what powder for .38/.357?

[gregintenn]

Unique is a great place to start. You know you can simply shoot 38 Special in your 357 mag., right?

 

2 pounds will load a LOT of rounds.

Edited December 30, 2014 by gregintenn

[SonnyCrockett]

unique for 38

2400 for 357

[wolverine]

Unique is a great place to start. You know you can simply shoot 38 Special in your 357 mag., right?

 

2 pounds will load a LOT of rounds.

Yep 7000 grains to a lb of powder I use Blue Dot for 38/357 But here is a warning from Alliant website

 

Quote:

 

SAFETY NOTICE

At Alliant Powder, we take safety seriously. That’s why we periodically test our products in different situations to be sure our use recommendations stay current. Check here for any safety notes or recall information. Stay safe and keep accurate.

Alliant Powder periodically reviews and tests their published reloading data to verify that our recommended recipes have not changed over time.

During the latest review Alliant Powder discovered that Alliant Powder's Blue Dot® should not be used in the following applications:

• Blue Dot® should NOT be used in the 357 Magnum load using the 125 grain projectile (Blue Dot® recipes with heavier bullet weights as specified in Alliant Powders Reloading Guide are acceptable for use).
• Blue Dot® should NOT be used in the 41 Magnum cartridge (all bullet weights).

Use of Blue Dot® in the above cases may cause a high pressure situation that could cause property damage and serious personal injury.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Edited January 16, 2015 by wolverine

[Ray Z]

I use 3.2 of solo 1000 behind a 150gr round nose cast in 38 spl 

4.9 behind a 180gr plated in 40 s&w

357 mag is a different animal. It needs a slower powder. You can use fast powders but you can't get the velocities that cartridge is designed for without going way over pressure. 4227,231, and unique are my go to's. I don't care for accurate arms powders. Too much graphite. They dirty up my gun too quickly. 

Just my 2 cents worth

Ray

[tnhawk]

AA#2 is another option for .38. A little goes a long way for .38

 

But Unique-Bullseye-and W231 are hard to beat.

 

I've probably burned more Unique than any other powder. Great stuff for many different handgun rounds.

I started using Unique many years ago.  The only time I've used a different powder was when Unique wasn't available.

[wolverine]

Just about any standard pistol powder will be usable. For all around, Unique is hard to beat. Bullseye is my favorite powder, easy metering and versatility. In today's world, buy what you can and scour reputable manuals to find the data you need. .38 is where I started and is about as easy and rewarding as it gets. I'll recommend one thing that'll make your life easier, order a a separate crimp die regardless of the brand dies you buy and specifically the Redding Profile Crimp for .38/357. You can thank me later :)

+1 on the Redding i have on for every  pistol caliber  that i reload for

 

Unique HS 6  HP 38, HP 38 is equal to 231

Edited January 24, 2015 by wolverine

[jaysouth]

I use the Lee Factory Crimp die on my Dillons in 9mm, 38 and 45.  Much better crimps for hot rounds.  But remember, don't overwork your brass, that is don't put too large a bell in the mouth wnen seating, and don't overcrimp.

 

With a firm crimp, Unique will do for .38 Spl.  When more powder becomes avaliable, buy WST, Bulleseye, clays or 231/HP38 for more efficient light loads.