gazzarM1 Posted March 12, 2021 Report Share Posted March 12, 2021 Looking for recommendations for a 38 special powder for a 158gr lead bullet gallery load please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2021 Just loaded some with 2400 8.5 gr,not shot them yet but thinking can’t get it no more? Used to be a load of data around for 38 with 2400 but a bit thin on the ground now.I have some Blue dot and fired some off last year after shooting some 357 ammo in the same gun...the 357 were spot on but the 38’s using that powder were abysmal...Looking for 25-50 yd accuracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2021 Revolver No1.....shotgun 80...a blast from the past .....was using that stuff 40 years ago...have you still got some?Been discontinued for an age now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfb Posted March 13, 2021 Report Share Posted March 13, 2021 Bullseye 2.8 -3.5 grains, but it's very dirty Vhit N310, similar charge and it burns cleaner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryh Posted March 13, 2021 Report Share Posted March 13, 2021 Local club is very 'gallery orientated' with some national team members. Quite a few recommend GM3 which I tried (after capitulating and buying a gallery rifle) against a few other powders and it performed very well, from memory 3.8g under a commercial 158g cast bullet. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2021 Not familiar with GM 3 Terry....who makes it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryh Posted March 13, 2021 Report Share Posted March 13, 2021 Nobel Sport, Vectan thus: https://www.nobelsport.it/en/area-download-en/download-en?view=simplefilemanager&id=4 Think it is a shotgun powder? T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFD Posted March 13, 2021 Report Share Posted March 13, 2021 46 minutes ago, terryh said: Nobel Sport, Vectan thus: https://www.nobelsport.it/en/area-download-en/download-en?view=simplefilemanager&id=4 Think it is a shotgun powder? T Yeah it was popular on the gallery rifle scene 2 or 3 years ago,haven't seen any available recently though thankfully I bought several pounds of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryh Posted March 14, 2021 Report Share Posted March 14, 2021 11 hours ago, BFD said: Yeah it was popular on the gallery rifle scene 2 or 3 years ago,haven't seen any available recently though thankfully I bought several pounds of it. Have not looked recently, have a good few tubs. What ‘is’ the current flavour of the day then re. 38 Spl.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lever357 Posted March 14, 2021 Report Share Posted March 14, 2021 Lovex DO32 is good and Viht N320 as well. I started out with Vectan GM3 which I bought from Wentworth Sporting Supplies at a shooting show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoppe Posted March 14, 2021 Report Share Posted March 14, 2021 Always used vit 320. Works great for me in 38 special and 357 cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFD Posted March 14, 2021 Report Share Posted March 14, 2021 9 hours ago, terryh said: Have not looked recently, have a good few tubs. What ‘is’ the current flavour of the day then re. 38 Spl.? There's a few guys using csb5 if I remember correctly after gm3 either dried up or if you could get it the price had gone up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2021 Thanks for the info gents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaedra1106uk Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 Using GM3 in my 44's, bought a few Kg of it a few years ago. Just picked up a load of Maxam CSB5, supposed to be very good for both 357/38 and 44/44mag. I've made some test loads up, just waiting for my indoor club to re-open in April 😛 At £29/500g it's also a lot cheaper than Blue/Red Dot, Unique etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 On 3/14/2021 at 11:21 AM, gazzarM1 said: Thanks for the info gents Are the bullets cast or swaged?~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 I'm using 4.5 Unique with a 158gn (unsized) soft cast flat top round nosed bullet in .357 cases for my Winchester 94AE. A nice soft load at around 1,030 and good accuracy for 25 yd gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 14 minutes ago, 1066 said: I'm using 4.5 Unique with a 158gn (unsized) soft cast flat top round nosed bullet in .357 cases for my Winchester 94AE. A nice soft load at around 1,030 and good accuracy for 25 yd gallery. Unique is my go to for 38 Special. I just got back a 6" Colt Police Positive I'd lent a friend 20 years ago. Five grains under a Lyman 358-156GC bullet was its favored load. X-ring accurate at 25 yards.~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Andrew said: Unique is my go to for 38 Special. I just got back a 6" Colt Police Positive I'd lent a friend 20 years ago. Five grains under a Lyman 358-156GC bullet was its favored load. X-ring accurate at 25 yards.~Andrew I use unique with the same 158gn bullet in my .357 muzzle loader too - This is 20yds, off a sandbag with open sights: (and 70+ old eyes. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 17 hours ago, Andrew said: Are the bullets cast or swaged?~Andrew Cast Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgyrog Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 3/13/2021 at 12:34 PM, gazzarM1 said: Not familiar with GM 3 Terry....who makes it? SMPF - French Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 11 hours ago, 1066 said: I use unique with the same 158gn bullet in my .357 muzzle loader too - This is 20yds, off a sandbag with open sights: (and 70+ old eyes. ) Nice. I like the rig. ~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 10 hours ago, gazzarM1 said: Cast Andrew Good. Swaged lead is hardly worth the effort. I decade back, on Christmas eve, I bought a 4" S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman .357 dating from thej 1950's. A beautiful, all original gun. The owner of the pawn shop sold it to me at a ridiculiously low price because the barrel was 'ruined'. Someone had shot some heavy handloads with swaged pure pead bullets and leaded it until the rifling was almost absent. I spent a few nights with a Lewis Lead remover removing 95% of the built up, then popped a cylinder-full of jacketed bullets through it to clean out the rest. I still have that gun.~Muir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuggy Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 That brings back some fond memories. The model 28 was the first fullbore pistol that I learnt to shoot. At the the time they were considered to be a bit plain and heavy, but I absolutely loved it. I have to disagree on swaged. They will work really well if used in the right way. I must have made many thousands of hollow based wadcutters, swaged from pure lead wire on an old Wamadet press and then lubed in a polythene bag. Load was 2.7 grains of Viht. N310 if I recall correctly. And they would shoot into tight clusters at 25 yards, with very little leading. But back to the OP, swaged bullets would be completely wrong for a gallery rifle. Viht. N320 is a good way to go for a 158 grain cast bullet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 Slightly off topic but my first handgun was a model 28 Highway Patrolman followed not long after by a Colt Python Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 6 hours ago, Shuggy said: That brings back some fond memories. The model 28 was the first fullbore pistol that I learnt to shoot. At the the time they were considered to be a bit plain and heavy, but I absolutely loved it. I have to disagree on swaged. They will work really well if used in the right way. I must have made many thousands of hollow based wadcutters, swaged from pure lead wire on an old Wamadet press and then lubed in a polythene bag. Load was 2.7 grains of Viht. N310 if I recall correctly. And they would shoot into tight clusters at 25 yards, with very little leading. But back to the OP, swaged bullets would be completely wrong for a gallery rifle. Viht. N320 is a good way to go for a 158 grain cast bullet. "Used in the right way" is the key. I have used HPWCs for bullseye shooting over light charges of Bullseye. I have also seen cracked forcing cones in revolvers from some nimrod over loading the round and leaving the skirt at the forcing cone for the next round to hit. Hornady's graphite coated SWC were popular for a while but they can make a mess of a gun when used incorrectly. The Model 28 is a wonderful revolver. St Nicholas left a minty 6" for my (then) 18 year old son one Christmas and he learned handgun marksmanship with it -and later became a very successful small game hunter using it. The four inch are scarce as hens teeth and pretty snorty with full loads and the original grips! ~Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(200x135).jpg.0fd0a94f065c6cb243fdff1b40e0819a.jpg)
.jpg.0972b4e2bdf0b5a4109eb96f2b1b62ad.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.