I like to know if anyone know how to load 38spl. with shot that you load in shot gun .It would be #8,or 9 shot. I want to use it to shoot rats in the barn and yard. I seen sometime ago in a NRA mag about it but can not find it. Thank you

Yes. Search this forum. There are many threads about handgun shot loads.

The easiest suggestion I can give is to buy a box of Speer shot capsules. There are complete instructions and loads right on the box.

There are a few "tricks and secrets" to it, but post again after you have the capsules and we'll talk more then.

Yup, Rocky nailed it. I use 7 1/2 shot in the Speer shot capsules. You can get them in 38/357 and 44 mag/special from Speer and they work much better than using gas checks in a 38 case, at least for me. I use them for snake loads and I wouldn't expect much killing power past about 10 feet as the rifling opens up the patterns.

You can get the speer shot capsuls here. I use 4.5 gn bullseye in a .357 mag. The filled capsul weighs about 104 gn.

http://www.midwayusa.com/esearch.exe/search?search_keywords=speer+shot+capsuls&category_selector=all_products&Click+to+Begin+Search.x=11&Click+to+Begin+Search.y=13

While the data in the 2 links I give are for big bore guns, you can adjust the load data for your .38. I have been successful with the snakestopper load in my .45C Jeff Quinn writes about at http://www.gunblast.com/Snake_Stopper.htm. I've also found an article at www.castbullet.com/reload/44shot.htm that gives a reasonable method.

Find you some of the Winchester 22 rat shot, works real well and not as noisy. 38's didn't impress me at all and the CCI stuff not very good in MHO either. We use to get together for a good ole rat killing every time my uncle cleaned out his layer houses and the Winchester rat shot would lay them to rest. Four or Five of us would set in the dark and one would be on the light switch. Wouldn't take them long to start crawling, hit the lights and go to town, was always fun but they don't work well on an opossum.

Yup, Rocky nailed it. I use 7 1/2 shot in the Speer shot capsules. You can get them in 38/357 and 44 mag/special from Speer and they work much better than using gas checks in a 38 case, at least for me. I use them for snake loads and I wouldn't expect much killing power past about 10 feet as the rifling opens up the patterns.

Hi Thank you for your info. I just got some for 38/357 and I gotten some data on the powder to load them .I had weight them and for the powder . I got taken care of . But the OAL for them I was told that it was 1.500 But I can not get them down to that lenght. Any ideas of what the max of OAL can be? As for the instrution on the box there was none.It dose not say how to load them and no data.
Thank you

I just measured some of mine and they run between 1.528 and 1.530" overall length. That's in 38 Special brass. The load in that batch is 4.5 gr of AA#5 and the capsules hold 103 grains of #9 shot. The note with them says "Good load" so I know I tested them at some point.

If I recall correctly, I load them this way:

Size and prime as usual. Expand but do not bell (or just barely add a touch of flare). Dispense the powder charge into the case.

You'll have to fiddle with the shot capsules, adding and shaking out a few pellets at a time until you get as many as possible in there but are still able to press in the base plug until it snaps in place. Use #9 or smaller, if possible, and never larger than size #7 1/2 shot.

Press the filled capsule into the loaded brass as far as you can with your thumb. Back your seating die out so it does not crimp and also back the bullet stem out. Raise the loaded round into the die all the way (go slow near the top to make SURE it doesn't crimp!) Gradually screw in the seater, measuring each time, until you get to an overall length of about 1.53"

Test to see if the round fits in each and every chamber of your revolver. If it catches on the mouth of the case, you'll have to remove the trace of belling. Back the seater stem out again by a turn or two, and slowly screw the seater die in until the crimp shoulder JUST removes the belling. Then readjust the seater stem back down until it touches the capsule again. You should now have the seater die and stem adjsted for your shotshell loads. Doublecheck that the round now fits the gun.

Lastly, run the thinnest possible bead (one drop) of superglue around the capsule at the case mouth to lock it in place against recoil.

I just measured some of mine and they run between 1.528 and 1.530" overall length. That's in 38 Special brass. The load in that batch is 4.5 gr of AA#5 and the capsules hold 103 grains of #9 shot. The note with them says "Good load" so I know I tested them at some point.

If I recall correctly, I load them this way:

Size and prime as usual. Expand but do not bell (or just barely add a touch of flare). Dispense the powder charge into the case.

You'll have to fiddle with the shot capsules, adding and shaking out a few pellets at a time until you get as many as possible in there but are still able to press in the base plug until it snaps in place. Use #9 or smaller, if possible, and never larger than size #7 1/2 shot.

Press the filled capsule into the loaded brass as far as you can with your thumb. Back your seating die out so it does not crimp and also back the bullet stem out. Raise the loaded round into the die all the way (go slow near the top to make SURE it doesn't crimp!) Gradually screw in the seater, measuring each time, until you get to an overall length of about 1.53"

Test to see if the round fits in each and every chamber of your revolver. If it catches on the mouth of the case, you'll have to remove the trace of belling. Back the seater stem out again by a turn or two, and slowly screw the seater die in until the crimp shoulder JUST removes the belling. Then readjust the seater stem back down until it touches the capsule again. You should now have the seater die and stem adjsted for your shotshell loads. Doublecheck that the round now fits the gun.

Lastly, run the thinnest possible bead (one drop) of superglue around the capsule at the case mouth to lock it in place against recoil.

Thank you for your help . This will help a great deal.

Another interesting load for the Speer Shot Capsules is three #1 buckshot. Use the same powde.charge.....James

Loading without the shot capsules is also easy, but it may take a bit of experimentation before you get good results. I've done them two ways.

You can load a moderate load of any suitable powder, then seat a gas check base-first on top of the powder. Fill the remaining space over the gascheck almost completely with shot. Then, seat a gas check base-up on top of the shot and crimp the round closed. Or...

Gas checks have gone a bit pricey, so you can cut wads out of paper milk cartons using a chamfered case as a punch. Put in your powder, seat a couple of your milk-carton "wads" on top, add shot, cap with a couple more wads, crimp closed.