Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .38 S&W (Colt N.P.) with .358 | 125gr | LEE Mold 358-125-RF bullet and 31 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol and Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 60% and propellant combustion ≥ 80%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 4"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 15,069 psi | 87% | 853 fps | 94.8% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,258 psi | 88% | 814 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,519 psi | 89% | 843 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant BE-86² | <<locked>> | 72% | 14,895 psi | 86% | 860 fps | 97.1% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,315 psi | 82% | 820 fps | 98.9% |
| Alliant Herco* | <<locked>> | 88% | 14,591 psi | 84% | 869 fps | 87.5% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,083 psi | 81% | 807 fps | 100% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,360 psi | 88% | 889 fps | 88.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,592 psi | 90% | 840 fps | 98.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol | <<locked>> | 88% | 14,228 psi | 82% | 846 fps | 99.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,505 psi | 89% | 869 fps | 99.2% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,606 psi | 90% | 778 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 7,397 psi | 43% | 636 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon Universal² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,040 psi | 86% | 869 fps | 95.7% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 14,649 psi | 84% | 860 fps | 90.4% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,185 psi | 87% | 853 fps | 95% |
| Maxam CSB 2² | <<locked>> | 76% | 14,054 psi | 81% | 876 fps | 98.6% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,040 psi | 86% | 843 fps | 98.3% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,228 psi | 82% | 817 fps | 99.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,025 psi | 81% | 873 fps | 99.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 6,411 psi | 37% | 614 fps | 87.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 14,243 psi | 82% | 873 fps | 89.2% |
| SNPE Vectan A1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 15,214 psi | 87% | 837 fps | 96.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,547 psi | 84% | 820 fps | 91.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 14,605 psi | 84% | 843 fps | 94% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 14,344 psi | 82% | 837 fps | 88.3% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,025 psi | 81% | 833 fps | 99.5% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 15,171 psi | 87% | 830 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N330² | <<locked>> | 68% | 14,185 psi | 82% | 869 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 14,736 psi | 85% | 853 fps | 87.9% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,708 psi | 90% | 876 fps | 94.1% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 4"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1250*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,138 psi | 58% | 725 fps | 88.2% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,213 psi | 76% | 771 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 50N² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,561 psi | 78% | 801 fps | 98.4% |
| Alliant BE-86*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,790 psi | 56% | 728 fps | 91.1% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,531 psi | 72% | 778 fps | 97.7% |
| Alliant Herco* | <<locked>> | 84% | 13,155 psi | 76% | 833 fps | 85.5% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,111 psi | 70% | 761 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant UNIQUE*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 13,721 psi | 79% | 846 fps | 86.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,937 psi | 69% | 758 fps | 95.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol*² | 2.8 gr | 60% | 6,686 psi | 38% | 627 fps | 88.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,009 psi | 69% | 791 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,531 psi | 72% | 719 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 4,598 psi | 26% | 518 fps | 86.5% |
| Hodgdon Universal*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,748 psi | 68% | 784 fps | 91.9% |
| Lovex S020*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,385 psi | 65% | 778 fps | 85.8% |
| Maxam CSB 1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,732 psi | 56% | 712 fps | 87.6% |
| Maxam CSB 2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,673 psi | 50% | 732 fps | 92.3% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,516 psi | 66% | 758 fps | 95.2% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,285 psi | 76% | 794 fps | 98.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,429 psi | 66% | 807 fps | 98.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14* | <<locked>> | 96% | 5,990 psi | 34% | 597 fps | 86.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 20*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 12,763 psi | 73% | 833 fps | 86.8% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,576 psi | 78% | 801 fps | 94.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,995 psi | 75% | 784 fps | 90% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,429 psi | 66% | 761 fps | 90% |
| Somchem MS200*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 12,778 psi | 73% | 797 fps | 86.1% |
| Vihtavuori N320² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,140 psi | 70% | 791 fps | 98.4% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star*² | 2.1 gr | 60% | 5,062 psi | 29% | 554 fps | 94.1% |
| Vihtavuori N330*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,979 psi | 63% | 784 fps | 91.6% |
| Vihtavuori N340*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 13,111 psi | 75% | 814 fps | 85.7% |
| Winchester AutoComp *² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,544 psi | 55% | 719 fps | 85.4% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
* not dangerous but load has suboptimal powder burnt with possible characteristics such as extensive muzzle flash or inaccurate loads.
² fill rate low - you might want to consider using a filler to ensure proper ignition.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 31 powders for .38 S&W (Colt N.P.) loaded with the .358 | 125gr | LEE Mold 358-125-RF. Alliant UNIQUE delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 889 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 614 fps to 889 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 5 of the 31 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (120 MPa), the top charges use 37–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star rank at the top here: for .38 S&W (Colt N.P.) with the .358 | 125gr | LEE Mold 358-125-RF they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate Solo 1250, Alliant Herco, Alliant UNIQUE burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate Solo 1250, ADI AS 30, ADI AS 50N stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.