Pet 38 Super loads

Anyone shooting a 38 Super for center fire? what are your pet loads?

Having one built...watching.

My load won't help you unless you have a KKM 1X10 barrel. That being said my load is 3.0gr WST, 145gr GT LHP bullet .357 diameter, 1.242" col, .377" taper crimp with a Redding die. I ransomed a five round group @ 50yds that I could cover with a quarter. Not quite as soft as a .38 wadcutter but close. Another problem is GT bullets are about six months behind.

Bill

if you can find a 125-26 semi wadcutter bullet 3.5-3.7 BE works great.

I have an EIC pistol Jon Eulette modified by fitting a KKM 1:16" 38super barrel into my 9mm SA RO.

My long line load is 5.1gr of W231 pushing a 115gr HAP at 1.240" from Starline supercomp brass.  Ransom rest at 50yds is 1.4":


My short line load is a Brazos 148gr BNWC pushed by 2.8gr of Bullseye.  Very mild recoil, butter-smooth cycling with a 10# recoil spring.

3.6gr BE behind a 126gr bullet is good!

There might be something useful at this link;

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/super-accurate-38-super-loads/326242

I have a Kart 1-16, I have been using up the Brazos 150g swc sized .357 with 3.2g WST.  Very soft shooting and accurate load in my gun.  I will need to find another bullet when I am out since Brazos is done.

Thanks for the replies.
My 38 Super was built by Dave Salyer years ago and has a Kart barrel.
My first loads were with Clays Universal with a 147gr LSWC that I cast from wheel weights and add a little 50-50 solder for more tin content in WW plus-p brass.
Recently I have been casting my bullets using a commercial hard lead which comes out of my mold at 145grs and is .357" in diameter that I size to .356".
The barrel bore diameter is .355" which is the same as all the barrels for .38 caliber from Kart. Could be the reason the .38 Super is sometimes finicky to load for.
My present load has been with N330, 3.3-3.5grs using Federal and Winchester small pistol primers, Clays Universal is imposable to find since Hodgens can't get the materials to make it.

Rodger Barthlow wrote:
The barrel bore diameter is .355" which is the same as all the barrels for .38 caliber from Kart. Could be the reason the .38 Super is sometimes finicky to load for.

Can you explain this, please? Thank you.

NOTE:  I am not an expert in this but this is what I believe it true:
All 38 cal barrels are now .355 as opposed to .356 like they used to be.  38 super used .365 barrels and .356 bullets up until maybe 15 or 20 years ago in America.  European produced barrels may still be .356.  Lots of folks shoot .356 9mm bullets in their 9mm pistols, still.  Usually both 355 and .356 bullets are appropriate for 38 super.  With lead you can get away with .357.  I tested both .356 and .357 and honestly couldn’t tell a difference on paper.  I was using bullseye power at the time and shooting 2.8g. Now with WST I use 3.0-3.2.  It probably does not need to go as fast as I am getting but my gun wont run with less and a red dot sight. I use a big 30mm Ultradot. 
Also, I encourage you to get the starline 38 super brass that has a 9mm rim.  It’s called supercomp.  Though oddly, you have to use a Dillon 223 shell plate.  They send a little note in the box about that.

Michael C wrote:NOTE:  I am not an expert in this but this is what I believe it true:
All 38 cal barrels are now .355 as opposed to .356 like they used to be.  38 super used .365 barrels and .356 bullets up until maybe 15 or 20 years ago in America.  European produced barrels may still be .356.  Lots of folks shoot .356 9mm bullets in their 9mm pistols, still.  Usually both 355 and .356 bullets are appropriate for 38 super.  With lead you can get away with .357.  I tested both .356 and .357 and honestly couldn’t tell a difference on paper.  I was using bullseye power at the time and shooting 2.8g. Now with WST I use 3.0-3.2.  It probably does not need to go as fast as I am getting but my gun wont run with less and a red dot sight. I use a big 30mm Ultradot. 
Also, I encourage you to get the starline 38 super brass that has a 9mm rim.  It’s called supercomp.  Though oddly, you have to use a Dillon 223 shell plate.  They send a little note in the box about that.

Back when I had mine built I ran across a fellow selling WW 38Super plus-P Brass and bought a box of 2000 from him and I'm still using the brass which I have a box of over 1000 pieces of virgin brass. The stuff is tuff as nails using light target loads and I have had no feeding problems from using the semi rimed brass in my 1911.
I also read where a Dillon 223 shell plat was required to load the Super-comp brass and is an added expense that one day I'll have to do when I run out of plus-P brass. I'm also running a 30mm Match dot on my slide with a 10# recoil spring.
Thanks for the load info.

Michael C wrote:NOTE:  I am not an expert in this but this is what I believe it true:
All 38 cal barrels are now .355 as opposed to .356 like they used to be.

I would be very surprised if the groove diameters were that consistent. SAAMI specs for the 38 Super (and 9mm and 38 Spl. and 357 Mag (and some others)) are .355 + .004. Thus anything between .355 and .359 would be within spec. Measurements from 9mm and 38/357 barrel show a wide range of diameters, with most in spec. I'd expect actual 38 Super barrels to show variation as well.

S148 wrote:

Michael C wrote:NOTE:  I am not an expert in this but this is what I believe it true:
All 38 cal barrels are now .355 as opposed to .356 like they used to be.

I would be very surprised if the groove diameters were that consistent.  SAAMI specs for the 38 Super (and 9mm and 38 Spl. and 357 Mag (and some others)) are .355 + .004.  Thus anything between .355 and .359 would be within spec. Measurements from 9mm and 38/357 barrel show a wide range of diameters, with most in spec. I'd expect actual 38 Super barrels to show variation as well.

Talked with Kart about the bore and groove diameter of his barrels and to be cost effective he cuts all his 9mm/38Super/ 38SPL barrels all the same with a .355mm bore. I have a 38spl barrel and my 38Super barrel both slugged .355".
Didn't mean to open a can of worms with this post and will no longer contribute to it.