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Thread: 1891 small frame 38

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by uscra112 View Post
    Granted that you're into swaging, but a ramble thru the NOE online catalog will find you a mould for the right bullet.
    I am finding it really easy to make swaging dies for these things...so for me it is easier to experiment with that. Can change the shape, size, base etc., pretty easy. Any mold close to the right size can be used "as long as the diameter is a little smaller than the final boolit." That way I can powder coat before swaging and the final result doesn't have to be either lubed or powder coated.
    The question that remains on this is, what shape and thickness would I want the base to be able to best obturate to form some kind of gas seal for this situation? It would seem that with such a big difference between the bore diameter of the cylinder and the bore of the gun, this thing is gonna lose a lot of gas any way I do it.

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    Yes, that's true, but you have to get the CHEAP blades. For decades now we've had "bimetal" blades that have a flexible low-carbon back, and only the teeth are high-carbon and hardened. Ditto hacksaw blades. Anneal them if you need a very sharp bend, bend it up, then heat to orange in a torch and plunge into a can of old motor oil. Using oil cools them just that little bit slower, and you may not have to temper after hardening.
    Cognitive Dissident

  3. #23
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    Are the charge holes in the Cyl bored the SAME diameter all the way through or is there a step of smaller diameter?

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by NorthMoccasin View Post
    Are the charge holes in the Cyl bored the SAME diameter all the way through or is there a step of smaller diameter?
    The holes are the same bore through the cylinder.

  5. #25
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    I just removed the grooves on a 120 gn .358" RN mold. It is up to 130gn now. Gonna take it to 146 gn. Also going to open up the swaging die to .361" That should work well for these 38 S&W rounds. I hope also someday to make a rifle barrel for this cartridge to use in a converted 12 GA break open single shot rifle. Like the "Rook Rifle" on another thread.

  6. #26
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    I also noticed from the "not impressed with Heritage Rough Rider" thread that those 22 revolvers are also bored straight through the cylinder with a gaping forcing cone. This relieves my concern about this old 1881 revolver. It it works on the Rough Rider, it should work on the Forehand Arms revolver.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Traffer View Post
    Speaking of making your own springs...
    I was at the hardware store recently looking for something that I could modify into that spring (before finding one at Numrich) . The guy who was helping me used to work for a machine shop that subbed Smith & Wesson parts. He said that he had made springs from band saw blades. He even said that a person could heat treat them with a propane torch.
    That would seem to be a good knowledge to have... will have to do some research on that.
    Oops. I bored out the mold a little more than anticipated. It is now dropping 156 grain boolits at .358 with no grooves. That should still work for the Forehand Arms 38 S&W though I would think. Since the Brits took it to 200 gn.

  8. #28
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    tucumcari_kid's Avatar
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    Old West Molds or NOE both make molds that will drop 360. I use the Old West 200 grain in my 38 S&Ws as well as my 38 Specials and 357s. I have at least 3 38 s&w from 1900s on up to 1970s. None of them are over .359 so I size them 359.
    Here is a 146 grain .360 diameter from OWBM
    https://oldwestbulletmoulds.com/prod...e-cavity-mould

    And the 200 grain that drops closer to .363

    https://oldwestbulletmoulds.com/prod...8-super-police

    Hope that helps.
    -Mike

  9. #29
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    @tucumcari kid
    Thanks for that info. Since mine slugs at .357 and my swaging die is now making .3585" boolits I think I will leave it at that. The mold is dropping them at 156 grains and I am swaging in a hollow base (albeit a bit shallow) This is what I am getting for boolits for the gun now. The only thing I may change is the depth of the hollow base. From what I have seen hollow bases are usually deeper. You will notice on the pictures that the inside of the swaging die still needs some polishing and I noticed a burr around the extraction pin hole that will have to be removed. Other than that the pictures show how simple the swaging die really is:
    Click image for larger version. 

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  10. #30
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    UGH! I just realized that my calipers were not zeroed and the boolits are actually .3595". Oh careless me. sigh

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check