Optimal Bullet Weight for .38 Super?

[X-man]

Hey Guys,

I'm trying to find the optimal cast bullet weight for the .38 Super. I've got a Colt Combat Commander and a full size Gov't Model that are both in .38 Super. I've been shooting the 115gr RCBS, but I'm not totally happy with the results. Both pistols are capable of better accuracy. I'm looking at getting another mould to see if I can improve performance.

What would you guys recommend? 124gr RN or Truncated, 130 gr RN, or 147gr? I'm leaning toward the heavier bullet weights.

Any help would be appreciated. :-)

[45 2.1]

The old Lyman 358480 133 gr. boolit is great in the 38 Super. The problem is finding one now.

[X-man]

I haven't seen that one, but have been looking at a couple of SAECO designs. What do you think? 130 gr vs 147 gr? I've also seen 140gr and 145gr SAECO moulds for the .38 Super. There is also a 154gr SAECO that looks interesting. A little heavy, but???

I like adding to my mould collection...but I kinda' want to find something that'll allow me to develop a tight load, sooner, rather than later.

[45 2.1]

I've shot heavier bullets than 133 gr., but the older Super cases sometimes blew with heavier bullets and loads. The 358480 shot better than I could see or hold and killed groundhogs very well also. Try to find a mold if you can, its probably the best shooting bullet in the super that i've tried.

[Buckshot]

..............X-Man, what do you mean buy 'Optimal'? You mean like a 165 or 168gr in the 30-06?

I would suppose in the 38 Super it would have to be something like in the 124 to 130 gr range. I really like the Lyman 147gr FNBB in my Witness 38 Super. Very accurate with it and I've had it up to 1240 fps. It's accurate at THAT speed. BTW, with ww type alloy my copy of that mould actually drops then at 153grs.

http://www.fototime.com/94E23D0AC147FC1/standard.jpg
This is the RCBS 38-162 SWC-GC. That charge written in the lid of the cartridge box sends it out the 4.5" bbl with some athority. It's 'peppy'! I have Wolff springs from 12 lbs to 26lbs, and the mentioned Lyman slug uses the 26LB spring.

...............Buckshot

[Four Fingers of Death]

I have only used 135Gn LRN which are teflon coated lead cast at this stage because I'm in temporary lodgings with work and can't cast here. It loves them.

I think the 38super auto has always been loaded with heavier lead boolits until the advent of compensators and they moved away from them and into light boolits, going flat out to generate enough gas to maximise compensator operation. Makes me think that maybe heavier boolits would be the go in standard 3 supers.

That's what I'm going to try when I get back into casting. In fact I have high hopes that the 158Gn Lee RNFP will be usable accross a few of my guns, both service and cowboy.

[X-man]

You got it Buckshot! Looking for the best performance with a cast bullet design for use in the .38 Super chambering out of the 1911 platform. Now I realize every gun is different and some will shoot certain designs/weights better than others, but in general terms, I'm looking for the optimal or ideal bullet weight for the round. I'm not using a compensator, and I'm not shooting IPSC with it, just looking at shooting tiny groups in paper targets with it!

I've tried several lighter 115 gr moulds that haven't yielded the results I want. So I'm looking at picking up another mould in a heavier weight. What I'm looking for is recommendations for a weight/design that will give me the best shot at picking one that will work really well in my pistols. I'd love to go out and pick up 3-4 new moulds and try 'em all, but right now working part time and going to grad school kinda' precludes that! I'm sorta leaning toward a SAECO design this time around, simply because they have some many more 9mm/.38 Super designs to choose from. Again, any help would be appreciated!

[bobthenailer]

hi i have 2 38 supers, and 4 bullet moulds 122tc -122rn- 125rngc the saeco 145 gr swc is the most accurate also both guns shoot better with bullets sized to 357dia

[X-man]

hi i have 2 38 supers, and 4 bullet moulds 122tc -122rn- 125rngc the saeco 145 gr swc is the most accurate also both guns shoot better with bullets sized to 357dia

That's the kind of feedback I need! Thanks! :D Any chance of posting pics of some cast 145gr bullets? Any idea what top punch will work for this mould using Lyman/RCBS punches.

I checked the SAECO catalog and the mould you describe is listed as No. 929 and is a 145 SWC Bevel Base design for the .38 Super. SAECO top punch is #35925

What Lyman/RCBS punch would match or at least work for this mould I wonder? Thanks! :)

[D.Mack]

I currently own three 38 supers, 1 colt , and 2 stars I converted from 9mm largo, and used to own another colt commander, but a friend loved it more than I did and it went home with him one day. I've tried everything from 115- 200 grains, and mine seem to prefer the middle wieghts from 125-158. Most of my star loads are really 38 auto equivalent, 125 gr. round noses at 1100 fps. and my colt loads are the 158 gr. rcbs round nose at 1100 fps. No they are not barn burnners, but they are comfortable, accurate, and totally reliable. If I were to need more firepower, a cell phone preprogramed to 911, would be in order. DM

[9.3X62AL]

I have almost zero experience with the 38 Super, sad to say. You would think with all the time I've spent messing around with some pretty off-the-wall calibers that at least one 38 Super would have crossed my threshold. Not so.

The caliber has always seemed like a pretty good defensive round, if loaded with decent controlled-expansion JHP's. That it would be a good small game and varmint hunting caliber speaks for itself--flat trajectory, generous (for the application) striking energy, and 9-10 round capacity for jackrabbit strafing runs if the first round doesn't connect. Not a high-percentage method, but once in a great while it works.

The caliber had a gunrag reputation of being not so accurate, but the few examples owned by friends sure didn't bear that out--at all. For cast boolit work, most of the 1911A1-based examples use the Colt/Browning 1-16" twist, which is a far better pitch than the 1-10" used in most 9mm's.

I wonder how much trouble we would get into by shipping metal castings into Canada from the US of A. When the Post Office asks what the somewhat heavy parcels contain, that has been my stock answer--but don't know about Canadian laws governing such things, and I DO want to go back there for fishing and hunting without the complication of a wanted poster bearing my photograph being issued and posted at the border crossings.

[X-man]

Hi Deputy Al,

Cast bullets and brass are no problem to ship to Canada and vice versa. We're permitted 5,000 pieces of brass or loaded ammo without any paperwork. I've been trading cast bullets, etc...with buddies I made as far back as the old Shooters.com Cast Bullet Board!

The only thing they get sticky on is complete firearms, receivers/actions/frames. I can import those too, it just takes a little more paperwork. Typically, I can get a complete firearm legally imported into Canada in about 4-6 weeks and that's dealing with both the US State Dept. and the Canadian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and their respective export and import certificates.

The US side of things have tightened up their end recently because of our idiot Liberal Governement. We're in the middle of an election campaign and the current government is looking at defeat due to fiscal mismanagement and proven charges of cronyism, nepotism and corruption. So they've decided to bash the US, especially over the softwood lumber dispute where the WTO ruled that the US hadn't been following rules by levying heavy duties on Canadian lumber. Of course the previous Prime Minister, and the current one, Paul Martin were ******* buddies of Bill Clinton. They really disliked that George Bush and the Republicans regained power.

They're basically a bunch of elitist, left-wing, tree-hugging, latte drinking *******s that believe the world revolves around them. After 13 years in power, it looks like they're going to be booted out on their ass. The only question is whether the Conservative Party of Canada can pull off a majority or minority government. Polls say it will probably be the latter. However, once the Conservatives get in and bring in the forensic accountants, I think they won't have any problem winning a majority next time around...most of the Liberals will probably be in jail! :)

Sorry to ramble on like that. The Liberal Party is very anti-gun, much moreso than the Democrats, so I've been heavily involved in the election campaign.

[9.3X62AL]

Awright, then--if we won't set off DefCon alerts, maybe we could send ya some samples to mess with.

While we were in Alberta in October, we watched some news pieces on TV about how that corruption scandal was unfolding. VERY nice to see the Mercedes Marxists getting their game busted out. Anyone with an ounce of credulity and a gram of common sense knows that depriving law-abiding citizens of firearms stops crime like disc brakes stop aircraft carriers. Much of the rest of liberal politics is systematic nonsense as well. Best of luck on getting those trendy leftists ejected.

[bobthenailer]

the 145 is a bevel base bullet i belive you will have problems of bullet lube filling the bevel base void with the lyman & rcbs lube sizers , i use a star l/s