Anyone Load .38 Super?

[Fr0sty]

I scored a colt 38 super and got pretty much what I need to load for it, but I had some questions I wouldn't mind asking someone that has some loads under their belt for this round.

Happy 4th of JulY!

[phill]

Been shooting .38 Super for several years and have been loading just about as long. You can make it a .357 Mag. or a .38 SPCL. pussy cat.

[Bama Man]

Been loading .38 super for about 15 years.
I only load red-dot, using a .355 147 grain JHP for defensive loads, and 125 grain FMJ or round lead for practice.
I load 4.5 grains of red-dot for the 125 grain bullets, which is max, and I only load 4.0 for the 147 grainers.
I'm shooting them through an old Star super, that originally was chambered in 9mm Largo, but I converted it to .38 Super and keep my loads somewhat light.
I LOVE the .38 Super, and the Star is a great concealed carry pistol, and fits any holster made for the 1911.
What pistol are you shooting yours through?

[Bama Man]

Oops, egg on my face, I see you've already told me the pistol.

[Fr0sty]

Nice we got some years of 38 Super loaders/Shooters!

So my first question was the .355/.356 debate for jacketed projectiles. I haven't slugged the barrel on the Colt so I was just going to start with a standard diameter. The problem is it depends who you ask as far as .355 or .356. Bama Man, thanks for the wealth of info on the loads, and it looks like your doing fine with .355 for jacketed. I have .357 lead SWC and RN but normally as a general rule for lead rounds I load .001" over the standard.

So if it's .355 I can use pretty much any 9mm projectile, but also enjoy the extra punch to push the heavier bullets that the 9mm struggles with. This pistol is for steel shooting and general target.

For more info on my first 38 Super pistol, its a Colt Series 80 Mark IV. The damn thing is a pleasure to shoot, even with store bought Winchester ammo. I bought 200rds with the pistol so I could make some brass and get the feel for it.

So yea, anything you guys would like to share about the 38 Super I am all ears. Tips, tricks, suggestions, etc.

[phill]

Be a little careful of online load data since a bunch of the game guns have supported barrels. For a sissy load we shoot WW 115 gr. .355 with 4.9 gr of bullseye.(hot 9mm). For a little hotter load try same bullet with 6.0 gr.(caution 6.3 is max.).
I would not shoot the .357 bullets unless a starting load is developed, the only problem we have ever had was with AA-7 and a .357 lead bullet. Thank God it was shot in a Spfld. Comp. gun with a supported chamber, the brass ejected about 15 yds.
For falling plates we load the 4.9 gr. load as there is no power factor. nice to shoot. Almost any hot 9mm load will cycle and be plenty accurate at plate ranges.
For carry we use WW 125 gr. Silvertip cycles good and seems to hit what we shoot at.

[Iron Sights]

I never loaded for .38 super, but Kings shooting supply has a .38 super bullet listed on their site.

[Fr0sty]

Originally Posted by phill

Be a little careful of online load data since a bunch of the game guns have supported barrels. For a sissy load we shoot WW 115 gr. .355 with 4.9 gr of bullseye.(hot 9mm). For a little hotter load try same bullet with 6.0 gr.(caution 6.3 is max.).
I would not shoot the .357 bullets unless a starting load is developed, the only problem we have ever had was with AA-7 and a .357 lead bullet. Thank God it was shot in a Spfld. Comp. gun with a supported chamber, the brass ejected about 15 yds.
For falling plates we load the 4.9 gr. load as there is no power factor. nice to shoot. Almost any hot 9mm load will cycle and be plenty accurate at plate ranges.
For carry we use WW 125 gr. Silvertip cycles good and seems to hit what we shoot at.

No doubt, due to my use, I am only interested in a enough punch to knock down steel. As far as load data, I have a couple of books I use to figure out a starting load.

Could you describe in more detail your issue wit the .357" lead? Was the load you started with near the recommended starting load or did you start with a middle ground charge? OAL was correct? Etc?

[phill]

Near as we could workout there was an pressure increase that was more than what you should have gotten for the increase in powder. These loads were in the upper range and were already a little hot. There was load data around at that time for making major power factor with 147 gr. lead and Accurate powder, we used this and were working up to their load when this developed. OAL and cartridge specs. were checked in a Lyman Max Cartridge Guage.
As a side note always check the size of cast bullets as their sizer/luber dies will wear and not all of the casters will change them when needed. At one time a local caster was selling 158gr. .357 bullets that miked at .361, making for some intresting loads in my friends .357Max.

[Fr0sty]

Originally Posted by phill

Near as we could workout there was an pressure increase that was more than what you should have gotten for the increase in powder. These loads were in the upper range and were already a little hot. There was load data around at that time for making major power factor with 147 gr. lead and Accurate powder, we used this and were working up to their load when this developed. OAL and cartridge specs. were checked in a Lyman Max Cartridge Guage.
As a side note always check the size of cast bullets as their sizer/luber dies will wear and not all of the casters will change them when needed. At one time a local caster was selling 158gr. .357 bullets that miked at .361, making for some intresting loads in my friends .357Max.

Thanks for the follow up Phill, I appreciate you sharing the experience. Since we don't have to run our rounds at our local shoot for classification, I tend to start + .1 gr over the starting load, and then slowly work my way back. An example with my 45 auto loads, I try to get the fps to 800 or around with a 200gr LRN.

This 38 Super is going to be fun. I have always read how great the round performed, but now I finally own one. High pressured lil bastards though, heh... Definitely not a 45 auto.

If anyone has any more info or experiences with the 38 Super I am all ears and would love to hear what people have to say.

Thanks again for the responses.