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38 bullet and powder


Grumpy Joe

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I understand we can't discuss specific load data but is okay to ask what bullet weight and brand of powder some of you are using for .38? Thanks

I use a 125Gr. round nose moly coated bullet by Bear Creek supply for both smokeless and BP subs.

 

I use Clays for smokeless and APP for the BP sub.

 

JJJ-D

:ph34r::ph34r:

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I'm using the 158 RNFP and Tightgroup, when done with 158's I will be using 125 TC bullets with Tightgroup or Trail Boss, that will be quite awhile since I mostly shoot 45LC

 

Most shooters use the 125 TC and I would say Tightgroup, Clays or Trail Boss, I'm sure some will chime in what they use

 

 

 

All for now JD Trampas

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What you use may be dependant on your rifle. Some are sensative to bullet shape and overal length. I would suggest you see what your gunsmith who did your rifle suggests.

 

At least put the model of rifle you intend to shoot. The answers you recieve then can be based on what you use instead of what I use. I shoot a Spur short stroked Marlin with Clays powder and 125 TC molley coated bullets and an overal length of not more than 1.43. Before the mods were done the same rifle used a 158 RNFP and Clays powder with an OAL of 1.45. These will not feed in the gun since mods were done. What ever feeds in your rifle will probably be OK in your pistols.

 

Your mileage may vary

 

McKenzie

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McKenzie, according to Cody Conagher who is building my rifle, as long as I'm 1.45 or longer, I should be okay, but I forgot to ask about bullet weight or shape.

 

Howdy

 

Either a Truncated Cone or a Round Nosed Flat Point bullet should feed fine in most rifles. Since Cody is building your rifle I am going to assume it is a '73. Rifles like the '73 are more forgiving of bullet shapes than rifles like a Marlin or a '92 because the '73 shoves the cartridge straight into the chamber like a torpedo going into a torpedo tube. Bullet shapes like a Semi-Wadcutter can sometimes be troublesome, because the sharp shoulder on them can snag going into a rifle chamber. More of a problem with a Marlin or a '92 because the cartridge rides up on the pivoting carrier. The cartridge enters the chamber at an angle, rather than straight on.

 

I load Mrs Johnson's 38s with Moulton's 125 grain Truncated Cone bullets. I load them with Clays. When crimped in the crimp groove the Over All length is 1.445. Mrs Johnson's little Marlin gobbles them up. I'll bet they would work great in a '73 too.

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I notice some of you use different bullets for revolver and rifle. Is there an advantage to that or just personal preference. Pardon the rookie questions but I'm new at CAS and want to start this thing right. My 38 load in IDPA was a 158g Bear Creek moly. How would that be for CAS, both rifle and revolver?

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http://www.mastercraftbullets.com/

Get all my bullets from Stormy.

115gr in the pistols.

130gr RNFP in the rifle.

 

I like a little more pop in my rifle and load it a little hotter.

Wife did not like it as much in the pistols. So started the 115gr a little lighter

for her. Otherwise I would just load the 130 for both. But if I am going to load the 115 for

her. I might as well shoot them in my pistols also. She don't mind the 130 in the rifle. So kept it.

That 130 RNFP has ran really good in all our long guns also. Another reason I like it.

 

For powder. I use Clays. For Pistol, Rifle, SG. One powder for all.

I also use a Mag primer.

As Clays can be temp sensitive in cold weather. Think the Mag Primer helps in the cold weather.

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I notice some of you use different bullets for revolver and rifle. Is there an advantage to that or just personal preference. Pardon the rookie questions but I'm new at CAS and want to start this thing right. My 38 load in IDPA was a 158g Bear Creek moly. How would that be for CAS, both rifle and revolver?

Howdy Joe. Generally speaking:

 

A 158 gr bullet is fine for pistols or rifle. The 158s that I'm familiar with are a round nose flat point like this, but are also available in lighter weights:

Missouri Bullet 158

The advantage to 158 gr RNFP bullets is that they have a bit more 'oomph' for knockdown targets. The downside is that some rifles like the '92 don't like them and do better with a different shape. See Driftwood's post.

 

A truncated cone bullet like this, is available in several weights, with the 125 & 105 probably being more common. Missouri Bullet also makes 140 gr versions. The shape works well in in rifles like the '92, but overall cartridge length is the critical factor. Great for pistols too, but not as much knockdown power as a 158. 105s are great for light loads, the 125s are a nice compromise between that and 158s.

Missouri Bullet 125

 

Shooters use different bullets for different targets and different guns. My '73 rifle gobbles up 158 RNFP and 125 TCFP alike. Revolvers don't care about bullet shape. A well-placed 125 gr bullet is capable of knocking down a target, but a 158 has a bit greater margin of error, and a 105 less so. If I'm shooting stationary targets, I use the 125s. If I'm shooting knockdowns, I use the 158s. If I think the knockdowns are going to be stubborn, I use .45s. Just so you know, the only pistols I have are .45s, so that's all I shoot with them. However, I have several choices of case length and bullet weights to tailor my loads. My .45 rifle is a '92 Rossi and I shoot 250 gr bullets. (The reason for 250s is a topic for another post.)

 

Good luck!

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Missouri Bullet Company 158 RNFP with Titegroup powder for both rifle (73's)and pistols.Too lazy to do 2 different loads and bullets since these work great for anything I shoot at.Plus if there's knockdowns I don't have to rummage through my ammo for heavier bullets.Btw...had a Rossi 92 that ran the 158's just fine after I loaded them in 357.Didn't like the shorter 38's.

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My 38 load in IDPA was a 158g Bear Creek moly. How would that be for CAS, both rifle and revolver?

 

What shape is the bullet? If it's a semi-wadcutter, not the best choice for a rifle. Read what I said about bullets feeding through rifles.

 

Most folks think a 158 grain bullet is a little bit heavy. It is going to cause your pistols to recoil a bit. Of course not as much as my 250 grain 45 Colt bullets, but that's another story.

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McKenzie, according to Cody Conagher who is building my rifle, as long as I'm 1.45 or longer, I should be okay, but I forgot to ask about bullet weight or shape.

 

I shoot a Conagher rifle. I use 125 grain bullets for rifle and pistol. I think you will find this is the most common weight. The truncated bullet is probably the most commonly used shape. Like this one. DO NOT use the short round nose flat point bullets because they are shorter and will cause problems in your rifle.

 

Read this regarding powder.

 

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Howdy Joe, I shoot one of Taylor's Comanchero tuned by Cody. It will shoot just about anything i have put thru it? But like Buck said will not feed short rounds. It's been a great rifle. Mine will feed simi wadcutters.

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I understand we can't discuss specific load data but is okay to ask what bullet weight and brand of powder some of you are using for .38? Thanks

 

 

I use Schuetzen Ffg loaded full up and 158 grain RN bullet.

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One bullet for both. The only non problem is the OAL of the cartridge for the rifle. The heavier the bullet, less powder to get same results.

I used 158 flats with Titegroup, 148 flats same. When I had to pay full price I used 130 grain bullet TC, Clays then VV 320 which I now use for everything.A good load is Slims above with a tight crimp not in the crimp groove

I got my cases from gun range where private security cops qualified no cost.

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158 grain Snakebite Greasewagon bullet over GOEX FFFg.

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It would depend on how fast that there 158gr boolit of yours was going. SASS maximum velocity for handguns is 1000fps, 1400 for rifle. (I don't know NOBODY that shoots ammo this hot) Mostly, ammo we SASS shooters use is pretty poofy. I'd hazard a guess mostly they go 500-700fps for pistol and 800-1000 for rifle but there's LOTS of people use less than that cuz the general impression is (ain't saying its so, just saying people seem to think it) is itty bitty boolits going poof-tink make a cowboy faster than them that use boolits that go BANG-CLANG. It is not unusual for people to use loads that are at the low end (or off the low end if they still meet power factor) of the loading charts. Power factor for main match ammunition must meet 60 which is bullet weight in grains times velocity in fps divided by 1000.

 

Lots of reasons people use different bullets for revolver and rifle. One would be function. Some rifles don't like fat, blunt bullets, others don't care and so on. Revolvers on the other hand don't care about bullet profile, they shoot whatever goes in them. On the other hand, with fixed sights, the only way to regulate point of impact up and down without filing on the sights is to change bullet weight. Or, perhaps you want less "felt recoil" so you go with a light bullet going faster.

 

I like to stick with one bullet for both but I'm always looking for "what's better" Right now I have four different loads in my bullet closet just for 38 and eventually, I'll use'em all up!

 

I notice some of you use different bullets for revolver and rifle. Is there an advantage to that or just personal preference. Pardon the rookie questions but I'm new at CAS and want to start this thing right. My 38 load in IDPA was a 158g Bear Creek moly. How would that be for CAS, both rifle and revolver?

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I used 122gr TC bullets with Clays (midpoint of min and max load) in my pistols this weekend. I had been using factory 158gr for the previous two matches. Shooting the lighter loads made a noticeable difference. I'll probably stick with the 122's for awhile.

 

I just ordered 3,000 of the long 147gr TC bullets (from Moulton lead) for my rifle. I made some dummy rounds with the 122's to cycle through my '73. At 1.44 OAL, they cycled but you could defenitely feel the clunkiness caused by the rounds being pushed back into the magazine when the carrier is lifted. The 147's might be a little heavier than some would recommend, but I'd rather have the rifle function smoothly with the longer OAL; plus recoil isn't much of an issue with .38 in a 7 lb rifle anyways.

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I understand we can't discuss specific load data but is okay to ask what bullet weight and brand of powder some of you are using for .38? Thanks

 

 

Moulton Lead 147gr TC with WSF. Use the data on Cowboy loads in Speer #14. I am three tenths below the maximum for this bullet. Use it in both pistols and rifle at 1.50+ OAL. Smacks them pesky tombstone racks and heavy KD's with authority.

 

Olen

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