38 Special Powder limit

[MDBechtel]

I'm looking for some help with powder load limits for 38 special in a Cimarron 1866 Yellowboy lever action. I'd like to reach out and touch the 50 yard targets if that's possible. Any help on this would be great. I'm using X 800 powder.

Thanks,
Mike

[Hobie]

Keep your charges within the limits set by the manuals.

A .38 Special can reach out and touch things at 100 yards from a snub nose revolver, why you might not be able to do so from a rifle is beyond me. Try it, I think you'll be fine.

[Terry Murbach]

BY'N'LARGE, THAT WOULD BE A POOR CHOISE OF PROPELLENTS. IT MEASURES LIKE ROCKS.
ANY STANDARD LOADS FROM ANY LOADING MANUAL WILL WORK AND WE HAVE DATA GOING BACK TO 1898 SO YOU'LL HAVE NO PROBLEM FINDING IT.
DO NOT---DO NOT---USE ANY DATA OFF THE INTERNET THAT YOU DO NOT COMPARE WITH AT LEAST FIVE[5] TESTED SOURCES OF PRINTED DATA. ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE SEVEN[7]SOURCES OF DATA IS BETTER FROM WHICH YOU TOSS OUT THE HIGH STARTING LOAD AND THE LOW STARTING LOAD AND SEE HOW A FIVE DATA AVERAGE LOOKS.
FURTHERMORE, I DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN BY "POWDER LOAD LIMITS" BUT IF YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY ASKING FOR THE TOP END LOADS FOR THE SITUATION YOU DESCRIBE YOU ARE GOING ABOUT IT ALL WRONG NOT TO EVEN MENTION THE ABSOLUTE FACT NO ONE--NO ONE!!!-- CAN TELL YOU PRECISELY WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO START WITH THE LOWEST CORRECT LOADS AND WORK UP LOADS IN YOUR RIFLE/CARBINE YOU SHOULD PROBABLY BUY A MUCH STRONGER GUN THAN A UBERTI 1866 RIFLE/CARBINE, PARTICULARLY IF YOU INSIST ON STARTING OUT WITH YOUR "POWDER LOAD LIMIT" LOADS.
YOU CAN "REACH OUT AND TOUCH 50 YARD TARGETS" WITH A WHAMMO SLINGSHOT OR PELLET GUNS, NOT TO MENTION A 38SPL SNUB SO YOU SHOULD NOT THINK YOU'RE GONNA SUDDENLT HAVE TO LOAD THE DICKENS OUT OF THIS '66 TO MAKE HOLES IN PAPER.
AND SO IT GOES...

[Don McDowell]

Looks like you need to choose a different powder. I am unable to find any 800x 38 special data.
Might want to get yourself a Lyman 49th Reloading Handbook, look thru the data there and then choose a powder.

[Griff]

THE Terrence has spoken. I need not repeat his wise advice.

Don, I've never found any... and I suspect neither did the poster, hence his query here. But... some idjit on some board somewhere will probably give him a load... let's just hope that he follows Terry's excellent advice and keeps his parts all attached.

[Don McDowell]

Uhhuh

[perry owens]

A popular .38 Special load here in UK CAS matches is 3.5 grains of HP38 under a 158 grain lead RNFP. The guys shooting '66's and '73's seem to have no trouble reaching 100 yds in side matches.
Perry Owens

[gamekeeper]

The rifle range I used to use only had 200m targets and 38specials from carbines sure made it all the way with some to spare. I don't know what hand loads others used but I only had factory ammo at the time.

[KCSO]

I too don't cotton to the powder choice. I would prefer 3.8 of Bullseye for a fulll house load, or 5.6 of Unique both under a 158 RNFP both hole up well to past 100 yards. From a rifle you are looking at about 1200 fps velocity and in a Uberit 1866 they have been good for over 5000 rounds so far.

[Adobe Walls]

Howdy.

If I was in your shoes, I'd reach first for a can of Unique. It's been the basis of more decent multi purpose .38 Special handgun loads over the years than any of us can count. It's also just slow enough burning to gain a little improvement in a carbine. It should be very easy to make 50 yard deer, steel, or paper capable loads out of a carbine and still be at or slightly under the +P threshhold. The next powder I'd look at if I wanted truly purpose built .38 special carbine hunting loads would be Alliant 2400. Getting average or low end .357 magnum HANDGUN performance out of your carbine barrel should be pretty easy. (1150-1200 FPS with 158's) For pure experimental adventure, I'd also take a look a Ramshot's True Blue pistol powder. Their data indicates +P performance potential with standard pressures with that powder. AW