38 special ammunition question

[Ohiomike]

Great advice. Did you mean copper chore boy? Thanks. Mike.

[44magLeo]

Yes, the copper is softer than the steel of your cylinder but harder than the lead. It will remove the build up very well.
I have a Lewis lead remover. It uses a rubber expansion plus with round pieces of brass screening. The brass does the scrubbing and the rubber expansion plug provide the pressure to hold the brass agaisnt the bore. It also works well for cleaning the crud in the forcing cone.
Leo

[David2011]

Mike,

Welcome to Castboolits! Nothing in a lifetime of shooting has been as much fun as .38 wadcutters. Have fun with them.

David

[Ohiomike]

Mike,

Welcome to Castboolits! Nothing in a lifetime of shooting has been as much fun as .38 wadcutters. Have fun with them.

David

SandW 38special. Navy Victory Model.(Model 10)
Any ideas what’s causing each of the rings in the cylinders?
Ammunition used:
Winchester FMJ 130 gr target
Buffalo Arms 148 gr Lead wadcutter Cowboy Action smokeless
Federal 148 Lead wadcutter. Gold Medal.

Ps. I did really clean the cylinders.

Mike.

[44magLeo]

It looks like the ring I sometimes get from firing 38 Special in my 357 Mag. In my gun being a 357 the chamber is cut deep ewnough tso a 357 case fills the chamber. A 38 case doesn't. This leaves a gap between the case and the shoulder of the chamber. The boolit expands into this gap and a bit of lead gets shaved off.
Do you have a 357 mag case? if so try it in your gun. If it fits then your chambers are deeper than they need to be for the 38's. This is not a real problem as that ring is easy to clean out.
It could be the transition from chamber to throat is a bit rough. This can peel off a bit of lead.
Now why would the chamber be cut long? It could have been done at the factory, a bit of sloppy QA and went out the door. Highly likely as it might have been war production. In a hurry to fill contracts.
It could have been done after the Navy got it. In an armory refab they may have been cut deeper to allow cases from war production that were made a bit long. Or possibly cut long to chamber 357 mags.
A bit of measuring and close inspection of thechambers and throats might reveal the issue.
If it's just rough, polishing it out might be all it needs.
Leo

[Cary Gunn]

Ohiomike,

Not sure I'm seeing anything in the photo other than the normal chamber/throat cut. Are you seeing a build-up of gunk or leading that's not showing up in your photo?

Just wondering.

Happy trails,

-- Cary Gunn --

[facetious]

Could it just be the stain from the powder burning like you get on the front of the cylinder ? You said you gave it a good cleaning but the stain could still be there.

I have found a 410 brass brush works good for cleaning cylinders . If it is just a stain I wouldn't worry about it. Flits will clean the stain on the front and inside if you want to get rid of it.

[Ohiomike]

Nothing other than the silvery color at the throat cut. What should the throat cut look like? Thanks!

[onelight]

The cylinder has 2 diameters inside the transition between the 2 is often a square cut but can be a taper of sorts.
After cleaning if you look through the chambers with good light you should be able to see how it is machined and any crud that has built up in front of the case mouth.
The crud that builds up at the case mouth can be difficult to get out and takes some extra steps to remove particularly if the crud has accumulated over a long period of time.
In my experience unless you shoot different length cases like 38 in 357 or 22 short in long rifle it does not cause functioning problems unless really bad . But it can make it difficult to chamber or extract the longer case if it builds up from the shorter case. Look at some new guns when you have the opportunity and you should be able to see what they look like with with no crud buildup .
I try to keep it crud cleaned out.

[Petrol & Powder]

I'll see if I can link the chamber drawings for that cartridge. As onelight stated, there's a transition from portion of the cylinder that contains the cartridge to the throat. I believe that is what you are seeing.


Go to page 47 of this document and you will find the drawings for 38 Special.
https://saami.wpengine.com/wp-conten...sting-Copy.pdf

[bedbugbilly]

If you think that is short then I must really be a bad person when I shoot 38 Colt Short out of my 38s and 357s,

[Ohiomike]

[Old School Big Bore]

There's also the possibility that the revolver started life as a .38 S&W and was "rechambered" by some surplus vendor to accommodate .38 spl, which was sometimes shoddily done. I've seen examples that would chamber .357 Mags, which is a recipe for disaster. Ohiomike, does the caliber marking on the gun say specifically "38 Special" or just "38", or some other variation?
You can obtain 9.3 mm or .375 size rifle bore brushes, or specific .38/357 chamber brushes, that will fit your chambers without being crushed down. These slightly fatter brushes can be mounted on a S&W type loop-handled rod and manually turned in the chamber with great results, or you can spin them in a drill motor to speed things up. Just don't shove them in and withdraw them without turning, or even a bronze brush can make brinell marks when the wires are forced to scoot around.
Ed <><