to be shot out of my Ruger Blackhawks and Win94s for testing purposes only.(in case I couldn't find any 357mag brass.


I wasn't too concerned for me personally. What did concern me though, was if something happened to me down the line (death, hospitalization,etc...), and someone else grabbed a few thinking they were for a 38spcl.

Because of that reason, I don't do it anymore.

I went and purchased over 1500 once fired 357mag cases for $75. So, I don't think I'll be needing the 38spcl brass anytime soon.

[Terry Murbach]

EVERYTHING YOU'VE NOTED IN THIS POST SO FAR IS WRONG. YOU CANNOT SAFELY ASSUME ANYTHING !!! YOU CANNOT SAFELY LOAD 357MAG PRESSURES IN 38SPL BRASS AND EXPECT TO GET AWAY WITH IT FOR LONG.
THERE IS NO REALLY ACCEPTABLE LOADING DATA FOR 38SPL BRASS WITH THE HEAVY BULLETS AND THE LIGHTER ONES YOU NOTE ARE EVEN LESS APPROPRIATE.
H110 AND 296 IS ON THE VERGE OF WORTHLESSNESS IN 357MAG CARTIDEGS WITH 110gr AND 125gr BULLETS. THEY'RE WORSE IN THE 38SPL WITH THE SAME BULLET WEIGHTS.
THERE ARE VAST--VAST!!!--DIFFERENCES IN 38SPL BRASS AND YOU CANNOT SAY ONE BRAND IS THIS DIFFERENT AND ANOTHER BRAND IS THAT DIFFERENT AS EVERY PRODUCTION LOT WILL BE DIFFERENT ENOUGH TO DRASTICALLY AFFECT THAT WHICH YOU'RE PROPOSING.
IN 38SPL+P , 38SPL +P+ ,OR 38/44 HANDLOADS THERE IS NO BETTER PROPELLENT THAN 2400 FOR TOP END LOADS. EVEN THESE CAN GET REALLY HAIRY. THINK I AM KIDDING ?? HAVE AT IT AND LET THE DEVIL TAKE THE HIGHMOST.
YOU SHOULD SPEND THE FALL ENGROSSED IN A HALF DOZEN LOADING MANUALS. OPEN YOUR EYES BECAUSE YOU'RE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE. IT WILL BE A PLEASANT ONE IF YOU ARE PAYING ATTENTION.

[JerryB]

I think you should take heed of what has been written here.

[stretch]

Don't assume the relationship(s) concerning pressure, case capacity, and powder amounts
are linear. They aren't! Changing ANY of the above will change pressure and velocity; sometimes
quite unpredictably.

The ONLY safe way to go about raising the load is in increments while ideally measuring
for pressure. H110 and W 296 are NOTORIOUS for weird and DANGEROUS results with
reduced loads. Try it at your own peril!

It would be fun to see if stouter loads could be had with 2400 - maybe there is some old
Keith data out there as a guide. But be careful - and ASSUME nothing!

[kooz]

I have loaded 38spl cases with up to 13gr /2400 and beyond with 163gr bullets with no issues and no sighns of excess pressure. If you know what to look for and move up in gradual steps while using a heavy frame .38 or a .357, you will be just fine. If you are a newby reloader, forget it until you have a good grasp on what your doing. Good luck

[Mutt]

You know , about a month ago I died on the operating table. Twas ' no fun as what I can remember. My ol' brain is still spooked up some what from the experience. When I used to reload a long time back , my manual showed a high and a low for the amount of powder . I still find it best that I load the middle of the amounts . I got very good results from a 1903A1 .30.06 . No blown cases . no blow back , no exploded rifle. and I usually enjoyed about 75- 100 shots per week end for fun. Shoulder didn't like it too much but I was a lot younger. Dying doesn't seem all that great either. If you love living on the edge Maybe the Army or French foreign legion .........Not trying to be insulting , or hurtful. Just don't want to see you get hurt bad. If I still had it I'd send you the photo of my eye after shooting an unknown reload. If I find it I'll post it later.

.................................................................MUTT

[AJMD429]

I have an abundance of 38 Special +P and +P+ brass, 125 gr. bullets and H110 powder.

As others have said, lots of things are non-linear in reloading, so you'd have to do lots of experimenting to get the results you're after, and it could be dangerous if you pushed too far.

The bigger concern is that "what if" scenario whereby somehow the too-hot ammo would get into a .38 special gun. I know YOU wouldn't do it intentionally (you don't at present even have a .38 special) but it COULD happen.

I'd buy some .357 Mag brass; you can reload it many times, so the investment is a good one, and I'd sell or trade the .38 Special brass for some .357 brass - shouldn't be hard to find a willing buyer/trader.

Until a year ago, I had ONLY .357 Mag brass, and would have gladly traded 1,000 .357 once-fired cases for the same number of .38 ones, because I had just gotten .38's for my daughters, and wanted to reload lots of practice loads for them. I'm sure someone out there is in a similar situation.

My advice would be get the right brass, then load away!

[Tycer]

Speer Manual #10 38 Special H110 powder CCI #550 Magnum Primers

Speer 110 grain JHP

10.8 grains @ 1013 fps Min
12.7 grains @ 1146 fps Max +P

Speer 125 grain JHP and SP

10.5 grains @ 892 fps Min
11.9 grains @ 1020 fps Max +P