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Your favorite .38 special load for CAS.


Deuce Stevens SASS#55996

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On 10/6/2018 at 12:59 PM, chestnut louie said:

Question for experienced re-loaders (safety minded ones that is)

 

I use 125 grain TC bullets and CLAYS powder.  Hodgdons web site says to use between 2.5 and 3.5 grains in a 38 special case and regular small pistol primers.  I have been using exactly the middle load of powder but get unburnt powder???  If I go up a bit I get less unburnt powder and some more recoil.

The midpoint load gave 700fps and mild recoil but the unburnt powder requires me to brush out the cylinders mid match.  I use a strong crimp.

 

Local pards recommend using small pistol magnum primers and a bit less than mid load.  Small pistol magnum primers - are not - specified on Hodgdons web site.  Is that safe?  

 

Thanks

Chestnut Louie

    

heavy crimp.jpg

 

Louie, I don't know what he's shooting now but several years ago Waterloo was shooting 125gr bullet over 2.5gr Clays with a magnum primer.  I tried a few for fun, too light of a load for me.  But they worked fine with no unburnt powder (in Texas, so probably not shot in cold weather)

 

Also, there was a fairly recent discussion about substituting magnum primers for standard, and the general concensus was that with midrange or lower loads it is fine.

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125 Grn polycoat Scarlett bullets, 2.4 Grns TiteGroup, Crimped in the groove closest to the end of the bullet. 603fps 75 Power Factor in pistols.

 

Hot Loads 158 Gr lead bullet, 3.5 Grns TiteGroup, 759 fps - PF 120 in pistols

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3 gr of clays,, 125 boolit,,  tried less but pistols didn't like it,, and I like the report from the pistols with this load, and smacks the targets well,  don't make knockdown loads, these work rite well,,,  lighter boolits work well to, but this is what I use,,,

 

for smokey loads,,,  11 gr of FFF with same boolit, dipped in grease,,  or 10 gr of 777,,, 

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Pistol - coated 115 gr. bullet from Black Bullets International over 2.6 gr. of Titegroup and a magnum primer.  

 

Rifle - 3.2 gr. of either Clays or Claydot.  Same bullet.

 

Trying to find something that I like in both rifle and pistol so I can do away with two loads, but then again I'm not looking too hard considering I don't really shoot that much these days.

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Quote

Question for experienced re-loaders (safety minded ones that is)

 

I use 125 grain TC bullets and CLAYS powder..... I have been using a mid range powder charge but get unburnt powder in chambers

 

CL -

Looks from your pic that you are using a taper crimp.  A roll crimp will give a firmer hold on your bullet and clean up a lot of that unburned powder because that firmer crimp raises the chamber pressure a little.     Most .38 spl loads are roll crimped.  And even more so cowboy shooting.

 

Good luck, GJ

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  • 3 weeks later...

GJ,

 

Please send me a picture of the roll crimp that you recommend.  My ammo is made on a Dillon square deal B.

 

"Looks from your pic that you are using a taper crimp.  A roll crimp will give a firmer hold on your bullet and clean up a lot of that unburned powder because that firmer crimp raises the chamber pressure a little.     Most .38 spl loads are roll crimped."

 

Thanks

Chestnut Louie

 

 

 

heavy crimp.jpg

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I haven't shot .38 Specials in cowboy action shooting since 1985... My load then was 3.2 grains of PB behind a 158grain round nose.  Today, I loaded up about 250 rounds of .38Spl with 3.3 grains of HP-38 behind a 115 grain RFN w/Winchester SP primers.  Tested it out in 2 different Rossi 1892s and two Colt SAAs... like popcorn thru a goose!  Recoil was just about how I like it.  Accuracy was totally awesome!  Easily within ½ minute of tree about 25 feet outside barn!  I'm ready for some plinkin'!!!

DSCN1049.jpg

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3 grains of ap50 ( which is equivalent to w231 ) with a projectile range from 125g to 158g.

and sometimes with a load of the holy black with the same projectile range

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3.0 grains of Clay Dot pushing Cimarron 105s for most all applications.  Pesky plate racks - same charge with 125 grain Cimarron bullet.  Peskier plate racks - same charge with 158 grain Cimarron bullet.  Favorite thing about the Cimarron bullets is the crimp groove is located the same distance from the top of the truncated cone on all three bullet weights.  Allows me to change loads without re-adjusting the seater/crimper.  It's a win-win!

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On 11/22/2018 at 8:05 AM, chestnut louie said:

GJ,

 

Please send me a picture of the roll crimp that you recommend.  My ammo is made on a Dillon square deal B.

 

"Looks from your pic that you are using a taper crimp.  A roll crimp will give a firmer hold on your bullet and clean up a lot of that unburned powder because that firmer crimp raises the chamber pressure a little.     Most .38 spl loads are roll crimped."

 

Thanks

Chestnut Louie

 

 

 

heavy crimp.jpg

 

 

Examine most lead bullet load factory loads in .38 Special.  Duplicate that.  I no longer load .38 special.  Sorry, no pics of .38 from my ammo locker.

Good luck, GJ

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