OneEyed Doc Posted January 1 Posted January 1 Hello I am interested in joining SASS and I have just started reloading. The only listings for .38 Special I see are listed as PISTOL loads. Does anyone find different information for rifles, or do people use this for their lever guns to? I have been loading some 'middle of the road' rounds and they work fine in my 4" Smith revolvers I don't even have all my guns yet but thought I would develop some loads and recipes for the near future. Could anyone help enlighten me? Thanks One Eyed Doc Quote
Jim Brown Posted January 1 Posted January 1 I shoot the same loads in Pistol and Rifle. I would consider loading Long Range Pistol Caliber Rifle separately if I want to use my match rifle for LR. 6 Quote
Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 Posted January 1 Posted January 1 (edited) If you look at the barrel of a replica 1873 it indicates .357 Magnum as the caliber. I have been loading .357 cases with 3.0 grains of Clays or Clay Dot using a 125 grain RNFP bullet. Never had a problem. The toggle link guns can be sensitive to overall case length, that being said a good number of shooters do use 38 Special cases in their .357 rifles. Watch the overall length, you will want it to be 1.510-1.550 overall length. It is easiest to achieve that length with 125 grain RNFP bullets, that shape also feeds well in the lever guns. TB Edited January 2 by Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 2 Quote
Sheriff Dill Posted January 1 Posted January 1 I also load the same loads for both our pistols and rifles. All .38 special. We do shoot with a few shooters that laps .38’s for pistols and .357 for rifle. 1 Quote
Longfoot Posted January 1 Posted January 1 One load for both my partner and I through 4 pistols and 2 rifles. 125 gn rnfp with the longest ogive I could find in that weight for reliable cycling in both a Marlin 1894 Cowboy Comp and an Uberti '73 Comp. A charge of Titegroup at the low end of Hodgdon's published range for the combo, but, still within it. Separate, individual gun loadings for accurate pistol caliber long range and metallic silhouette shooting. Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 1 Posted January 1 I load several calibers for SASS for both rifles and pistols. I do not do different loads, but use the same in both the pistols and rifles. 1 Quote
Shawnee Hills Posted January 1 Posted January 1 Keeping things as simple as possible, I've been loading Scarlett's 105 gr. bullets in 38 special cases to a 1.500" OAL. This works well in the Ruger NMVs and feeds very well in 4 Uberti and two lighting rifles. 1 Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 1 Posted January 1 OP, have you attended any shoots yet? If NO, buy NOTHING until you have done so. 5 Quote
Jack Spade Posted January 1 Posted January 1 You are going to want a whole lot lighter than middle of the road loads for SASS. I load 38 specials in rifle and pistol. I load my rifle cartridges long at 1.54 so I do load a different bullet for rifle and pistol but I just changed rifles so am going to play with OAL and see if I can get back to just one length. As for powder charge most any fast shotgun powder loaded at 3 grains works well for low recoil 38 special. Some of us load even lighter than that. You can do a search and there is a loading manual that was developed for cowboy action loads, I don't have a copy or I would link it. When loading rounds trying to decide what you like, remember only load a few rounds at a time and test the recoil and find what you like. Probably the easiest powder to find right now is going to be titegroup/high gun or perfect pattern. Bullets have to be cast lead but may be coated with powder coat or Hi-tek coating. Several good places to get bullets, if you can't find them just ask. A big majority of us only load federal primers in our cowboy loads because we have had work done on our firearms to lighten and speed up the actions and federals are the ones that work the best with lightened springs. Before you buy much else, go to a few matches and ask a lot of questions. Cowboy shooters are the nicest bunch you will ever meet and more than willing to help get a new guy started. I have complete sets of guns and leather that I can load to new shooters until they get their own and almost every club has someone like me. 5 Quote
Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 Posted January 1 Posted January 1 Before you ask about primers: use small pistol primers for both your revolver and rifle ammo. Small rifle primers are not needed for pistol-caliber rifles. Powder: many are loading Tightgroup because it is available and suitable for CAS ammo. I have loaded 231 (the same powder I load for semi-auto pistols) and it works too and is available. Many other favored powders are unavailable as military contracts as consuming available powder. Perfect Pattern is a shotgun powder very suitable for light shotgun loads. However, Hodgdon does not list pistol loads for Perfect Pattern. As a new reloader you should stick to published recipes. Brass: many load 38 Specials a bit long so they feed smoothly in a lever action rifle. Once fired 38 Special brass is available online at a big discount to unfired brass. Once-fired 357 mag brass is less available. Avoid nickel-plated brass. SNS Casting is an Illinois-based bullet supplier if you want to order from an in-state caster. Quote
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted January 2 Posted January 2 4 hours ago, Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 said: ...Watch the overall length, you will want it to be 1.150-1.550 overall length... TB Bill, I don't know if that was a typo, but I've never seen any rifle, much less a '73, that would cycle 1.150" ammo. Quote
watab kid Posted January 2 Posted January 2 10 hours ago, Jim Brown said: I shoot the same loads in Pistol and Rifle. I would consider loading Long Range Pistol Caliber Rifle separately if I want to use my match rifle for LR. this , is the way to approach it - load for your rifle OAL and use the same in your revolver - it limits you to one session of reloading and keeps things simple at the loading table ,the long range side matches are a whole different matter - i load my main match on one loader , my side match on another , totally different operations , thats my approach , others may differ , but its my way 2 Quote
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 2 Posted January 2 I use the same load for rifle and pistol. It makes life much easier. 2 Quote
Go West Posted January 2 Posted January 2 Find what OAL your rifle likes and use that load for pistol and rifle. There are many powders that work with .38 Special, I tend to look at cost and availability when buying. My guns are tuned to use any small pistol primer. 1 Quote
Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 Posted January 2 Posted January 2 (edited) 8 hours ago, watab kid said: this , is the way to approach it - load for your rifle OAL and use the same in your revolver - it limits you to one session of reloading and keeps things simple at the loading table ,the long range side matches are a whole different matter - i load my main match on one loader , my side match on another , totally different operations , thats my approach , others may differ , but its my way Your right typo, dang AI, made the corrections, Thanks. TB Edited January 2 by Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 Quote
Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 Posted January 2 Posted January 2 I load my .38's with 3.0gr. Clays, 125gr. bullet to 1.50 OAL. They run good in rifle or pistols. Randy 2 Quote
watab kid Posted January 3 Posted January 3 11 hours ago, Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 said: Your right typo, dang AI, made the corrections, Thanks. TB thanks , i have fat fingers too when it comes to the keyboard , Quote
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 I load mine with 3.5 grs of TiteGroup with a 125gr bullet at 1.49 length. Works great in my 73’s and pistols. 2 Quote
Bison Bud Posted January 3 Posted January 3 We shoot "Pistol Caliber Rifles" in this game, so recipes for pistol loads are indeed the ticket for both the rifle and the handguns. Many prefer to use the same ammo in both mainly for convenience, but my Marlin lever guns like a bit longer load and I generally either load the .357 cases or long crimp the .38's for them. In any case, you sure don't need heavy loads, but don't get hung up on extremely light rounds as some do. Your middle of the road loads will probably be just fine in the rifle and probably the handguns as well, but if your a bit recoil sensitive a lighter target load will do just fine. There's plenty of good .38 Special load data online and in the manuals and a wide variety of suitable propellants. Pay attention to the minimum load levels as some powders can get pretty inconsistent when you try to go lower. Frankly, the .38 Special is a great round for this game and the +P loads are also suitable for self defense. What's not to like! Good luck and good shooting to all. 2 Quote
Tall John Posted January 3 Posted January 3 I started with the same load for 38spl rifle and pistol but started shooting Duelist so working on lighter loads for my pistols. primers: ONLY FEDERAL, they are softer and are reliable with light springs. brass: Starline is most desired but well cleaned and inspected range brass works just as well. powder: Titegroup/High Gun for pistols. Fast, hot, inexpensive, available. I’m currently loading TITEWad for shotgun because of its low price but it’s virtually unavailable. I’ll probably move to Alliant Promo when I run out of TITEWad in a few years. bullets: i now cast most of mine but when I buy them i like slippery bullets.com. For PISTOLS 125grn RNFP; for Rifle 147NLG FP (allows infinite OAL adjustment and has a longer profile. Over 3.0grn Titegroup. For ultra-light recoil in pistols, I really like the ProCast 97gr Hollow base FP bullet over 2.8gr Titegroup. ive attached a copy of Hodgdon’s Cowboy load data. PSS: go to a few matches before you start spending your treasure. Buy once-cry-once applies to this sport! hodgdon_2002_blackpowder_reloaders_manual.pdf Quote
OneEyed Doc Posted yesterday at 02:35 AM Author Posted yesterday at 02:35 AM Some good information here. Much obliged. I now realize I must load to longer OAL for a rifle. Does anyone shoot the Uberti Pistoleer (.357)? I found a decent price on one near me. Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted 5 hours ago Posted 5 hours ago On 1/10/2026 at 8:35 PM, OneEyed Doc said: Some good information here. Much obliged. I now realize I must load to longer OAL for a rifle. Does anyone shoot the Uberti Pistoleer (.357)? I found a decent price on one near me. Make sure any rifle you choose. Will hold 10 cartridges in the magazine tube. 3 Quote
Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667 Posted 4 hours ago Posted 4 hours ago On 1/10/2026 at 9:35 PM, OneEyed Doc said: Does anyone shoot the Uberti Pistoleer (.357)? I found a decent price on one near me. Like almost all of the current Uberti 1873 revolvers (the Cimarron Arizona Ranger is an exception), the Pistoleer has the Cattleman 2 lockwork aka a “Three click”. Some people don’t like them. Quote
Windy City Kid Posted 2 hours ago Posted 2 hours ago On 1/1/2026 at 12:14 PM, OneEyed Doc said: Hello I am interested in joining SASS and I have just started reloading. Welcome aboard. Whereabouts in IL you at? Quote
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