I can't find many loads for a l.38 Special for a lever action rifle I'll use a 158 g lead semiwadcutter bullet. Can I use loads for a pistol? Should I use some of the hotter loads since the action is heavier? Thanks.

Handgun loads are fine in a .38Spcl rifle. Loading for a rifle built to handle .357's certainly means a +P level would be safe. Otherwise, there are a lot of different rifles out there of varying quality, and you might be best served loading to the book limit for the standard load. If you have one of the marlin Cowboy .38's, any listed .38Spcl load will be safe.

Velocity with some of the softer extruded bullets might be a issue with leading, and accuracy, but not a safety problem for the most part.

Standard pressure loads should be fine for any 38 Special rifle. The only rifles I can think of in 38 Special are some Cowboy Marlins and the 1866 Winchester clones. The 1866 should not be fed +P loads with its brass frame, IIRC. The Marlin should be no problem. Check with the maker to be sure.

before u load up a bunch of semi wadcutters,load a few dummies and make sure the shoulder on the bullet is not going to hang up on the way in. If u have an 1866/73 type action...never mind.they will feed pretty much anything.