Which Caliber for a First Time Reloader

[grant22]

BERRYS .38/357 (.357) 125 GR FP (1000)

That's the powdervalley.com description, so I assumed that they were lead, but I dunno.

Why is it so hard to find recipes for .38 plated? Every box of .38 I've ever owned has been plated.

What brand makes some lead projectiles?

Can you list a couple other 'all around good' powders so I can just get it all now?

[XDRoX]

BERRYS .38/357 (.357) 125 GR FP (1000)

That's the powdervalley.com description, so I assumed that they were lead, but I dunno.

Why is it so hard to find recipes for .38 plated? Every box of .38 I've ever owned has been plated.

What brand makes some lead projectiles?

Can you list a couple other 'all around good' powders so I can just get it all now?

Berry's does make hard cast bullets, but Powder Valley doesn't sell them. Those are plated bullets.

Pretty much no one publishes data for plated bullets. Only jacketed and lead. You have to extrapolate for plated, which you may not be comfortable doing when first starting out.

Most the data that I've seen for jacketed 38spl is very limited and doesn't even give a range of powder. It just says one charge and not to reduce for fear of getting a bullet stuck in the barrel. When I first started loading 38spl I looked all over the place for jacketed data and I finally just decided to go with lead, which there is ample data for. In 357 you will be able to find more data for jacketed bullets.

My Speer manual has a paragraph on why it's not a good idea to load jacketed in 38spl and really encourage the reader to give lead a shot.

I buy all my lead bullets from Missouri Bullet and Powder Valley does happen to sell them. Click on their cast bullet link on the top of their page.

For different powder, Unique, Trail Boss, and WST are what I use to load 38spl. Any of the popular powders will work. Power Pistol, 231, AA #5, WSF, Bullseye, etc...

If you're not shooting indoors, then lead is definitely the way to go.

[XDRoX]

This is what I shoot, both from Missouri Bullet Company. They are both around $60 per thousand. I'd be happy to send you 10 of each if you PM me your address so you can try them out.
148gr WC's


And 158gr RN

[Bill Steele]

On the right track.

I put together an order I haven't placed yet, but was hoping a few of you could tell me if I'm on the right track:

Powdervalley

Berry's .38 125gr flat point - $75/1000
CCI small pistol primers - $25/1000
Unique 1 lb - $15 (as xdrox stated, should do 1750rds @ 4gr)

S&H & Hazmat - $25

Total - $140 ($.14 per round)

I'm happy with the qty and price, if any of you think I'm headed down the wrong path on this order, please let me know (whether the brands suck or whatever).

Much appreciated!

Like the advice others have provided, I would probably add maybe a pound of Bullseye and a pound of W231, both powders I like to load in .38/.357, along with a few thou more primers to help amortize the Hazmat fee some.

Unique is fine for what you are loading, according to Berry's web site, you can load the Berry's plated bullets to mid-range jacketed loads for your bullet weight, you can also use the full range of an equal weight lead bullet.

Have fun.

[noylj]

Are you loding .38 Special or .357 Magnum?
My recommendation is to either buy cast lead bullets or spring for real jacketed bullets.
Load data for plated bullets is no big deal. You start with the lowest starting you can find for lead bullets of the same or heavy weight. You work up to the max load for the the lead bullet or, if there are no pressure signs, work up to half way between the starting and Max load for a jacketed bullet of the same or more weight. I have never had as good results from plated as from either well-cast lead bullets or jacketed bullets, so I avoid them. At present, they cost almost as much or the same as jacketed bullets from Montana Gold, Zero, or Precision Delta. I would definitely order in larger quantities to spread that hazmat charge. You can never have too many primers or too many powders to play with.
ZERO .357 125 JHP $269.00/3000 ($90/1000 and EXCELLENT bullets)=$269
or, you can try cast lead
MO BULLET .358 125 GR TCFP COWBOY #2 BHN 12 $28.57/500 * 2= $57.14
and
MO BULLET .358 158 GR SWC .357 ACTION! BHN 18 $31.48/500 * 2=$62.96
This will give you two very different bullets to play with.
TULAMMO SMALL PISTOL PRIMERS (KVB9) $20.00/1000 * 5=$100
ALLIANT UNIQUE - $14.70/lb=$14.70
Other powders you may want to look into would be AA2, AA5, and HP38 for light to mid-range loads. Unique is best from mid-range to near max. If you are loading for .357Mag, H110 and MP300 will give you max performance.

[grant22]

Thanks all for the advice. I did a batch of .38 sp with MO 158 gr round point and Bullseye @ 3.2 gr (starting weight per the Lyman manual.)

Question is, I have 500 MO 180 gr I was going to use for .357, but have decided not to. The max weight bullet my Lyman manual goes to for .38 is 170.

Can I use a 180 gr in my .38 cases and if so, does anyone have more info on starting loads for that weight (using Bulldeye).

Otherwise I'll exchange the 180 gr for 158 since I don't think I should be experimenting.

[Hornet_RN]

I know someone posted this already, but use trail boss to prevent double charging! But you need to use all lead bullets though with this powder. Trail boss is so bulky, it'll prevent a double charge.