lack of powder

[skooter525]

I can't believe about the open space on a 38 special, according to the book I need 4.3 gr of Hp-38 with a 125 gr bullet. don't seem like enough

 

[helg]

38 special was designed for black powder. Smokeless powder usually fills about half of a shell space.

 

[j8064]

Don't let it fool you and don't get into the syndrome of "fill 'er up". I use Bullseye and it doesn't take much. <4 grs of that is plenty of power to push a 125 gr slug down range in my .38 spl loads.

 

[pop-gunner]

Watch the charges...It's easy to get a double if you're not careful when using a powder that fills so little of the case.
4.3 sounds right off the top of my head.
I load 4.5 of ww231 for +p and 4.0 for a plinking load under a 158gr LSWCHP.

 

[guthook]

Watch the charges...It's easy to get a double if you're not careful when using a powder that fills so little of the case.
4.3 sounds right off the top of my head.
I load 4.5 of ww231 for +p and 4.0 for a plinking load under a 158gr LSWCHP.

+1

I use 4.0gr of Titegroup in my .38's with 158gr Plated HP. It is very easy to overlook a double charge with this small amount of powder.

Shit ain't worth losing a finger or worse.

 

[jjbduke2004]

There's a powder out there called Trail Boss that is very low density and designed to a batter job of filling the case in older cartridges designed for black powder such as .44-40 and .45 Long Colt.

Another trick is to fill some of that volume with corn meal (I think).

 

[Jerry M]

...Another trick is to fill some of that volume with corn meal (I think).

DO NOT put anything but powder and bullet-head in the case.

Good luck

Jerry

 

[j8064]

DO NOT put anything but powder and bullet-head in the case.
Jerry

^ This! Unless you really know what you're doing, stay within published, trusted and proven recipes. Always!

 

[Cowboy T]

One guy told about an unfortunate incident involving .38 Spl and Bullseye powder (similar to HP38). Apparently the dude in the lane next to him had thought that the "puny" amount of powder in his cartridge wasn't enough and filled it to the rim. Whoops.

The resulting explosion destroyed the gun and most of his hand. Shrapnel embedded itself quite deeply into the wood separating the lanes. That dude's lucky to be alive.

Powders like HP38/W231, Bullseye and Titegroup are very good powders, as long as you're careful. I use both of them extensively. A proper charge of either in a typical revolver case will not go up to even half the height of the case. You don't need a lot; as Hodgdon says, "a little goes a long way!"