38 special and 357 mag powder

[bollero]

What do you guys recommend for powder for both calibers?

[Bill Steele]

Ignore the man behind the curtain...

What do you want to do with your loads. Light/accuarte target? Kill a Boar? What bullet type, etc.

Makes a big difference.

Oh and ignore anyone that says WST.

[XDRoX]

What do you want to do with your loads. Light/accuarte target? Kill a Boar? What bullet type, etc.

Makes a big difference.

Oh and ignore anyone that says WST.

Ya, hard to pick a powder to use in 38spl and 357. For 38spl I love Trail Boss. For 357 I like Unique and 2400 for full powered loads. My pet 38spl load only goes about 650fps and recoils like 22. But it's accurate and clean.

I don't shoot much 357, but 2400 will load them hot when you need them.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Ya, hard to pick a powder to use in 38spl and 357. For 38spl I love Trail Boss. For 357 I like Unique and 2400 for full powered loads. My pet 38spl load only goes about 650fps and recoils like 22. But it's accurate and clean.

I don't shoot much 357, but 2400 will load them hot when you need them.

Good suggestions here...

Trail boss is a "bulky" powder so it fills the case and can lead to very accurate rounds. Not the best option for jacketed bullets, though. For those applications, stick with Unique or 2400.

I think 2400 is one of the most underrated powders on the market. It does great things for magnum caliber pistol rounds!!!

[savasyn]

I use Hodgdon HP38 and Universal Clays. They both work great for medium performance rounds, but you're not going to get the fastest muzzle velocities from either. If you just want range rounds, these are fine choices.

[Fishslayer]

If it ain't broke, etc.

For .38 & light bullet .357 I use Bullseye (sometimes Green Dot) & for the 158gr Big Dog magnum loads it's 2400. Been around for years & there's a ton of load data available.

I stay away from light bullet/slow powder combos.

I think 2400 is one of the most underrated powders on the market. It does great things for magnum caliber pistol rounds!!!

I wouldn't say it was underrated. 2400 was the go to powder for magnum loads when I was a kid and is still one of the top 2 or 3 (if not #1) in terms of popularity.

[bollero]

looking to make loads for target practice and boar hunting.. what kind of bullet to use?

I like round nose for target like
Berry's 38/357 158 gr Round Nose Double Struck ?

what about boar hunting? a JHP

i really don't wanna use to many lead bullets thought my python..

[XDRoX]

looking to make loads for target practice and boar hunting.. what kind of bullet to use?

I like round nose for target like
Berry's 38/357 158 gr Round Nose Double Struck ?

what about boar hunting? a JHP

i really don't wanna use to many lead bullets thought my python..

Can't help you there. I shoot lead exclusively in 38spl and 357.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

for target shooting in my 357, I use 148 gr wadcutters in front of Bullseye.
Can't comment on boar hunting with a 357.

[Bill Steele]

For target shooting in both .357 and .38, I like either 148 gr. wadcutters or 158gr semi-wadcutters. I shoot a lot of Bullseye under these bullets. The downside to light target rounds with both these cartridges is the volume of the case versus the amount of powder you meter in. Unless you are really confident about your process and have eliminated double charges as a possibility, going with a really light powder like Trail Boss is a great idea, you can see it (it is light in color) and it is not dense so you will have more in the case to see. 2.8 grains of Bullseye is waaay down there in that .38 case.

I shoot almost exclusively with lead in my .357 and .38's. Get some Big 45 Frontier or one of those Lewis Lead Removal kits for when you get some leading. If you really don't like lead, Berry's makes some plated wadcutters in this caliber, maybe a perfect fit for you.

If you are serious about hunting boar with a handgun, I think I might want something with a bigger hole, but I have always been kind of a frady cat when it comes to getting close to one of the big mothers.

In any case, if you are hunting pigs with a handgun, I would think penetration considerations would be more important than expansion considerations. Maybe a fullhouse .44 using some hardcast heavy slugs might be a good place to start.

[rmblaster]

I use Bullseye for 38 special with a 148gr wadcutter and unique for 357 full power loads

[ireload]

For target app I use Win 231. For med to max load I use Unique. But most times I use Unique.

[DesertGunner]

How much trail boss for a 148gr Wadcutter?

[XDRoX]

How much trail boss for a 148gr Wadcutter?

I love my 148gr Trail Boss recipe. I'll check the data I use when I get home for you. I've chrono'd my rounds at 650fps. Feels like 22 and very accurate from my 4" Smith.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

I wouldn't say it was underrated. 2400 was the go to powder for magnum loads when I was a kid and is still one of the top 2 or 3 (if not #1) in terms of popularity.

I dunno. I have a hard time finding it on the shelf. I also don't hear a whole lot of people talking about it on here, or other websites. Lot's of W296 users, but not many people talking up 2400...

Maybe it's just me...