scooter89

I was thinking about making some 38+p loads and was wondering, is it safe to load that hot in standard 38 sp. brass or is there a difference? i have an ice cream gallon bucket full of 38 sp. brass and there is probably 50 +p cases scattered through out.

laidlerj

You can safely load .38+P in any modern .38 Spcl brass in good condition. The pressure max. for .38 Spcl is 17,000 psi, while that for .38+P is 20,000 psi. By comparison, the pressure max. for .357 Magnum is 35,000 psi. If the brass can handle a regular .38 Spcl load, it can handle +P.

The +P headstamp usually just means that the original load was a +P; so far as I know, no manufacturer uses different brass for the +P loads.

The real question when loading .38+P is if the revolver is capable of handling the pressure. If it's a modern revolver - especially one made by Ruger - it can handle them. Granted, some of the aluminum alloy small frame revolvers won't like a steady diet of +P rounds, but they generally won't blow up - they'll get loose and the frame may distort.

Hope that helps.

Jim

scooter89

Im loading for an old ruger security six and a taurus model 66. both 357's... im just trying to bring my brother up slow as he is quite flinchy with the magnums, and i must admit, i can catch myself twitching after a few as well.

terry_p

Scooter89:

It sounds like the revolvers may be uncomfortable to shoot with the full power loads. You may want to consider changing the grips to Hogues or others that mitigate some of the recoil.

I really don't have anything to add to Jims response to your question. Once you fire the 38's then give the cylinders a good cleaning before using 357's again.

TMan51

That's a pretty good reason.

For the most part, I cannot really tell the difference between them most of the time, and I never bother to load +P level ammo in .38 Special brass. Mainly because I don't want my +P handloads to wander into someone's older .38.

If you look into SAAMI pressure ratings, and fully understand what they imply, you will likely avoid +P all together. I do load +P loads in .357 brass though by rounding up any listed +P load to the next full grain.

But the .38 Brass will be just fine, even with +P+ if you feel the need. Just be real careful so it doesn't wander into the wrong place on ya.

andybothel

I agree with the rest that +p brass is the same as 38.

I haven't loaded any +p levels, when I want a little hotter 38 I just load to the high end of the 38 spectrum. The books I have don't have many +p recipes for the powder/bullet combos that I have anyway.

I have heard of people loading 38 and 38+p recipes in 357 brass to avoid the carbon ring. May look into that.

dmkollector

Basically, you can load .38 Sp + P in .38 Special brass. The salient question is: Can your revolver handle the pressures of .38 Sp + P?