As old as the 38 S&W might be, it has some pretty modern attributes going for it. "Inside" bullet lubrication is one such trait, a thing that bullet casters and reloaders can appreciate warmly. Life is too short to mess around with outside lubrication as a hobbyist--I felt differently 20 years ago, but my patience threshold is not what it once was for fussiness and aberrance of that sort.
The 38 S&W is really two cartridges--the 145-150 grain occupant of small-frame revolvers, and the 178-200 grain British adaptation for WWII usage known as the "38/200".
I use an NOE copy of the classic Lyman #358477 for my small-frame loadings. WSP primers in Starline cases and 3.0 grains of Unique prompt 700-725 FPS from the little PP and RegPol 4" barrels, and both guns hit where the sights are looking at 25 yards. This charge weight might be a bit much for less-stalwart top-break variants, but in the swing-out/solid top-strap they seem to be all right. The NOE "477" just about cleans up in a .361" sizer, and even in pure lead they shoot well and leave no bore deposits behind.
I use an NEI #169A mould for the 38/200 bullets. In pure lead, these weigh 208 grains; in 92/6/2 they tip the scales at 202 grains. At .810", they exceed the length of the cases they are seated into (.775"). 3.0-3.3 grains of Herco impart 600-675 FPS to these castings; in the S&W M&P they hit where the sights look at 25 yards pretty well, the Webley-Enfield centers them within a B-27's 9-ring if you count line hits generously.
One of the ranges I infest has iron swinger targets set up at 25 and 50 yards, and this is where the two loadings sing very different songs. The 150 grain bullets give a nice little PA-TINK sound when hit--the 200 grainers produce a more authoritative CLANG, even at 50 yards. Those Brits might have been on to something prior to WWII. That said, I recall a conversation I had with the late Bruce B at one of the NCBS meets some years back concerning the 38/200 loads. He said that after WWII and for some years later the RCMP, Provincial Police, and some city agencies in Canada issued these war-surplus S&W revolvers as service sidearms, complete with the 38/200 ammunition. The officers bemoaned the tendency of these loads to glance harmlessly off the sloped rear windows of fleeing vehicles, rather than digging in and penetrating to hit the bad guy making tracks to avoid them. Bruce did not think much of the caliber, IOW. That's fine--I still won't stand downrange and field the flying bullets to collect casting metal.
The RCBS Cowboy Die Set for 38 S&W does fine work for the 38 S&W/small frame loads. It features expander plugs of 2 diameters (.358" and .360") and a steel sizing die. The bullet aligning sleeve in the seater die will accept a bullet of .361" snugly, but will not admit a .362" pin gauge. Nicely enough, the form of the NEI #169A and its .363"-sized drive bands allows the bullet to be seated before any contact with the driving bands, and a decent roll crimp to be placed in one die step. I do employ the 9mm Makarov T/C sizing die on the 38 S&W cases, and also use the 9mm Mak spud in the Lyman powder-thru-expander die to prep 38/200 brass for the fatter bullets. (I use a Ponsness-Warren P-200 turret press for my handgun and small rifle loading).
Powder goes a long way with this little critter. The 38 S&W knocks over jackrabbits and small varmints with aplomb. I might whack a coyote with the 38/200, but dunno about the 150 grainer at 700 FPS. Even a scroungy song dog deserves a decisive termination.