How Serious of a Mistake????

[Southern Shooter]

How serious of a mistake did I make??? I admit that I was careless...so, don't lecture me too harshly.

I did not double check my powder dispenser and ended up loading 4.9 grains of Bullseye in my .38 Special with 148 grain double-ended beveled wadcutters. I was in a rush and did not do my normal random weight check.

Anyway, "OUCH !!!!". What was supposed to be a nice target load ended up really stinging my hand. I was shooting my Ruger Speed-Six and even at that gun weight the recoil was stout.

Was I tempting fate, here? What kind of pressure was being generated?

Thanks

[MtGun44]

You're OK. Hornady's latest manual shows a max of 5.0 gr BE under their 140 JHP. Your
boolit was a touch heavier, but boolits develop lower pressures than j-bullets, so it is
probably a wash.

Not a load that you would enjoy everyday, but probably within pressure limits - about a
max load, though. SAAMI spec on .38 Spl is 17,000 psi, so I'd guess you were about there.

Bill

[Forrest r]

I wouldn't be shooting them, 5g of BE in any 38spl is a hot load.

FWIW an old lyman 3rd edition book on cast bullets lists a 3.8g max load of BE for their 35863 dewc bullet.

[Mohavedog]

Don't forget that ALL of that wadcutter is inside the case, not just the base like the jhp. So not even close comparing one load to the other. Dog

[zuke]

Great! you've got some self defence round's now!

[uscra112]

How deep are they seated? If I run Quickload numbers on that boolit, seated flush to the case mouth as DEWC usually are, the pressure is beyond exciting with 5.9 of Bullseye. As in I wouldn't touch off another one on a bet, except maybe in my L-frame .357!!!

If you've left .200 out of the case, well, maybe, but it's still well past a +P load.

[btroj]

Is there really such a thing as a minor error in reloading? Especially with an overcharge?

[williamwaco]

I wouldn't be shooting them, 5g of BE in any 38spl is a hot load.

FWIW an old lyman 3rd edition book on cast bullets lists a 3.8g max load of BE for their 35863 dewc bullet.

5 grains of Unique is usually considered MAX with bullets that are not seated nearly as deeply as a wadcutter.

I would not shoot them in any .38 special revolver.

If you check your manuals, you will find listings of 6 to 7 grains with 150-155 grains bullets.

I would not be afraid to try one them in a .357 Mag. If it didn't smear the primer, I would shoot the rest of them. ( In the .357) ( Preferably a Contender or a Ruger. )

[x101airborne]

ya know..... it's a boo boo and we have all made em. Some times we catch em before they are fired and some times we just get lucky. Some times we are not so lucky and it may or may not be any fault of our own.

Point is.... you are man enough to know it and ask. Kudos to you.

I know I have pulled and recycled many rounds in my time. Keep em for use in a 357 and check your cases for excessive expansion before reloading again.

[Char-Gar]

I wouldn't be shooting them, 5g of BE in any 38spl is a hot load.

FWIW an old lyman 3rd edition book on cast bullets lists a 3.8g max load of BE for their 35863 dewc bullet.


This guy is spot on. I would not shoot them either.

[Ben]

Got a shovel ? ?

[Recluse]

I never lecture anyone for making a mistake in reloading, generally, but if they know they made a mistake and still insist on firing the loaded rounds, that changes everything.

If you only lit off one of those rounds and said, "$#%^!!! Something isn't right here!" and quit, kudos.

If you fired off more than one, then I best reserve my comments.

:coffee:

[leadman]

These should unload pretty easy with a kinetic boolit puller. Put half a foam ear plug in the bottom of the puller and you should be able to use the boolits again.

[archmaker]

It is a mistake, and when it comes to shooting my gun I only will enjoy it if I know that the load that I am shooting is the one I intended to shoot.

Most of us reload to make quality ammunition that is accurate in our gun and does what we intended. I doubt that you will find that the load that you have is all that accurate.

So pull those boolits, and enjoy your hobby, instead of worrying with each pull of the trigger.

[WILCO]

When in doubt, pull them down and start over.

[Bret4207]

When in doubt, pull them down and start over.

Times 2. It happens, you caught it, good on you. I'd pull them myself.

[Maven]

SS, Heed Ed Harris' advice in his response to you on the CBA site:

5 grs. of Bullseye with 146 double-end wadcutter in .38 Special case at 1.20 OAL is about 33,000 psi, OK to shoot up in your Ruger Speed Six if it doesn't lead, but would DESTROY an S&W K frame.

+P++ Shoot in .357 guns only. I don't exceed 4 grs. Bullseye or 9 grs. #2400 loading .38 Spl. brass in my Rugers, about 900 fps.

[Cadillo]

As suggested above. You need either a shovel or bullet puller. It was many years before I got a bullet pulller. Until then I buried many a suspect cartridge. Life is hard. It's harder with fewer fingers and or eyeballs.

[C.F.Plinker]

I started reloading when the 2.7 grains of Bullseye was the usual target load for the 148gr WC and the 158gr SWC. I was told at that time that 5 gr of Bullseye was the proof charge for the gun at the factory and that a double charge (5.4 gr) would destroy the pistol.

You are loading what I was told is the factory proof test charge. Pull all of them and don't look back.

Because they are in 38 Special cases, I would not "reserve" them for use in a 357 Magnum. It is all too easy to forget that they should not be used in 38 Specials or for someone else to grab them, think that because they are 38s they are OK for his or her 38, and fire them in a different pistol.

[Ben]

Why flirt with disaster ?
How many of us would knowingly load a proof load and fire
it ( or several rounds of it ) in any of our weapons ?

Where is the shovel ?

[Wayne Smith]

How deep are they seated? If I run Quickload numbers on that boolit, seated flush to the case mouth as DEWC usually are, the pressure is beyond exciting with 5.9 of Bullseye. As in I wouldn't touch off another one on a bet, except maybe in my L-frame .357!!!

If you've left .200 out of the case, well, maybe, but it's still well past a +P load.

NOT 5.9gr Bullseye, 4.9 gr. is what he used. Granted, an overload and I would pull them too. Let's read carefully and post the correct information, though.

[RevGeo]

When in doubt, pull 'em out. There is absolutely, positively no room for error in reloading. The cases, bullets and powder can be reclaimed.

George

[Char-Gar]

Southern Shooter.. The wise and prudent handloader never shoots his mistakes, even if they won't blow him to kingdom come! We pull them, and learn. The angst, frustration and time spent in breaking down the ammo, amplifies and reinforces what we learn from the mistake.

[fredj338]

You're OK. Hornady's latest manual shows a max of 5.0 gr BE under their 140 JHP. Your
boolit was a touch heavier, but boolits develop lower pressures than j-bullets, so it is
probably a wash.

Not a load that you would enjoy everyday, but probably within pressure limits - about a
max load, though. SAAMI spec on .38 Spl is 17,000 psi, so I'd guess you were about there.

Bill

I disagree. The longer lead wc, seated deeper, you were waaaaay over pressure there. Lucky is word that comes to mind. Good thing you were shooting them in a magnum. I am not sure a lt wt 38sp snub would have held together well.

[stubert]

How many did you load?

[Char-Gar]

Some years back the NRA ran some tests on what happens to pressures with 2.7/Bullseye and a full wadcutter bullets, when you double charge and/or deep seat the bullets. Here is the chart that appear in the American Rifleman magazine which can give you a little idea of what is going on with the original poster.

[uscra112]

NOT 5.9gr Bullseye, 4.9 gr. is what he used. Granted, an overload and I would pull them too. Let's read carefully and post the correct information, though.

Keypunch error while posting, smarty. The analysis was correct. 4.9 of Bullseye is over 30K psi. Well out of range for .38 Special.

[garym1a2]

Unless you have a blackhawk or a Rossi 1892 to shot them I would pull them.

[gwpercle]

Now is the time to get a bullet puller. That load is too hot for 38 spcl. and even if you have a 357 mag. that you can shoot them in do not take the chance of these rounds finding thier way into a J frame Airlite that you get a few years from now . Trust me stuff like that will happen. Just get a puller and break em down.
If you remove the decapping pin you can resize the cases and reload the brass. Use an inertia bullet puller and you can reuse the boolits, usually.
If you'r just starting in reloading you will find the puller a wise investment.

[Alchemist]

Now is the time to get a bullet puller. That load is too hot for 38 spcl. and even if you have a 357 mag. that you can shoot them in do not take the chance of these rounds finding thier way into a J frame Airlite that you get a few years from now . Trust me stuff like that will happen. Just get a puller and break em down.
If you remove the decapping pin you can resize the cases and reload the brass. Use an inertia bullet puller and you can reuse the boolits, usually.
If you'r just starting in reloading you will find the puller a wise investment.

+ 1 A reloader needs a bullet puller for the same reason they put erasers on pencils. And the hammer style inertia pullers are not that expensive. I know mine has come in handy several times. I got a batch of loads too light once...the bullet just poked its nose out the end of the muzzle. Whacking out a bunch of boolits is still better than blowing up a gun.