Lite Load Bullets

[GaBoy]

I know it has allot to do with the bullets weight as to what powder to use.

But what will give the best very lite load in a 357 mag case.

105gr - 110gr or a heavier bullet like 158gr - 180gr ?

Recoil isn't the prob but the muzzle blast, even 38's will give a loud bang and get all the dogs on the street barking.

I'm looking for a real lite load for fun shooting pine cones and cans at about 25 feet.

I have a Taurus 605 357mag with a 2" bbl.

Thanks.

[9.3X62AL]

Have you tried the Speer plastic 38 gallery bullets/cases? These use a primer only. The bullets get beat up some from impacts, and need replacement after a few trips downrange.

[woody1]

Two things come to mind. I've done/do both. Wax bullets, primer fired and round balls with a light charge of B'eye. Or just use a light boolit such as the 92 grain 358242 if it casts large enough. For round balls, I use .375's run thru a .360 sizer and 3.1 grains of B'eye but noise isn't an issue for me. If the wax bullet deal interests you and you don't know how to do it, we can discuss further. Regards, Woody

[357maximum]

Load I have used in S&W chiefs special 38 snubbie


.360 70 Gr. lee Rball t-lubed in LLA
2.0 Bullseye had a reddot load too but ???where it went in my notes..
Rem 1.5

That was in a special case, but I cannot see why a mag case would not work....


Pre chronograph,data... but it is slow....I remember one christmas when I shot one out of the ol mans old 357 max tender....silent but deadly..up close anyhow....meow...


I remember trying heavier 180 grainers trying to reduce noise...must not have been worth writing it down....proably too loud...snubbies are hard to make quiet...

[GaBoy]

Yeah this thing has ported 2" so no way to make it ral quiet but a little less than a standerd 38 target load, and no wax or plastic. The sized round ball load sounds really cool and about what I'm thinking of.

Will that seal the case in the chamber good ? Did you use a filler ?

[garandsrus]

GaBoy,

I use 3.0gr W231 behind the 105 gr WC in a .38 spec case. This was a group buy mold a couple months ago. It is a pretty quiet load with minimal recoil.

2.9gr W231 shot fine also but the cases were a little sooty so they weren't getting sealed from the pressure.

John

[Dale53]

One trick to try with a light round ball load is to use unsized cases. Use a general decapper that only removes the primer. Use a round ball that is .002" larger than case ID. Re-prime, seat the round ball and crimp. Since the cases are already expanded they should seal easier and perhaps with a smaller powder charge.

This is all experimental and you will have to be sure every shot clears the barrel before continuing until you have a reliable load. Keep in mind that if you work this up in hot weather, it may give you problems in very cold weather (if you use it in very cold).

One other caution. Round balls at slow velocities will bounce back from nearly anything, even shooting at a tree, oft times. Be careful.

And don't drink too much water: See, "Deadly Radio Prank".

http://www.rr.com/flash/index.cfm

Wait until the lead story changes to "Deadly Radio Prank" and click on "Story"

Dale53

[Nueces]

As Skeeter Skelton might have said, "I don't drink water, I drink decaf Pepsi."







Gee whiz, this should have gone to humorandofftopic.com

[woody1]

I use no filler. Seat the ball well down into the case to eliminate air space. Regards, Woody

[GaBoy]

Once I get some dies I'll have to try that, Thanks.

[bobthenailer]

in one edtion of lbt [ veirl smiths] book i think the first he has light loads useing 158 or 180 gr cast bullets seated upside down in the 38 special case and seated in as far as possible with out bulging the case but no lower than flush , with about 0.8 to 1.5 gr bulleysey for a low noise load. i have shot and supplied the women with probley a couple thousand of 1.5 be with a 158 swc seated backwards out of a s & w 2 1/2 -19 and they arent loud and you can shoot them without ear protection as they dont crack and are very accurate at short range, you will have to adj the powder charge according to barrel length.

[Sven Dufva]

I use vv N 310 3.0 grains to 148 grain wc 38 spl
or vv N 310 3.4 grains to 158 grain lead bullet 38 spl.
This is light loads i use. I have S&W 686 with 6" barrel.

[9.3X62AL]

Bob--

A SWC seated backwards/base flush.....would that ALSO be a wadcutter with rebated boat-tail? :-)

[GaBoy]

Yeah thats for better long range ballistics. You know for 25 yards... [smilie=1:

But that also sounds like a good idea on taking up the air space inside the case.

I just shot some 38 spl 130gr FMJ and lite recoil, small flash, but it still has a sharp crack to it, I know its a snubby but if I can just get the "crack" out of it I'd be happy for plinking in the back.

I'm lucky to live in the country but I still have neighbors and dont want to be the guy that they all complain about....

[bobthenailer]

yes that is a rebated wad cutter ? , i used a 158 swc as i did not have a wadcutter mould at that time , i now have one, but i also now have 3- 180 grain moulds a tc/and 2 fn , and after checking he recomended a 180 gr bullet but i havent used that load in probaly 10 years but it works excellent. vierl/lbt at one time made a special bullet mould with a bullet designed expecially for the super light loads. one time i made up some loads for my 45 acp combat commander with a hg 68 200 swc seated in the normal way, and some forgotten powder charge of be with i think a 5 lb reciol spring or the lightest in the wollf reduced power calibration pac and it was also quite! and the gun functioned perfect ! bob

[georgeld]

G/B:

There's some things just can't be tamed.

Snubby ported barrels are two of them. Get real.

We used to load up softened wax filler. Small amount of powder, paper wad
filled it up with a hunk of warmed up wax.

Once it chills it shoots fine for short practice like you're wanting.

PLUS: you can do it by hand except priming.

Have fun most of all,

[TDB9901]

Years ago I read an article written by a prominent gun writer of the times, I can’t remember if it was
Skeeter Skelton or possibly George Nonte, but anyway, the gist of the story was as follows.

While in the service as a young man he acquired a .38 to accompany him on hikes to a creek near base and needed cheap easy, quiet, plinking ammo. Not having dies, or room for equipment, he simply used 000 buckshot, which is approx. 36 caliber, and was at that time readily available. He seated it with thumb pressure, in an un-sized case over a dipper full of Bullseye, (The dipper being made from a .22 long rifle case, which holds between 3 and 3.5 grains). He claimed that the cases did not swell enough to need resizing due to the low pressure generated and that it was quiet enough to not draw attention. It was also accurate enough to account for turtles and frogs on the creek bank that he hiked.

He de-primed with a finish nail, and used a wooden dowel and a flat surface to seat new primers…….. Minimum of equipment.

For lubricant, he floated a layer of wax based lube (parrafin-vasoline) on a pan of water to form a thin sheet, and cut a cookie of this with the case mouth, over the powder, before seating the buck.

I’ve tried it, and it does work, although 000 buck is harder to find these days. As someone has already mentioned, .36 molds are available, and .375 balls through a sizer should work just as well. The only precaution would be against contamination of powder by the lube if not fired right away and stored in warm weather.

By the way, this works with .310 balls (for a .32 caliber muzzleloader) in a .30-30 or .30 carbine as well.

Fer what it’s worth…………….

Somewhere in my boxes and piles, I probably still have that Magazine,………….. much to SWMBO’s disgust.

[Lloyd Smale]

I shoot alot of the lee 105 swcs with 3.5 grains of bullseye or 4.0 grains of pr200 its a good light load.

[MT Gianni]

Round ball loads work well with lite charges. It may be the best use for liquid alox to dribble a bit around the edge of the seated ball and eliminate the wax wad. Gianni.

[woody1]

Round ball loads work well with lite charges. It may be the best use for liquid alox to dribble a bit around the edge of the seated ball and eliminate the wax wad. Gianni.

I just lube the RB's with Alox and be done with it. I've tried the 000 Buck and got more leading than I liked even with LA lube. I think the reason is that my batch of 000 seems to run small. I was really surprised as I get virtually no leading with my 375 RB's when I run 'em thru the .360 sizer and lube with LA. However, they are cast from WW also. The only reason I started using 'em in the 38 is because I've got a Lyman 37583 mould that has a second hole and casts a 375 RB. The RB is too small for my 375 Win. or any 38-55 that I ever heard of so...still gotta fill up that hole and find a use for the balls. Regards, Woody

[Ohio Rusty]

Years ago .... We used to shoot light loads in a bullet trap in the basement. The only thing we had was a Lee hand loader in 38 special, and that was to just resize the cases. (The kind that came in a small box and used a hammer) We used a bench vise. The vice was closed enough to keep the case from falling thru but let the spent primer fall thru the opening. That permitted us to punch out the primer with a finishing nail. Then we thumb seated a new primer, opened the vice, placed the shell with the thumb seated primer horizontally in the vice and squeezed the vice slowly closed to seat the primer flush with the bottom of the case. Opened the vice and had a primed case. Then we loaded the shell with one empty 22 LR full of Unique, placed a .360 round ball in the mouth of the case and put that back in the vice. The vice was squeezed shut forcing the round ball into the mouth of the .38 special case just like you force the ball into the cylinder of a C&B pistol. It would shave a slight ring of lead from the ball. We made hundreds and hundreds of these 'round ball squib loads' and they were extremely accurate. At 20 feet we could with regularity put out the flame on a burning candle without hitting the candle !! These would have made excellent small game rounds or would have been just the ticket for vermin. It's nice to know that in an emergency, bullets can be loaded with a common bench vice and round balls. I still own a .360 roundball mould just for making these rounds if I need them.
Ohio Rusty

[GaBoy]

:drinks:

I'll be try'n this and a few other loads shortly.

Thanks.