Favorite 38 Special/357 Magnum bullets

[PhillyB]

Hey folks. I'm gonna be starting my first batch of reloading 38 Special, maybe some 357 Magnum.

Recommendations for favorite bullets? Looking in the 110-135 grain range, cast lead or semi-jacketed preferred. Also looking at the $30 price range for as many bullets as possible.

Open to more interesting ideas, maybe powder coated or different grain weights.

Thanks!

 

[machinisttx]

I don't shoot anything lighter than the typical 158 grain weight, except for SD loads in .357 mag and those are all factory. Hornady used to offer some swaged 158 grain semiwadcutter hollowpoints. They are extremely soft, but work fine in the .38 Spl. Elmer Keith's 358429 is a good one, but as far as I know, you'll need to cast your own. Mine drop from the mold at around 180 grains. They may or may not fit into your cylinder in .357 mag brass when crimped in the crimp groove.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I shoot a lot of Montana Gold 125 gr JHP. They are about a dime a piece of you buy them by the case.

I also shoot a lot of Missouri Bullet Company coated 140 gr. Zingers.

 

[Bogeyman]

It depends on how hot you load the Magnums. Hot 125 gr. .357 Magnums are not for the timid. I shot far too many factory loadings of that back in the day and as a result I cannot shoot today more than a cylinder of those as my old tennis elbow starts throbbing.

 

[nortac]

For plinking and paper target shooting, I shoot a lot of plated bullets. Cheaper than jacketed, no lead exposure and no messy lube to gum things up.

Rainier LeadSafe Bullets 38 Cal (357 Diameter) 125 - MPN: 38125HP

 

[Ad Astra]

For plinking and paper target shooting, I shoot a lot of plated bullets. Cheaper than jacketed, no lead exposure and no messy lube to gum things up.

Rainier LeadSafe Bullets 38 Cal (357 Diameter) 125 - MPN: 38125HP

Those DO sound pretty good!

AA

 

[RandyC]

I like 158gr hollow base wadcutters for .38 Special. Practice ammo in one direction and defensive ammo in the other.

The MP Molds 180gr did so well in my .357 old model Blackhawk that I never got to try the last batch in my Dan Wesson. I think NOE has a similar offering. In the weight range you mentioned I haven't tried anything yet. I have had good results from the Lyman 358156 which is a classic design hailed by several writers.

Sent from my LG-LS998 using Tapatalk

 

[Deltaboy]

Hornady Critical Defense 38 Special

 

[Acmemfg]

For recreational shooting whatever is on sale.
For self defense, the last thing I want is to be loaded up with some exotic, one-off, hotdog round that the fat guy on the back cover of the phone book can claim was cruel, punitive, evil, vicious...etc. when addressing a jury.
Gold Dot and Hornady factory spec loads are all I’m going to use in that application.

 

[Bhugo]

Gold dot +p 38 special short barrel. I think they are 135 grain.

For practice I use whatever is cheapest.

 

[OkieStubble]

For plinking and paper target shooting, I shoot a lot of plated bullets. Cheaper than jacketed, no lead exposure and no messy lube to gum things up.

Rainier LeadSafe Bullets 38 Cal (357 Diameter) 125 - MPN: 38125HP

Great price for a box of 50.

Gold dot +p 38 special short barrel. I think they are 135 grain.

Favorite .38 slug for my Ruger SP101. Perfect all around bullet between the 125 and 158 and while not .357 power, the +P still gives it a good kick up over standard .38 velocities.

 

[simon1]

Hey folks. I'm gonna be starting my first batch of reloading 38 Special, maybe some 357 Magnum.

Recommendations for favorite bullets? Looking in the 110-135 grain range, cast lead or semi-jacketed preferred. Also looking at the $30 price range for as many bullets as possible.

Open to more interesting ideas, maybe powder coated or different grain weights.

Thanks!

For 158 gr. slugs I like the hard cast SWC. You can load them down to target loads, or you can hop them up in a .357 for deer hunting. If you have a good hard alloy slug you may be able to run them up to about 1,500 fps. without a gas check...depending on how much leading you get with a particular load.

Meister Hard Cast Bullets 38 Cal (357 Diameter) - UPC: 197706174065

38 Cal 158 gr SWC H&G 51 Cast Bullets - Stateline Bullets

For a pure target load it's hard to beat the classic full wadcutter. Just make sure you seating die has a wadcutter stem in it. They can also be used for small game.

Hunters Supply Hard Cast Bullets 38 Cal (357 - MPN: 0135714812

I have a 100 of the 158 gr. poly coated bullets but I haven't gotten around to loading any yet. I usually shoot 158 gr. in the old fixed sighted Colt as that's what it was originally sighted in for at the factory.

Are you going to use these in your new Cimarron?

Oh, and I've had good luck loading these in hot rodded loads in the old Ruger .41 mag. Choose your bullet weight for caliber.

Sierra Sports Master Bullets 41 Cal (410 Diameter) 210 - MPN: 8520

 

[HARMON]

For practice I use plated bullets, Berry's, Xtreme, Rainier etc...
For other purposes I use Zero 125gr JHP or Gold Dot.