.38 Special Bullet Size Q...

[DYNOMIKE]

Want to load up a Mess of .38 Specials. While checking my Bullet supply I found a Box of Cast bullets I bought a Long time ago to use in my 9MM Loads..

Cast Bullet 145 Gr RN Sized @ .356"
My Other Cast Bullets in this Cal are sized @.358"

Of Course I realise I will not get Match accuracy using these Bullets, but for Paper Punching practice will it be terrible?
Is it a Waste of time doing the Bullet Drop through the Cyl test, or Muzzle/Bullet test?

I have PLENTY of .38/.357 Components and want to use these bullets up.
Prolly use HS-6, Mixed Cases, & Fed Primers..
Thanx :beer:

[Brush511]

I do it all the time. I got my Dillion 550 from a friend who quit shooting IPSC in the early 90's. Several k of 160 gr. RN cast bullets were part of the deal. He was using them in a .38 Super to make "major". I don't have a Super and didn't have a .38/.357 at the time. Finally bought an L frame Smith. Don't load them to light. You need a heavy enough charge to "bump" them up to fill the bore. You probably won't get great accuracy but good enough to plink and practice with.

[W.E.G.]

Cast lead bullets at high velocity make a mess of a gun.

Lead spew everywhere.

Yuk.

[DYNOMIKE]

Originally posted by W.E.G.
Cast lead bullets at high velocity make a mess of a gun.
Lead spew everywhere.
Yuk.

LOL...
I agree, but these were in Fact cast for .38 SUPER as Brush Mentioned and I think they will be Going MUCH slower than SUPER rounds fer sher regardless of how I load them..
No plans on trying to make these .357 Velocities, nor attempts to make MAJOR, just want to use these up in some Plinking/Practice rounds..

I'll save the H-110 for another Day..:tongue:

[Brush511]

I'm keeping them under 1000 fps. With hard cast plain base bullets, I haven't had leading problems up to about 1200 fps. I shoot gas checked bullets in rifles routinely in the 1600-1800 fps range with no problems. I think Mr. Jeter knows more about Hi-power shooting than I ever will (I've seen his posts of his targets). But I have a feeling he'll never shoot as many cast bullets as I have. :smile:

[Bruce Allen]

Load 'em up and shoot 'em.

At reasonable velocities the accuracy may not be target grade, but should not foul the bore too badly.

The worst thing that can happen is cruding up the bore..

If I recall correctly 9 mm measures out to .356 and the ".38" actually measures out to .357, with lead bullets at .358.

Are we talking round nose and semi waddcutter here?

BTW - I shot a ton of wadcutters when I was on my old departments pistol team - to the tune of 10,000 rounds a year for several years.

[W.E.G.]

If the metal is hard enough, you'll probably be OK.

I've only shot about 10,000 plain lead bullets. So, I'm not <i>that</i> knowledgable.

The worst mess ever was the off-brand lead bullets I loaded for the 9mm. Those suckers keyholed at 20 feet, and the smoke from the lube almost got me kicked off the indoor range.

(I find that the plain lead bullet crowd tends to minimize the mess issue. Kind of like when my son spills a soda on the carpet. Its just ONE soda. What's the big deal? :rolleyes:)

Hey man, have fun!

[owlcreekok]

I have shot far less of anything, than many on here. I HAVE shot a few ten thousand cast bullets as well. In the last week I cast about a thousand. First time in a while that I have gotten down and began to replenish my supply. I use an alloy that, without going into the assumed percentage of lead, tin and antimony, is half wheel weight and half plain lead. Bore and cylinder lead deposits are minimal. I use Alox and beeswax lube. Yup like W.E.G. has said, it makes a little smoke, but not SO much. Having that said, many of the commercial cast lead bullets are much softer than what I cast for pistol use. By way of example the swaged lead bullets are, in my experience, even worse than W.E.G. expresses. Yuk. Been there, and melted the remainder to make alloy.

Mike, invest in a 'Lewis lead Remover'. You will thank me. Hoppes made a copy of it at one time. Works just as good.

If one does not wish to have some leading, do not shoot the average exposed lead bullet. To me it is no big deal. An extra five to ten minutes with the Lewis for a revolver, maybe two minutes for an auto and it is a done deal. I used to shoot a dozen full house jacketed bullets after a modest session of shooting cast. I helps a bit to purge the lead deposits, but will not get it all. With my alloy, this practice works only if the round count of lead pellets is relatively low. (Less than 50, to make a wild ass guess)

To specifically address your question- I can only speculate having no first hand experience in the trying of .356 in a .358 weapon. (up front, I agree with the aforesaid, "load em up and shoot them" ) Theoretically, the extra "play" of two thou' MAY cause a little more potential spatter as the bullet goes through the forcing cone. Thus giving you more junk to clean up at the barrel-cylinder gap area.

My .38 pet that has helped me win a few PPC matches:

158 SWC cast

Bullseye- 3 grains

WSP primer.

[DYNOMIKE]

It seems the concensus is to shoot-em up..
I only have one box of 500 of the Bullet in question and I could just use then for my 9MM Rounds but figure they will be fine for my Purpose..
I have Loaded and Shot MANY rounds of cast bullets and am not really concerned about the Fouling issue so much.. Been down the cleaning road too many times to count..
Some of the .44 & .45 Bullets I have used in the past fouled a Bit but no biggy.
These bullets were commercially cast up in Melbourne Fl. I have used other Bullets from them before without any probs..

The SIZE thing is prolly my biggest Question Mark?
I think Before I load them all I will try fifty in a Couple different guns and see how they shoot..

Hootie I have a 158 Gr Load I have used that is quite good, and a FULL Wadcutter Load that has always shot real well..
Never tried that BULLSEYE Load though maybe I will..

[pumpkinheaver]

I tried some experiments several years ago with 9mm bullets in my .38spl. Accuracy was from fair to horrible. If you have them you might as well shoot them up.

[fire for effect]

Do any of you remember Super-VeL ??? Super-VEL use to be the Hottest Ammunition on the market.

The secret to Super_VeL's high Velocities, was that Lee Jurras would size his bullets a couple of thousandths below standard size.

The slightly smaller diameter reduced pressure and increased Velocity. So then, when you increased the load back up to normal pressures you really had a fast bullet.

Basically, shooting a 9mm bullet in a .357.

[DYNOMIKE]

Well I loaded up 100 rounds last night using Mixed Brass, Fed Primers, and 6.0 Gr of HS-6..
Will post my results post Range day (hopefully this week)..

Going to load several other rounds today also trying HS-6. Will try some +P loads and some .357 Mag. as well..
I Have three pounds of this powder and want to see if it any good in the accuracy dept.?

[DYNOMIKE]

Well I would call my Little Experiment a Complete SUCCESS..
Guns used were my M66 (No Dash), and my Trusty Stainless Speed Six..

I used Four Different Bullet Types, Weights, & Powder Charges..

146 Gr LRN 6 Gr HS-6 FED S/Pistol Primers
148 Gr BNWC (Bull-X) 5.5 Gr HS-6 FED S/Pistol Primers
158 Gr LSWC (Bull-X) 7 Gr HS-6 FED S/Pistol Primers
140 JHP (Speer) 9.5 Gr HS-6 *CCI Magnum Primers*

I would have to say this is a Very Versatile Powder. ALL rounds shot well, and were VERY close to the Same POI, even when shot out of my Fixed Sighted Ruger Speed Six.. Loads seemd to use all the Powder upon Firing, and what residue there was on the Guns wiped right off.. Also note there was NO LEADING at all with any of the Lead bullet Loads..
Absolutely NO issues at all with ANY of these loads.. NO pressure signs on cases and they all emptied easily when the gun was Tipped upside down over the Brass Bucket.
The .357 Mag Load will get some More OOOMPH with my next load. Not trying to hurt anything just come up with a Good Duplicate of a Full House Round for practice..
My HODGDON Book shows 9.6 Gr140 JHP @ 1404 fps, & 32400 CUP.. (7" Barrel)
Nowhere Near the H-110 Load I have used before but that's OK.. This is not my Goal..
When I want that Load I will just use it.. H-110 Is my Fave for MAGNUM pistol loads (& 30 Carbine)...

What is noteworthy to me is that this powder May very well be a Good choce for a Stand By or crossover Powder as it seems as though it will work in .45 ACP, & .44 Mag Loading too..
YES there are OTHER powders that wil do this, BUTI have 3 Pounds I got fer Nuthin and 1 Lb Will Load a Mess-o Practice rounds.. I think I will try .44 Mag Next? I need to load some up anyway..

Carry On Gents..:cool: :beer:

[Cuda]

If you have a 9mm expander that will fit in your .38/.357 dies I would suggest that you use it especially if you intend to use any higher velocity reloads. Due to the .002 diff. in bullet diameter the recoil could cause bullets to set back in the cases and increase chamber pressure rather spectacularly. Other than that have fun!

Dave

[DYNOMIKE]

Originally posted by Cuda
If you have a 9mm expander that will fit in your .38/.357 dies I would suggest that you use it especially if you intend to use any higher velocity reloads. Due to the .002 diff. in bullet diameter the recoil could cause bullets to set back in the cases and increase chamber pressure rather spectacularly. Other than that have fun!
Dave

Thanks for the comments Dave~
I understand the "Theory" of this but I have no real concerns about it.. The Dies resize the cases and then I add just enough Bell at the case mouth to insert the bullet W/Out shaving any lead off.. This tension alone would prolly be sufficient to hold the bulet but it still gets a Crimp so setback isn't going to happen..
YES if this was to happen it could create some problems so it is worth mentioning I think.
The "ONLY" Bullets I used that are Undersized (technically) were/are the Round nose bullets. Even though Slightly U/Sized they shot pretty well. I only used these to see how they would perfom since I have more than I need. Figured it would be a Good way to use them up for paper punching and practice..
All other Bullets were/are correctly Sized..
:beer: