Load for .38 Special 122GR Flat Point Bullet

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information on S&W 38 special

Yes, but you can buy a replacement ring. If you buy a real beat up parts gun then there won't be a loss of value. A new replacement ring will reduce the collectable value'

Yes and no, Usually there will be matching serial numbers inside the grips, not always. Use an appropriate sized screw driver to avoid scratching things up.

I have no idea what the P is. Might be a stamp from whatever organization the gun belonged to.

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Maximum "combat" range of a Snub Nose .38 Special?

Kraigwy shoots his .38 snub out to 100 yards, when he practices. Notice that's "Shoots", doesn't say "Hits".

But yes I do weird things with my 642, I also practice Bullseye with my 642, but I don't do well.

Also practice bowling pins, steel, and everything else I can safely shoot at. Again I don't do that well,

BUT it gives me confidence in that little revolver, I believe it makes me a better shooter at up close and personal distances.

I wouldn't call that "combat effective", I call that target practice.

One thing one must consider, the farther away you are, the harder to justify self defense.

Back when metallic pistol silhouette first showed up in the Anchorage area, I shot it with my 4 in Model 28, not because its the best gun for hitting those sheep at 200 yards, but it was my service revolver, I think it made me a better shooter at ranges I would need to use it.

But if something came up where I'd need to shoot 200 yards, I had a sniper rifle in the trunk of my patrol car.

I can't hit much at 100 yards with my 642, but I'm convinced if needed I could discourage bad behavior at that distance.

But that isn't self defense range. The only time I shot at anything legit at that range (actually a bit farther) was when I saw a stray dog harassing my horses. Didn't hit him, but got close enough to put him in over drive and out of my pasture.

As mentioned it builds confidence in my defense revolver, but it also shows limitations. I would NEVER hunt with it at distance, nor would I attempt any self defense at extended ranges.

Kind of difficult to show you were in fear of your life if the bandit is 100 yards away. At that distance I could be in the truck and in the next county before he got close enough to be a bother.

__________________
Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School Oct '78
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

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search for age of S&W 38 special

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Any special tricks barrel fitting a Ruger No.1?

With the barrel still chucked in the lathe to chamber & fit, how do you trial fit the action with the hanger in the way? Any special tricks, gotcha's or tools to worry about?

TIA...

...bug

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.38 Special

I have single loaded a ton of .38 WC through my early "no safety" Marlin. They would not feed from the mag, but one at a time they were quiet, accurate, much like a big .22.

I also have shot quite a bit of .38 / 110 JHP +P+ thru the little Marlin, and dumped quite a few woodchucks resultant. These rounds, for the most part, would feed from the mag, but once in a while, if run really aggressively, or the rifle not oriented near level, one would fail to feed. But all in all they ran fine.

I also ran a mid range .357 through the carbine for a while, a .357/158 LSWC at about 1000 fps.

I shot up my supply of .38 WC and 110 JHP about 10 yrs ago. The Marlin gets all magnum stuff now.

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Rotometals father's day special

between now and June 7th if you make an order from Rotometals you will get 10% discount on your order.

when you check out use the code dad (lower case) in the coupon area.

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Colt Police Special

Hi,

My dad passed and left me his service revolver. He purchased it in 1948. My question is can I shoot +p ammo in this revolver?

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lee 8mm bullet in .32 special.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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Any .38 Special reloading tricks/worries?

Boolit Mold Join DateApr 2009Posts7

I have been reloading the three semi-auto pistol calibers (with my cast boolits) plus 30.06, 30 Carbine and .223 for several years now. Due to rising costs and availability I decided to jump into .38 special but I am concerned because of the difference in crimp, roll versus taper. Using Lee dies and a Lee Classic Cast Turret, do I have any worries or just follow the die set up instructions? This is not a question of powder, primer or projectiles (lead SWC 158 grain) just actual reloading issues for the .38.

thank you,
grumpa

I don't think you will have any problems - I think the .38 special is an easy round to load. For roll crimped rounds, I try to flair the cases just enough to start the boolits into the case. I also try to minimize the roll crimp to not work the brass excessively.

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- Mark Twain

I ( and most everyone else that I know ) will place a light conventional roll crimp into the crimp groove of a bullet like the 358477 or the 358429 in 38 Spec. loads.

Have shot many thousands with this technique.

Ben

IMO, one of the easiest hand gun ctgs to load. Good advice above.
1Shirt!

"Common Sense Is An Uncommon Virtue" Ben Franklin

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Boolit Man Join DateApr 2012LocationUtahPosts147

I go the other route with the 38 and lead, I like to put a light taper crimp on the case mouth just enough to remove the belling. For heavy loads I increase the taper crimp a little more. The taper crimp works the brass less and the revolver really doesn't care if its shooting a taper or roll crimp round. The roll crimp I save for jacketed loads just because I have one die for each crimp so the taper is left set for lead and the roll crimp die is left set for the jacketed bullets I load.

The only significant difference in loading the .38sp I can think of is that you do need to be aware of the seating depth/ crimp groove/ crimp relationship so that the crimp is not starting before the brass can roll into the groove if you're seating and crimping in one operation. The 38sp cases are thinner, and will buckle slightly if the crimp digs in while the boolit is still moving down into the case. Longer than average cases will occasionally cause this as well.

Boolit Master Join DateFeb 2008LocationChugiak Alaska on the outskirts of AnchoragePosts406

I bell just enough to start a lead bullet, then just barely remove the bell with very light to no crimp. With this method it makes little difference whether you use cast or jacketed also little difference whether you roll or taper crimp. 38spl usually doesn't have enough recoil to jump crimp and the less you mess with the case mouth the longer the brass will last. Nice easy round to load and shoot.

I also use a very light taper crimp, just enough to remove the bell. I have shot many rounds this way with no problems.

Lee's factory crimp die has a carbide sizing ring in it that can swag down the size of your boolit when you crimp it. I knocked the carbide ring out of mine because of that reason. You may want to check by pulling a loaded round and see if it is getting sized down or not.

My opinion may differ, but, don't worry about how much flare you put into the case mouth for now. Put enough in to get the job done, and not shave any lead. How much will you shorten the case life? 5 reloads? The .38 Special is designed for roll crimps and you can experiment with how much works for you. I started reloading with .38 Specials in '69 and used a Lee Loader and liked medium to heavy roll crimps. As my experience grew, I refined my methods, but still like a firm roll crimp even though it isn't "necessary" (I still don't worry how many times my .38s get reloaded. I look at each case before I start reloading and catch any defects. I have some nickel plated brass that has been reloaded so many times the nickel is worn very thin). Reloading the .38 Special is quite simple and forgiving and there are a bunch of powders that will work (I started with Bullseye and still use it today, amoung several other powders). I like to separate seating/crimping into 2 steps as I think I can control things better that way. If you've done any reloading before the .38 Special should a piece o' cake...

Don't get all concerned about measuring how long the loaded round is or obsessing with OAL and such. Most cast revolver bullets have a crimp groove, just crimp into the groove. Don't measure nothing, if it chambers OK you good to go. Something I do is seat the bullet in one step and crimp them in a seperate step. A roll crimp can sometimes scrape a tiny bit of lead as it is being seated, this two step seat / crimp eliminates that.
Be careful...reloading and shooting 38 special , especially in a good revolver can become very addictive. I been hooked for years. And once you start casting your own bullets...there is no hope for you.

Gary

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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1st time 38 special loading

Boolit Mold Join DateJun 2011Posts19

Hi all,

Thanks to a few forum members I am on the road to reloading .38 Special.

I have a question or two - first - do you need to crimp for this caliber - it will be fired from a revolver.

The current test load will be 160gr rn - my test cases (no powder or primers) are COL of 1.519" with a crimp.

I was thinking I need to be a bit longer (1.54 or so) and was planning to start using 4.2 grains of Universal.
Any thought or critiques - I have loaded for 9mm, .223, 7.62x54r and 6.5x55 - but this is my first revolver cartridge.
Thanks!

Howdy repawn, you need to crimp. If you don't, you run the risk of the boolits "jumping" out of the cases upon recoil and thus getting getting jammed in between your cylinder and frame. This is no fun at all to remedy.

As far as overall length, the max is considered 1.55" or actually just so they don't poke out your cylinder and cause a hang up like noted above. The cool thing about a revolver, is you have more liberty as far as setting the bullet or boolits deeper than normal( due to the cyl. length again), but don't get too liberal as to cause pressures to rise.

I am not familar with Universal, so someone else will have to chime in on that subject.

Load Safe

Last edited by LUBEDUDE; Yesterday at 09:10 PM.

TEAM HOLLYWOOD

NRA- LIFE TSRA-LIFE SASS-LIFE

Do your bullets have a crimp groove? Most bullets designed for revolvers have a groove to roll your crimp into. If it does, just crimp in the groove and be done with it.
If your bullet has no crimp groove, are you just mashing the crimp into the bullet?

Boolit Master Join DateJun 2007Posts508

There is a second reason to crimp. Some powders perform better when crimped. It may be a slight crimp or heavy. I use a chronograph and wish I had a mechanical rest for testing purposes. I know of people who don't crimp at all but it is a different bullet than you are shooting. I too have not used Universal and curious with the 4.2 load. Hodgdon site starts at 3.5 and ends at 4.5 for a 158 grain lead bullet.

Take care

r1kk1

TEAM HOLLYWOOD

NRA- LIFE TSRA-LIFE SASS-LIFE

Do your bullets have a crimp groove? ?If you look close at the top photo you can see the crimp groove.

TEAM HOLLYWOOD

NRA- LIFE TSRA-LIFE SASS-LIFE

Boolit Mold Join DateJun 2011Posts19

If you look close at the top photo you can see the crimp groove.The boolits do not really have a crimp groove - not sure how many cast boolits do - is it alright to crimp without a cannelure?

My Lyman manual has a starting load of 4.2 under a 158gr with a max of 4.7. I suppose I could safely dial that back and follow the hodgon data.

Oops fooled me, need better glasses!

TEAM HOLLYWOOD

NRA- LIFE TSRA-LIFE SASS-LIFE

I would definitely use a slightly tappered crimp and that appears to be about what you have although the pic is slightly blurry; roll crimp shouldn't be necessary. For a backyard plinking load I usually load my cartridges with the recommended starting load, in your case it would be 3.5 grains of Universal. The load data that you are using also shows the cartridge overall length (col)for that bullet to be 1.475 and that also is what I would try to achieve. Without knowing the actual revolver it is difficult to determine how much longer you could go, but you should be ok with the 1.519 length if the cylinder rotates without any restrictions. Shooting for precision, competition or self defense is a whole new ballgame when it comes to the numbers.

314th Air Divsion
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RVN '68-'69
up "Close" and personal "Air Support"

Back in my days of heavy and fierce IPSC competition, I loaded 158grRN boolits with a far lesser ogive than the boolit you show, but to date, every cast boolit I have ever cast or loaded has had a crimp groove. I can state pretty unequivocally that I will never load a wheelgun boolit that does not have a crimp groove.

I'm not a fan of taper-crimping for wheel guns. Just not. Nor am I a fan of boolits with no crimp groove. I strongly prefer a roll crimp on a boolit with a crimp groove because this gives me additional control over the pressures I can create with the powder/primer/OAL combinations. It also helps give me a quick/instant visual verification that my seating depth isn't changing on me as I crank the loads out on a progressive.

I picked up a two-banger mold a few years ago in .358 that is a rather severe round-nose boolit and loaded some up. The only reason I can fathom for having such a boolit is for ease of use in speedloaders. I loaded up the boolits and they shoot okay, but they are basically worthless.

With no meplat whatsoever, their utility as a hunting or self-defense boolit is nil. The severe round nose ogive makes small holes in targets, so for bullseye/target shooting, they become marginal. I also find them to be less stable at distances beyond 35' or so than the more standard meplat boolits including and up to the SWC and WCs.

Not wanting to rain on your first outing and loading here, but rather want to make sure that you manage your expectations appropriately.

Above Reproach A novel in which a series of mass-shootings coordinated by anti-American officials inside the U.S. government threatens not only the Second Amendment, but the entire Bill of Rights until one armed citizen finds himself with his back against the wall and fights back.

I'm not an expert but I have had very good luck/accuracy with the cast Lee 158 SWC's (that have a groove obviously) properly seated and then slightly roll crimped with a Lee FCD. Quick and simple. I'd also agree on a revolver a groove and a roll crimp is the best way to go.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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