38 Special ammo for S&W 14-4 revolver

I'm going to start loading ammo again for my Model 52.  My die plate should still be all set, and I think I know all the advice I was given in this forum so the ammo will cycle correctly through the gun.  Bullets will be Magnus #514.  My notes from when I used Bullseye powder were to use 2.7 grains.  I plan to ask Terry Labbe what powder charge he recommends for WST powder.

In the meantime, I've bought several boxes of commercial 38 Special ammo for the Model 52, Federal, Magtech, and Zero.  They work fine, and seem to work fine in my S&W Model 14-4 revolver, which brings up my question....

Are there any reasons not to just load wadcutters like I've been doing, and use them in both the Model 52 and my revolver?  If there are no reasons not to do it, that simplifies my reloading.  If there are good reasons to use a different bullet for the revolver, I might as well start doing so now.

Thanks for any advice, and if someone here is shooting the Magnus #514, and using WST, what powder charge did you feel was appropriate?

No problem using your Model 52 loads in the Model 14. I do the same with my Clark Heavy Slide and the Python and Model 14. The only reason I would shoot anything else is for the DR match.  The Python and 14 much prefer the full wadcutter, but they are not allowed in the DR.

I'm using 2.7 grains of Bullseye with either a Remington, Hornady or Zero 148 grain HBWC.  You should get the same results with 2.8 or 2.9 of WST. I've found WST a little slower than Bullseye.

Just an FYI an pistol smith I know who builds 38 special 1911's uses 700x as a powder, I think he is using Speer 148 grain HBWC's I do not know how much powder he is using.

I use the same 148gr HBWC and 2.7gr WST load in my 52-2, Colt 1911 .38 Wadcutter and my M14-1 and -3. No issues in any of the above pistols.

orpheoet wrote:I use the same 148gr HBWC and 2.7gr WST load in my 52-2, Colt 1911 .38 Wadcutter and my M14-1 and -3. No issues in any of the above pistols.

Thanks; I used to use Bullseye, but the WST not only is "cleaner", the powder measure on my RCBS Pro2000 press is more uniform.  I think that's because the WST has smaller "pellets", compared to the "flakes" from the Bullseye, but there's more to it than that.  Great - 2.7 gr, same as what I used to load with Bullseye.

orpheoet wrote:I use the same 148gr HBWC and 2.7gr WST load in my 52-2, Colt 1911 .38 Wadcutter and my M14-1 and -3. No issues in any of the above pistols.

same here for M14-2 and all my PPC guns.

In my testing, 700X was a tad hotter than Bullseye, as was Red Dot.  I tried 2.5 Gr and it shot hotter than 2.7 Gr Bullseye and the 2.8 grains shot almost as hot as 3.0 Bullseye.  My guns did not prefer 700X for accuracy and the Standard Deviation on the velocity wasn’t great either, so that stopped that.

I have settled on 3.0 gr of 231/HP38 with Magnus or Remington HBWC bullets in my 52. Seems to be a little cleaner than Bullseye. I have not tried WST but don’t see a need to. Don’t like the metering of Red Dot or 700-X.

Kp321 wrote:I have settled on 3.0 gr of 231/HP38 with Magnus or Remington HBWC bullets in my 52. Seems to be a little cleaner than Bullseye. I have not tried WST but don’t see a need to. Don’t like the metering of Red Dot or 700-X.

Another great load.

I took Gunny Zins challenge with my 14-6. If you can't put 50 rds in the 10 your not ready for sustained fire. I guess I'm not ready. But, there is nothing wrong with the load. Magnus 148gr HBWC.

LenV, that's at 50 yards?  

Wow.....

I'll try on Wednesday, but I'll be happy to get all my rounds on the target, with none on the backing board!

25yd target shot at 25yds. Just stand there and shoot one handed. Take all the time you want. I found myself shooting faster and faster as I got closer to 50. I lack the patience to take all the time I should.

Model 14, Standard B-8 target, 25 yards, 50 rounds.  
Wednesday!

Sorry Len, I'm not going to make it.  I tried today with my Model 17-2, which I'm sure is MUCH better than what I can do with it.  By the time I figured out how to grip it, and how to get the sights adjusted, I shot 20 rounds at a B-8.  I got one "mistake" from shooting before I was ready, and the rest of the rounds went to something that represents my current ability, or lack thereof.  I'll try with the Model 14-4 on Wednesday anyway, if we don't get rained out....

I've got questions about the Model 17 which I'll ask in a different thread, once I give up on finding the information already posted here.

By next week I hope to be loading my 38 Special ammo again, using the information that's posted here.  

Mike. You are 6 years older than me and shooting steel sights. That makes it a test of your shooting ability and your eyes. I would probably do worse then that. Nills on my 14-6 and a Romeo4. I had a 1" ultradot on it until recently.

Thanks!!

Lovely gun!!  

The only revolver I have with optics is my Model 29 "Harry" gun.  It has an optical sight.  I ought to look at it, and see if I could put a red dot on it, since the holes are already in place, and have been since the 1970's or so.

My left eye sees the steel sights sharper than my right eye, but I feel uncomfortable shooting that way.  Several of the shots in the above target were shot with my left eye.  I suppose with practice, it might get to feel more natural?

Yes, left handed have to shoot right eye. Occluder makes it manageable.

james r chapman wrote:Yes, left handed have to shoot right eye. Occluder makes it manageable.

Interesting thought - I will try using the occluder over my right eye.  

Right eye vision is good, but my floaters seem to prefer to be right in the middle.  If I "flick" my eye one way or another, the floaters in that eye vanish, giving me a few seconds before they return.  That's how I've been shooting.  When I tried shooting with my left eye, the front sight was razor sharp, like it's supposed to be, but I had a sensation like I was "straining".  Maybe I didn't understand that correctly - maybe it isn't the left eye causing that sensation, but my trying to ignore my right eye.  The occluder would leave my right eye open, and "seeing", but there would be no detail to see.  

I've got it most under control, but technically, I have, and have always had, "diplopia".  My eyes don't work together, it's as if I had two cameras, and I can see the world from either of them.  Because of the difference in prescriptions for my IOL's, what my right eye sees is just a tiny bit larger than what my left eye sees.  

I'm not going to get to the range today - too crowded on Tuesdays, but unless the rain interferes, I'll try your suggestion on Wednesday.  Maybe then I can see the "scratch" I made on the front sight, which is what I'm supposed to pay attention to.  

(One bonus from the cataract operations, is my "focus" is fixed.  I can't look at the front sight, then at the target - for my revolvers, my focus is pre-set 30" in front of my eyeball.  (With a different pair of glasses, it's pre-set at 24" for two hand shooting.).  

Thanks for the thought!