New 38 S&W load questions

[Hawker man]

Looking for a little load help for a Colt Police Positive in 38 S&W I just picked up, need a few questions answered, hope you all can help.
1. Can 38 Special brass be cut down to 38 S&W length?
2. Can a 148g HBWC be loaded into a 38 S&W case?
3. If it can what would be the over all length?
4 Can the 38 S&W be loaded with Dillon 38/357 dies?

WOW; those Remington factory loads in 38 S&W are EXPENSIVE.
Thanks in advance for any and all help with this cartridge.

Tom

[MtGun44]

1. no, too small diam
2. I'm not sure but just abou guaranteed not flush. Too small diam boolit, too.
3. No, wrong diam. You can use .38 Super dies, though.

Al has recommended a load of the 358477 at .359 over 2.5gr of W231. I works OK for me,
but the particular 358477 mold was throwing them at .3585 and they are OK, just not real
accurate (nothing horrible, just not target grade). You want a .359 or 360 boolit for this
gun and need the right brass. If you try .38 Spl brass it will bulge very badly and may split.

I actually cut down some .38 Super brass and used .38 Super dies very successfully, since
.38 Super is 'semi-rimmed' and has enough rim to hold it. Cutting it down was a mild PITA,
because you have to cut off a lot. DO NOT hotrod this gun, I have one that had a good
bit of end shake, almost certainly due to too hot loads. This is not a .38 Spl and the gun
is a very light frame design. I eventually got proper .38 S&W brass and am using that now,
but made 6 shortened .38 Super cases that I reloaded a number of times, they worked fine
as a substitute.

Nice gun, take care of it and it will be fun and useful. I have two other 358477s to try and
then may beagle one of them if I have to, to get up to .359 or .360 diameter to try to get
the very best accuracy out of my gun.

Bill

[Hawker man]

MtGun44, thanks for the info.
I will not hotrod the gun.

[Piedmont]

It always seemed odd to me that die manufacturers, at least some, promoted the Super as dual use dies. The case is basically straight, not tapered like a 9mm Para, and uses normal 9mm bullets. It seems to me that dies made for the Super would size down .38 S&W cases more than would be ideal since it uses bullets in the .360-.363" range and is a straight case, too.

[WHITETAIL]

Hawker man, Welcome to the forum!
Yes, Keep asking questions.
Because the people here are the best.
They treat everyone with respect.
And try to give only good info.:cast_boolits:

[ubetcha]

Just paging through a Cabela's shooting catalog and noticed Sartline has 38 S&W brass and LEE makes 38 S&W dies.Sure make reloading easier that trying to adapt something to work

[Bret4207]

I believe 9mm Makorov dies are the ones Al uses. Maybe both?

These questions have been asked and answered numerous times. There should be lots of info if you use the search function.

[Guesser]

I cast and load for two S&W Regulation Police revolvers. I have W-W and Starline cases. I cast 358246, it is an exact copy of the factory loaded 146 gr. RNL, I also cast 360271, drops same weight as 358246 and is a SWC. Both molds drop at .361 with very soft alloy, I size to .360 and load to duplicate todays factory loadings. Great cartridge and very accurate in my revolvers. I have been watching for a Colt but I'm always too late, one of these days I'll be ahead of the crowd and get one home. The molds I use are seen around gun shows and show up here from time to time. Brass is not expensive and seems to be readily available. I wouldn't take the time to cut down cases.