I got to shoot some of the bp 38 specials loads today. Shot them in a 357 mag ruger vaq 4 5/8 barrel.
I am hooked. I shot some 158 gr but I have a 170 gr swc I will try next.
I can get about 18 gr of GEO FFF in the case. Problem is I only have 1 lb of the powder.
I did get 5# of GEO 5FA FFF which is a fireworks powder but can be shot. It weighs less close to
being a 15gr charge.
Some of the things I am planning to do is compress the load some, cast a soft bullet, heavy crimp load, no sizing of brass
and test if mag primers show any type of gain.
Was fun fanning the gun. I have to shoot at night and get some pictures
After I am happy with load in pistol I will try it in a 92 rossi.

I may start some 357 mag loads too.

I decided to just use 357 mag cases. Problem I am having is all my 357 mag cases are nickled plated.
I checked around for some once fired cases and they want just as much as I can get new Starline brass.
I would have prefer Winchester being a softer brass but I will anneal the Starline.

I loaded 50 rds of 357 mag with GEOX fff weight in about 22 grs. then I loaded another 50 rds 357 mag with
GEOX Musket Powder which the charged weigh in as 20 grs. 10% weight diffrence but same volume measure.
Loads are compressed. Bullets are sized to .358, 160 gr  swc, cast with stick on wheel weights and spl lube. Heavy crimp on bullet to keep bullets from
falling out. Cases not sized.

I am making my own lube from some bees wax that came from my dead hive. 50/50 mix bee and crisco. This will be my used in my next batch.

I hope to get some shooting time in the next 5 days.

Tagged.

We want need video OP. Sounds awesome!

Ran into a problem with the 357mag loads. The bullets I am using is a lyman mold
that cast a swc at 170 grs. Great looking bullet but they are a tad too long to fit in my Rugar.
Loaded 100 rds.All too long, got a plan to shoot 10 every time I go to the range. Something about a hacksaw
and making wad cutters on the loaded rounds. Hold my hacksaw and watch this.(plan on putting the tip of bullet
in vise so I can cut then shoot round to savage my brass)
I did order a lee 158gr round flat nose and I will be back.

Which Taurus would you suggest?

Anything left dirty with black powder will rust.  

Get one of the black powder cleaners or use hot soapy water.

I have a bunch of 158 gr cast 357 bullets, a crap load of .38 cases, and over 10 lbs of black powder. Add a set of 38/357 dies and some primers and I have a recipe for a fun weekend! (and some dirty guns!)
Sounds like fun to me!
Hessian-1

Some reloading and gun handling points need to be emphasized. Some of you mentioned the reloading aspect, but didn't see anyone mention "fanning."

1. Black powder requires a soft lead bullet, very nearly pure lead.
2. Bullets must be lubricated with a moist lubricant made for black powder, such as SPG, Lyman Black Gold or the home-brew lubricant named after me: Gatofeo No. 1 Bullet Lubricant (search the net).
One poster said he was going to use beeswax and Crisco, and he's on the beam with that combination.
3. Black powder burns best when slightly compressed.
4. Magnum primers are unnecessary in the small volume of the .38 Special case. I use Winchester primers for all my black powder loads, as they tend to run a little hotter than CCI. But I've also used CCI without a problem.
5. Crimp the bullet well, but it's soft so be careful not to damage it. A firm crimp aids ignition.

The .38 Special cartridge was originally a black powder round, when introduced about 1899. After a few years, smokeless powder was introduced in it, but factories continued to make black powder .38 Special cartridges up to about World War I.

Now, as to "fanning"
Fanning is holding the trigger back with your finger and slamming the hammer back your other hand, to shoot rapidly. It's inaccurate and will damage the gun.
Fanning is terribly hard on gun parts, causing them to slam and grate against each other when not fully engaged. Typically, the spur on the top of the trigger gets broken, or the notches in the hammer are damaged.
Never fan a revolver unless it's specifically made to do so. This means grinding off the top spur of the trigger that engages the notches in the hammer. With this trigger spur gone, it cannot contact the hammer.
But slamming the hammer back also slams the pawl -- that doohickey that comes up through the frame to turn the cylinder and the bolt, which comes up through the bottom of the frame to lock up with the cutouts in the cylinder.
Fanning is just bad business all around.
A revolver can be made for fanning, but it requires a gunsmith who knows what he's doing.
Look up Ed McGivern on the internet, who was one of the fastest shooters with a revolver in the world some 70 years ago. He did some fanning work and got groups at 15 feet the width of his hand. But he was an exception. Fanning is largely inaccurate unless you shoot a fluke grouping.

Shooting black powder pistol cartridges is definitely fun. I enjoy those I load.