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no more
Last edited by gamma50; 08-27-2013 at 07:28 PM. Reason: its gone way over what I wanted to start
This question is asked by virtually every new reloader on the planet.
Here is my answer:
Please
Please
Please
Please
Please
Don't do it.
Sooner or later, when you least expect it, and when you have completely forgotten about it, one of those loads will find itw way into a .38 Special.
First reload: .22 Hornet. 1956.
More at: http://reloadingtips.com/
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the
government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian."
- Henry Ford
No. Magnum loads in magnum brass only. I don't even load +P in special brass as a just in case. While I'm very anal about labeling everything. I have found some random rounds that are unknowns. This is the potential problem.
I sometimes load regular .38 spl in cases marked +P, but not the other way around. Safe to go down in power, but not the other way around.
Max. load with 125-gr. JHP with Unique for. 38 Special+P is 6 grains.
ideas
Last edited by gamma50; 08-27-2013 at 07:30 PM.
Anybody know why Lyman has two crimp grooves on their 378156? It was/is to seat out the boolits in .38 brass and load .357 loads in them. Used ta was standard practice. Did I miss something? +P or standard cases BTW, modern .38 cases are just short .357s. +P .38 brass is no different, just marked different. Do use a good means of identifying these loads as was mentioned. Red primers are good.
We need somebody/something to keep the government (cops and bureaucrats too) HONEST (by non government oversight).
Every "freedom" (latitude) given to government is a loophole in the rule of law. Every loophole in the rule of law is another hole in our freedom. When they even obey the law that is. Too often government seems to feel itself above the law.
We forgot to take out the trash in 2012, but 2016 was a charm! YESSS!
+1.Originally Posted by leftiye
We load several other cartridges to different levels of performance both handgun and rifle. Why should the 38 SPL now be different?
Larry Gibson
A sure fire way to get the boys to bring the brass back is announce you don't have any to send out and they will need to buy new ammo . A few times of blasting like that will give them a new appreciation for the man supporting their habit . Might get you a few more cases too !
Larry is right , how many of us have tried the Skeeter Skelton load with the Lyman 358156 bullet for out magnum revolvers ? With that said I don't load thirty-eights hotter than plus "P" so that just in case it gets into my weakest gun I won't have trouble . For the little bit I use magnum loads I bought enough magnum cases to cover that . Performance isn't a bad thing as long as one is good at record keeping .
Jack
I have done this and still do, but I also refuse to own a .38 Spl. Several .357s though. It is safe IF you make sure these loads never end up in anything not strong enough for them, as has been said. My way is by NOT having any .38s, but I can't say I have never seen any that I wasn't tempted by. I also don't have any handguns in .45 Colt that aren't Rugers, for the same reason.
I passed my last psych eval, how bout you?
The strange headstamps are military brass.
Yes, the Military did and does use 38 Special ammunition. It is issued to Air Force pilots on a regular basis.
The brass itself is heavier and the primer is almost always crimped per milspecs. The brass is excellent
reloadable brass but does need some care and feeding with regard to different case capacity, not great
but enough that a max load can be quite dangerous.
NOT HEAVY ENOUGH TO MAGNUMIZE THE 38 ! ! ! !
Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets
Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional ! ! !
I use lots of the 358156 "Skelton Loads". The boxes are so marked, and the extra band of lead sticking above the crimping groove lets me identify them easily. That said, I never let anybody else handle them, on the grounds that they could somehow wind up in a .38. If someone steals some from me, that will be their problem.
done and doner
Last edited by gamma50; 08-27-2013 at 07:31 PM.
That is a truly bad idea. It matter not, if others do it. Lots of folks drive drunk, but that doesn't make it a good idea.I have a lot .38 special brass ,a lot marked LC 79, LC 80, this brass is tuff brass, a lot thicker than Winchester or Remington, all had crimped primers. and I found 1k 125 gr. Winchester JHP's.
now .357 brass is way up in price and since I have all this brass and bullets and don't intend to ever give to anyone else and will mark boxes saying "not for any .38 special firearms", I thought I could load this very close to magnum loads with 9 grs Unique . would this be safe in a Ruger
GP 100 or SP 100?
Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.
Yeah, I was going to mention some concerns about that charge. In my yout', I misunderstood my Dad's description of a certain fixed charge bar and loaded 9 grains of Unique in .357 cases under 146-gr JHPs. You know how Unique is supposed to have a bit of muzzle flash??? Well, these bad overloads had a little 6-inch long carrot-shaped and colored muzzle flash in the deep dark, flattened primers worse than anything I had ever personally done*, and gave me some first-hand experience with oh so slightly sticky extraction in an N-frame Smith.
Yes, 125-gr pills are that much lighter, but .38 Spec. cases are also that much shorter. I'll run QuickLOAD numbers for you if you want, but the only way I could grudgingly approve such a venture (IF the pressure numbers come out right) would be if you loaded up that day's ammo, and shot it ALL the same day, AND counted cases in and out like the OR people count surgical sponges.
Then it would be up to you to decide whether the fact that a whole team of professionals leaves a sponge insidda some unlucky somebuddy something like 10 or so times per year in California alone still leaves you confident that you will never, ever miss one of those uber-hot .38s.
It's not as much disagreement as it is preference. There is nothing wrong w/ loading a 38 case to max published values. The max charge for Unique w/ a 125 grain JHP is 6 grains. Stepping it up three grains is just asking for trouble.
Fact is, I've read some firsthand reports from an almost-famous gun destroyer in the Pacific Northwest which indicates that *MODERN* S&W .38 Specials really can handle Magnum-level loads, at least in the K frames. Don't know/remember if he ever tried to blow up a J frame...
Also don't know if he ever did similar testing on Colt revolvers.
A lot of this is how much you trust yourself, your family, your friends who might be tempted to snitch a round or two or a box of your special Specials, and especially the people who will handle your estate (inclusive of the wiser approach of putting the stuff in a trust and avoiding probate).
Anyone who steals ammo from you (lightweight "friends" friends possibly excepted) deserves to have the gun they are shooting blow up on them. Prove your labeling and not even a Phillie lawyer could win a case against you, even if not labeled in Spaniardish.
I recall sectioning .38/.357 cases and seeing no difference beyond length. If they are being fired in a .357 magnum chambered firearm, I fail to see how loading to a safe .357 magnum pressure is going to amount to much.
The above reference to labeling reminded me to pass on the information that off the shelf label stock only stick for ten years or so. That's in temperature and humidity controlled archive conditions. The adhesive breaks down.
I work in a reference library. Even with tens of thousands of electronic data sources, we still label a about half million items a year.
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