ORIGINAL: CIG
I'm new to reloading. Just bought the equipment and now need powder. I'm going to be loading 38's for some target shooting from a Ruger Security Six with 6 inch bull barrel. So my question is what powder type to get and why? Does stick, ball, flake have any characteric differences other than shape? Would a certain shape make a better target load? I await your wisdom. Thanks.
Well, small, dense grained powder like Bullseye, HS 6, and various the ball powders all meter more accurately through a powder measure than stick or flake powders. Some flake types, like Unique, are so bad in this respect that they need to be weighed for each round, a real pain!! However, slower powders occupy more space in the case, and overflow if you double-charge a case inadvertently. This prevents potentially serious overloads!!
A number of different powders work very well for target level loads in the .38 Special. I prefer Bullseye, but you have to carefully guard against double charges if you use it!