one .38 Spl load=SMOKE, other=clean burning

Hey Bang! Thanks for the data! I think long ago I used a 148 gr. HBWC as my bullet for centerfire bullseye matches. I believe the load I used was 2.8 grs of Bullseye powder. Looking back in my copy of Speer #10 that is the listed starting load for that bullet. The book says 741 fps fired from a 6" K-38 Masterpiece (Mod 14) which was my only Bullseye gun at the time. Interesting the same book shows a 148 gr Bevel Base WC with charges of Bullseye powder starting at 3.9 grs. giving 813 fps and max of 4.5 grs. hitting 933 fps!
I find both velocities a little hard to believe. But they might work well for your plated bullets.

Thanks, Brick. That's one of the reasons I had wanted a chronograph for years and finally got one. The books sometimes make no sense, such as posting starting load and max load the same damned load. I really needed to know the results of smokeless powder in my old trapdoor, and reduced load .30 Carbine for my Blackhawk so I could assure an indoor range owner I wasn't outgunning his bullet stopping system.

I was a little surprised the difference between the 1-7/8" and the 5-inch was not a bit more. Probably indicates both could go higher, such as your book figures suggest. I'd save the higher velocities for conventional bullets. No need to horse DEWCs. BTW...I went to copper plate after several long sessions of cleaning lead from my SAA .45Colt clone. I see no reason to shoot lead unless an event is doing lead only and I wanted to enter it.

I never had much issue with leading in bores. The problems I always found was around the forcing cone and top strap and cylinder face. All the places that lead could splatter. Since switching over to either plated or coated bullets, I find EVERYTHING is staying cleaner! I don't even have to clean the gunk lead shaving and lubricant mix out of my seating and crimping dies either! Some of my pistols even function better! My CZ would jam after about 95 rounds of cast lead because lube would build up at the leade and prevent the slide from going into battery.

I can't think of a reason why a place that says lead only would object to plated or coated bullets.

No, I said event, not place. For example, gun club runs a lead-only steel shoot. My problem was with a SAA clone that is poorly made. Cylinder chambers bored unevenly, thus alternately not well aligned with the bore. Changing to copper plating reduced the problem.

All bad smoky ammo has been disassembled. Undersized lead bullets easily pulled with an inertia puller, propellant recovered, shells reshaped and reloaded with the proven reload as outlined above. I think these lead bullets will go into my lead pile and eventually will become sinkers or lures. Very happy with Xtreme and similar products.

I just bought a new Ruger .357 Vaquero and wanted to try and shoot cast bullets. I ordered pin gauges and checked my cylinder throats and bore diameter.

Cast bullets for the .357 should be .358 and the cylinder throats the same diameter. The pin gauges for the bore are for checking for uniformity and where the barrel screws into the receiver is not choked and smaller in diameter.

And as stated above the smoke is from the bullet lube burning off, and some Cowboy shooters use black powder to add even more realistic smoke.

Bottom line, cast bullets should be .001 larger than bore diameter and the same size as the cylinder throat. And .357 plated bullets should also work well because the have soft lead cores and will conform to bore diameter when kicked in the seat of the pants when fired.