Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

What's your projectile weight for your .38's?


Buckshot Bear

Recommended Posts

I like to shoot 148 grain double ended wadcutters in my pistol rounds at about 800 fps.  These are very consistent and yield single digit standard deviation across my choronograph and they are very accurate.  As a gunfighter, I always wanted a bit of recoil as I think it helps to reach the hammer and cock the gun again while shooting the other one.

 

For the rifle, I like a 140 grain pill cast from an RCBS "Cowboy" mold.  This bullet has what I consider to be the prefect shape to feed and shoot well and would recommend it to anyone, especially for lever gun usage.  I have also used this bullet in my pistol rounds and it does a fine job.  I have also had good luck with several different weights in the truncated cone shaped bullets and they will do fine in a pinch.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 80
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Outlaw Bullets 157 crimps in the canneluer groove, in a .38 case, at 1.52 - 1.53.  It runs perfectly in our 73s and Marlins.  I like his 125s or 110s for my pistols.  My wife uses his 100s in her .32 mags.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shoot either the 158 Grain Snakebite Greasewagon or a Lyman RNFP from 358665 mold. Since I cast from a soft lead alloy, they run a bit heavy. Generally from 160-165 grains...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

125s mostly in rifles and pistols.     

 

I do have 105s I'm loading for the kids to try.   They pretty much decided not to shoot .22 pistols.  

 

 At the end of the day the 125s buck a little hard for my petite 8yr old daughter, but she wants to shoot the big guns.   we are going to try to work up a lighter load for her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

125 grain TC for the smokeless

130 grain RNFP for BP

 

in a pinch, when boxes spill all over, it makes separating the ammo a bit easier.

But it is so much more fun to have that loud BOOM snuck into the middle of the stage. :D

Keeps the TO on their toes. :D:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

But it is so much more fun to have that loud BOOM snuck into the middle of the stage. :D

Keeps the TO on their toes. :D:lol:

 

That scenario doesn't hurt too much.

 

However, going the other way, the boom, boom, pop, boom boom just cost you, at a minimum, 10 seconds...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I might add, I have not met a knockdown that 125 gr has not taken down...

My aim is a different topic!!!:wub:

(Yes Billy Boots...that was for you!!!* Tbones, Complicated Ladie's schoolhouse: tiny pistol knockdowns*)

Yes folks, front sights DO matter!

Gunsmoke Cowboy even bought me a pin for my hat that says so!!!:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Image result for most interesting man in the world

 

I don't shoot every match. But when I do, I shoot 125gr. RNFP in the pistol, and 147gr. TC in the rifle. Both with 2.7 gr. Clays or ClayDot. Shoot straight, my friend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one that uses the 127 RNFP (No crimp grove)?  I have some the 125s, but the 127 seem to load a little smoother.  Not that I have had time to shoot any of them at all this year.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

125 TCFP Outlaw bullet for rifles and pistols. I can’t remember velocities but whatever 2.7 of Clays generates.  
 

I occasionally get 105s or RNFP as door prizes so I adjust powder accordingly and shoot them in pistols only.

+ for Outlaw Bullets!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

 

That scenario doesn't hurt too much.

 

However, going the other way, the boom, boom, pop, boom boom just cost you, at a minimum, 10 seconds...

 

In my case I dumped 100 or so BP rounds into my smokeless ammo bin. Tried to find them all by weight but wasn't successful. 

Since I started shooting coated bullets I use one color for BP and another for smokeless. I don't mind the occasional BOOM but my better half does.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's see:

.45 colt smokeless -- 255 rifle; 200 pistols ; some 185 for grandson)

.45 colt black powder -- 255 rifle; 185 pistols

.38 special -- 158 rifle/pistol for smokeless or black powder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/12/2021 at 6:41 PM, DeaconKC said:

158 grain SWC

Do you use the SWC in your rifle?  I've never heard anything good about them.  I tried them early on, because that was what I had.  It was brief --train wreck after train wreck. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Do you use the SWC in your rifle?  I've never heard anything good about them.  I tried them early on, because that was what I had.  It was brief --train wreck after train wreck. 

I was running the Lee 90321 bullet with Alox lube and 4.5 grains of Unique. It ran fine for me, but it was more of a happy surprise as I tried them out of "Hmmm, let's see if these will work here..." as I loaded them for my revolvers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, DeaconKC said:

I was running the Lee 90321 bullet with Alox lube and 4.5 grains of Unique. It ran fine for me, but it was more of a happy surprise as I tried them out of "Hmmm, let's see if these will work here..." as I loaded them for my revolvers.

Well this is a first for me...I've never seen nor heard of anyone using a SWC in their Lever gun...

 

Phantom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

Well this is a first for me...I've never seen nor heard of anyone using a SWC in their Lever gun...

 

Phantom

Well.....I am a little bit different....:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

What rifle do you shoot them in and what's your OAL?

 

Phantom

It was a Rossi R92 I just went and miked a round and it is 1.45. I no longer have this rifle [kicking myself over letting it go now]. It would be nice to be able to run 38s with the ammo/component headaches of today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SWC bullets can be made to work in some lever guns, IF the nose of EVERY cartridge feeds into the center of the chamber and you are running it smoothly enough to ever have a cartridge jump off center line due to tilt or rough motion or direction of the moon's shadow....

 

But that's too many perfect conditions for just about everybody competing in SASS.

 

If lever guns used a controlled feed of the cartridge (like a Mauser bolt action rifle design), there might be more folks trying SWC bullets. But for a loose feed lever gun?  Just no advantage AT ALL to running SWC bullets.

 

good luck, GJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It probably would not work with a narrower nose and larger shoulder round than that particular Lee I was using,  but it has a slightly more "sloped" nose than most SWCs. Either that, or I was just REALLY lucky and now will be even more aggravated on letting myself be talked out of that rifle. Also, the same gun just refused to run Lee 90318 mold, which is a 140 grain SWC. It just hated that one. I blamed to length, but might have just been the bullet itself?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Revolver 105g and rifle 125g. Hard knock downs then 158g. Both TCFP with 2.7g Trail Boss. The 105 give me 620 fps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just FYI. I normally shoot rnfp in my Marlin 44 mag. I got some of the 240 gr. SWC coated bullets to load some Skeeter Skelton type loads for my Ruger flat top 44 special. I decided to try loading some hotter 44 mag loads for the Marlin. I wasn't sure how they'd cycle but they ran very smoothly through the Marlin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.