Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: 3 batches of .38 wadcutters loaded and ready for testing

  1. #1
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Midwest

    3 batches of .38 wadcutters loaded and ready for testing

    148 gr lead wadcutters loaded in mixed brass .38.
    Winchester SPP
    1.175 OAL

    CFE - 3.9 gr

    Acc #5 - 3.9 gr

    Titegroup - 3.2 gr

    These are all new loads for me, as I typically load 125 gr or 158 gr plated RN or RNFP bullets. I'll try to chrono them and evaluate each this week. I'll be tickled if the CFE works, as I've got a bunch of it but it was very inconsistent with 125 gr plated. It was extremely position sensitive. I'm hoping with the reduced case volume it will be less sensitive in this load. Acc #5 has been a good all around powder for me, but middle loads in revolver cases have left unburnt powder. This is a near max load and I think it'll be clean and consistent. Titegroup is a powder I've not messed with much over the years. I bought it when I couldn't get WST for my .45s during The Great Ammo Scare and still have about a pound of it. I've no idea what to expect out of it.

  2. #2
    I hear nothing but good things about Titegroup.
    #RESIST

  3. #3
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Georgia
    The only thing holding me from using titegroup with my 148 gr is the fact my Lee auto disk only measures down to 3.5.

  4. #4
    Member rsa-otc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    South Central NJ
    Titegroup is an excellent powder that meters accurately. I routinely get standard deviations in the single digit range.

    My only objection to Titegroup is that it burns extremely hot. For any high volume revolver training with little time between strings the gun can get extremely hot and I have had students play hot potato with their gun during reloads and administrative handling.

    It has been reported that due to the heat it doesn’t play well with lead bullets leading to smoky loads. Since I haven’t loaded lead bullets in almost a decade I haven’t personally seen this.

    Although I must say that I never noticed flame cutting of the back strap on any of the 40 some company weapons until we used Titegroup.

    At this point I tend to steer away from Titegroup for revolver. For revolver I fall back to Clays or Bullseye. Never liked Win231 because the guns were hard to clean afterwards.
    Last edited by rsa-otc; 05-18-2016 at 09:35 AM.
    Scott
    Only Hits Count - The Faster the Hit the more it Counts!!!!!!; DELIVER THE SHOT!
    Stephen Hillier - "An amateur practices until he can do it right, a professional practices until he can't do it wrong."

  5. #5
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Allen, TX
    Titegroup does burn hot, for sure and I avoid it for lead bullet reloads. My favorite .38 wadcutter load is a classic from Ed Harris: 148-150 DEWC (sprue cut forward) over 3.5 grains of Bullseye. It's standard pressure, full power (~800-825 fps in a 4") and very accurate. Kills small game like lightning and does very nice straight, deep penetration. I've gotten to where I all load in .38 Special is either the aforementioned DEWC or a 158-160 lead bullet of any quality design over 3.5 BE. It was the original factory load and works very well.
    Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
    Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    Titegroup does burn hot, for sure and I avoid it for lead bullet reloads. My favorite .38 wadcutter load is a classic from Ed Harris: 148-150 DEWC (sprue cut forward) over 3.5 grains of Bullseye. It's standard pressure, full power (~800-825 fps in a 4") and very accurate. Kills small game like lightning and does very nice straight, deep penetration. I've gotten to where I all load in .38 Special is either the aforementioned DEWC or a 158-160 lead bullet of any quality design over 3.5 BE. It was the original factory load and works very well.
    This.

    I grew up shooting 38 wadcutters over 3.0 Bullseye out of a heavy-barreled Model 10 that had been reamed to take 357 ammo. Works like a champ.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by rsa-otc View Post
    My only objection to Titegroup is that it burns extremely hot. For any high volume revolver training with little time between strings the gun can get extremely hot and I have had students play hot potato with their gun during reloads and administrative handling.

    It has been reported that due to the heat it doesn’t play well with lead bullets leading to smoky loads. Since I haven’t loaded lead bullets in almost a decade I haven’t personally seen this.

    ...

    At this point I tend to steer away from Titegroup for revolver. For revolver I fall back to Clays or Bullseye. Never liked Win231 because the guns were hard to clean afterwards.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    Titegroup does burn hot, for sure and I avoid it for lead bullet reloads.
    My experience matches this. I and at least one other local revolver shooter used titegroup for IDPA before they lowered the PF. We both were using over book max to make 125PF. IIRC, it was 4.5gr with a 158gr lead bullet. It wasn't necessarily smokier/dirtier than alternatives, but holy hell would the gun get hot. Being a lefty, the forcing cone would get hot enough in an 18 round string to blister the web of the right hand when reloading. 5-7 stages made for a long day.

    Oh, and a .38spl case would hold THREE charges of that over book max load. Double charges were hard to notice. The legacy .38spl case is not a good fit for very dense powders like titegroup.

  8. #8
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Midwest
    148 gr lead wadcutters loaded in mixed brass .38.
    Winchester SPP
    1.175 OAL


    6 shots
    4" Match Champion:
    CFE - 3.9 gr

    804
    843
    808
    819
    809
    849


    Acc #5 - 3.9 gr

    703
    672
    689
    689
    731
    705


    Titegroup - 3.2 gr

    902
    933
    888
    881
    861
    866


    2" Detective Special


    CFE - 3.9 gr

    665
    670
    735
    688
    717
    685

    Acc #5 - 3.9 gr

    626
    602
    558
    603
    619
    591

    Titegroup - 3.2 gr

    840
    800
    735
    783
    799
    809

    2" LCR


    CFE - 3.9 gr

    Not tested (didn't load enough to test in all 3 guns)

    Acc #5 - 3.9 gr

    609
    594
    643
    625
    620

    Titegroup - 3.2 gr

    808
    810
    802
    807
    810


    WOW consistency in gun and ammo on that one.

    Comparison - factory PDX-1 .38+P load in LCR, approximately 1 year old carry ammo:
    953
    857
    880
    864
    894


    Observations:
    CFE was the least smoky and was the middle for recoil.

    Acc #5 was lowest recoil and middle for smoke.

    Titegroup was heaviest recoil and most smoke.

    All loads were accurate enough and deviations were well within my range of personal error. I found the CFE quite easy to shoot well and the Titegroup was easier in the Rugers than the Colt.

    Here's the CFE load out of the Match Champion:



    The top two shots were covering the black dot with the fiber optic. I then covered the black dot with the top of the front sight blade and shot the remaining four. I'm pretty happy with that performance.

    The circled ones are the same load with the Detective Special



    I blame me for the hitting high. I really need to paint the front sight on the DS as I'm not getting the front sight level with the rear sight, it's a bit high once I really see it.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •