Have Mod. 15 S&W 38spl. Do I need to shoot light loads in it ?

G

Greybeard

New member
Have a bunch of 38 Cal.125 gr.lead bullits and a few Lbs. of Unique powder. (I also load for a 12 ga. shotgun) Would like to work up a load that would not be too hot for a Mod.15 S&W 38 Special. Any suggestions?

Happy and safe hunting .. Emilio .. Pico Rivera, Ca. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
I been reloading 38's and 357's for 25 years using a Lee handloader. I don't know if your familiar with them but they come with a powder measure. It's a dipper measure and a Lee .5 dipper is what I use for my 38's. and a .7 for my 357's. I've never bothered to figure out the dipper sizes v the number of grains of powder.

.5 dipper = 4.6 gr. of unique.
4.6 grains of unique under the 125gr. bullets will be fine. I can't tell the difference between my loads and factory loads. It also does'nt matter what size bullets I use. 125gr. - 235gr. they all feel the same. Not strong and not mild. In the past, I,ve loaded some hotter rounds and it damages the case some. Resizing the entire case is a pain and usually I end up throwing away 5 in 50 cases because I can't resize them. It's not worth it to me.
I'm not familiar with a model 15. I can't find it on the s&w site.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/s..._category=15701

This is my model 60
chief.jpg

I love this little one. Carry it all the time when I'm working in the woods. You never know when dinners gonna pop out. It shoots like a laser. I amaze myself at 20 yards shooting 3" groups off hand. I have a model 586 .357 Smith too.
Had her for 27 years. Smith a great hand gun.
Hope I helped. Joe
 
Not sure what you mean by "light loads". Your model 15 is capable of handling +P rated ammo. I happen to be a fan of lighter loads so I never mess around with loading hot loads in special casings. When I want to smash something with a revolver I use a Magnum caliber. You will find several powders that will double as a powder for your shotgun and your model 15. Hodgdon Clays powder is a good powder for target loads in a 12 ga. and works quite well for some handgun loads also.

Woodcock,
You will not find the Mod. 15 on the Smith site. The Model 15 is a Model designation from the past made back when Smith & Wesson made blued steel guns. This gun is a "k" frame (it started life as a M&P or model 10)became known as the K-38, later known as the 15 combat masterpiece when made with a 4" barrel and ramp syle front sight. The model 14 was the target masterpiece which came with the 6" ribbed barrel with patridge front sight. I am at the moment looking to find an early K-38 with 6' barrel for target shooting. Great guns.
Tuco

My Lyman 48th reloading handbook shows 120 gr cast bullet with Unique powder at:
4.0 grs. for 725 fps. up to 5.7 grs. for 1012 fps.
for my tastes I would like the loads closer to the starting point.
Good luck, be safe!
 
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I had a Model 15 once... nice revolver. And yes, it's a very stout .38 Special, basically a Model 10 with ramp front sight and adjustable rear sight.

They build .357 magnums on the same frame (K frame)... FWIW.

Dan
 
Quote:
Have a bunch of 38 Cal.125 gr.lead bullits and a few Lbs. of Unique powder. (I also load for a 12 ga. shotgun) Would like to work up a load that would not be too hot for a Mod.15 S&W 38 Special. Any suggestions?



I'd suggest following the guidelines from a reliable handloading manual. The Model 15 is a fine old revolver capable of excellent accuracy. I have a matched set of M15 .38 Special and a companion M18 .22LR and they're honey's. Unique is a versitile powder capable of giving decent velocity and accuracy from the .38 Spl. I like a hardcast 158 grain SWC chugging around 900 fps in my M15 and Unique is a good powder for this weight and utility. If I were to rely on this gun for self defense against human adversaries, the Buffalo Bore 158 gr. SWCLHP gas checked loading at 1,000 fps would get my vote as the best available. I never cared much for the lightweight bullets in the .38 case.
 
I can't speak intelligently about handloading for the .38 special, but the S&W Model 15 is rated for +P loads. As a police officer I carried one for years before I moved on to bigger and better handguns. I shot many +P rounds with no problems. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
My first issue revolver was a 4" K-38 on the KCMOPD and after several incidents using factory 158gr round nose where the perps were still fighting after what should have been Bang-Flop hits, most of us went against dept policy and were carrying some really hot handloads with lead hollow points. The weapons never showed any adverst effects. I still have the same frame in a 2.5 in .357 mag with some old Speer Lawman loads that will shatter concrete blocks @ 25 yds. Have fun with it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 

Congratulations on owning a Model 15! In this day of hyper magnums, many of us have found that the ole 38Spl is just plain fun to shoot and Model 15s are a good choice for plinking loads or full power loads.

For light loads, I use a 158gr SWC cast over a modest amount of Winchester 231. Its a mild load at 746 fps, easy on the valuable handguns, clean and gives me my best accuracy.

Hot loads consist of 125gr XTP at +P pressures. Accurate and potent.

FWIW, if you enjoy the Model 15, you may wish to add a K-38 to your stable. I have two, one with a 6" and one with an 8 3/8" barrel and they are equally enjoyable. Those old K frames can still be had in great condition for modest prices, but, not for long.
 


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