Anyone Load 38 S&W Black Powder Cartridges?

[Dutch3]

I am curious if anyone here loads BP in .38 S&W.

I have dies and brass on the way and am planning to cast some bullets. Is there a reliable source for load data?

I have seen many load recommendations via Google, but they seem to vary widely and don't indicate whether powder charge is by weight or volume.

I do have some BP experience, and it has been drummed into my head that BP measurements are ALWAYS by volume rather than weight. If I drop 12 grains into a .32 case and firmly seat a 150 gr soft lead bullet on it, should I expect any issues shooting it in old top-breaks?

[Darto]

There must be NO gap between the powder and the bullet. So, seat the bullet to proper depth and note how far the base is down into the brass. Then load the BP to about 1/32"- 1/16" higher than that and it will compress when reloading. If there is a gap, it's a bomb! However much BP that takes is the correct amount, no more no less. BP will make for the lowest reload pressure, if any reload is safe, BP is. Or replica BP of course.

[Hunter57dor]

BP is very hard to get wrong, as long as you COMPRESS it. above advice is good, i went this route with my .45 acp loadings.

and don't worry, you can't really over compress. some people go as much as 60 pounds of compression on their BP.

just to make life easier, i recommend going volume measurement. Find the correct amount of powder for how much you want the case filled, then find a different caliber of brass with that same volume. make a little dipper out os a paperclip, and there ya go.

for example, my .45 acp loads are just a .40 case filled to the top and dumped in. seat down bullet, good to go. loud, flamey, smokey fun at the range

[klewan]

Are you guys using REAL BP? Or something like Goex? BP guy at the Sacto gun show years ago told me BP was a real PITA to buy, and use the Goex.

[rsrocket1]

Goex IS black powder. I think you mean BP substitutes like Triple Seven, Pyrodex or American Pioneer Powder.

Real Black is tougher to get and is corrosive so you need to clean the gun the day you shoot it and forget about the cases for anything else than BP again. There is an excellent BP substitute called Blackhorn 209, but that powder is very expensive, clean and doesn't make any more smoke than smokeless powder. For "fooling around", try Alliant BlackMZ. It measures terribly because the grains are like kitty litter. That won't matter because you are using your case as a powder measure anyway. The good thing is that it smokes like real BP and is easy to clean up.

Here is a vid showing the difference between Blackhorn 209 and Black MZ through a modern inline muzzleloader.

With the inline, I just run a couple of patches soaked in Hoppes No.9 and a couple of dry patches and the barrel is clean.

[Dutch3]

There must be NO gap between the powder and the bullet. So, seat the bullet to proper depth and note how far the base is down into the brass. Then load the BP to about 1/32"- 1/16" higher than that and it will compress when reloading. If there is a gap, it's a bomb! However much BP that takes is the correct amount, no more no less. BP will make for the lowest reload pressure, if any reload is safe, BP is. Or replica BP of course.

BP is very hard to get wrong, as long as you COMPRESS it. above advice is good, i went this route with my .45 acp loadings.

and don't worry, you can't really over compress. some people go as much as 60 pounds of compression on their BP.

just to make life easier, i recommend going volume measurement. Find the correct amount of powder for how much you want the case filled, then find a different caliber of brass with that same volume. make a little dipper out os a paperclip, and there ya go.

for example, my .45 acp loads are just a .40 case filled to the top and dumped in. seat down bullet, good to go. loud, flamey, smokey fun at the range

Good to know, thanks.

I have GOEX as well as some Triple Seven and Pyrodex. I like the idea of using a dipper once I establish the volume.

[Eljay]

Since you mentioned 777, it's pretty similar except you can only use 2F (they warn against 3F) and you can't have a gap AND they recommend against compressing it very much. So there's not much wiggle room. I've loaded 777 in 45 Colt and find it rather unsatisfying - I'd rather go real BP or smokeless but the compromise is neither here nor there (and I use it for a lot of other things, just doesn't seem like a great fit for cartridges).

The other thing to know is that if you load some up and they're stiffer than you would like you can put in less but use filler to make up the volume.

[Dutch3]

I could just as easily stay away from the Triple Seven for the cartridge loads. I use it (3F) in my Pietta .44 revolvers and it is OK, but the jug is just about gone and I am in no hurry to replace it.

[Eljay]

I think that would be best, since you have Goex and don't have 2F 777.