I have been playing with some loads for my 38 special snubby. I use 357 max brass, trimmed so the end is about .010" inside the cylinder, size in a 357 mag die, run thru a 38 special seater die to set the bit of a should back. I then load with 2.2 gr bullseye, a wad cut from cardboard egg carton, then fill with "ancini de pepe" pasta (maybe 1/16" in dia.) then another card wad on top and make a small crimp using a 7mm br seating die with the bullet nose stem removed.
I need to anneal like GP100man had posted years ago as I get springback on the case neck when I form it, and they are difficult to chamber.
However, they work up close. I use the pasta as I sometimes shoot in the gravel in the flower bed next to the house and don't care for any ricochets. Figure the pasta just disintigrates. Wife says snakes out in the field or 75' or so away from the house are fine, but next to the house, it is verboten for them to be here. They have taken to hibernating under the house, so they get no mercy when they emerge. She stepped on one coming out the front door one day and almost levitated getting out of there. I heard the scream a long ways away.
So far this year, 11 snakes with 12 shots (gave a ball of three an extra shot).
Somehow, I had never seen this thread before. Only revolver shot loads I'd ever made were the old double gas check variety. Now I have another project simmering on one of a dozen back burners. Thanks a lot, GearGnasher.
Seriously, thanks for taking the time and trouble to explain all of this. I'll file it away until this winter when it's too cold to piddle around outside.
Last week I had some trouble with vermin in a attic. I just about had problem solved but still had
a few I couldn't catch. I decided CCI 22 shot caps would work without doing any damage to
structure or roof at 6'-8'. I never had much use for them to shoot snakes at any range. I don't
shoot non poisonous snakes and if I shot a Copperhead it is a must and I'm not playing with it.
Anyway they worked perfect to my surprise. I had already done the basement with traps and 38
Speer capsules loaded with #71/2 shot.
Ok, So I only had some std 357 mag cases. Primed a dozen, loaded up a starting load from above of 2.3 gr on Bullsey. I laser cut out some hardboard discs from a thick mailing envelope I had around. Decided not to use just corrugated as it would take up space or collapse. Placed one disc on top of powder, pushed down tight. Filled up with ancini de pepe (stole the bag for a bit) but DaVinci brand is extruded cylinders.Oh well, for try let's see.
Pushed another disc on top and I crimped down with a 9mm crimp die. Didn't roll over at all, just pulled it down 10 thousandths for about an eight inch. HMMM. So I dribbles some elmers white glue on top of the disc to seal. Let dry over night. Fired off 4 of them. 22 short or less report. At 3-4ft, went thru 2 layers of newsprint. Tried a couple on an Amazon prime corrugated plastic shipping envelope. Loads went thru one side, but not the opposite. About a 6-8" diameter spread. And would do pretty good. I think I'll run down some spherical pasta, I think I might have some couscous that is round.
Should work better as this stuff broke up easy.
Oh, the glue worked well. No motion, no movement, no residue. I'll mark base of some of the cases and put one or two in my taurus. 5 shots of good stuff, and two of shot.
Thanks
Very crude but excellent results, and put's my buddies Judge to shame. 460 S&W Brass makes great metallic shot shells for the 45 Colt.
I am kinda crude prepping brass, need a 44 mag resize die, I neck down the case till it will just fit in the Colt chambers. They are usually neck sized off to one side at this point but slight pressure allows them to be seated in the cylinder deep enough to operate and fire form.
Once fire formed, and I use a healthy dose of 231, same as I shoot with 250 grain slugs in my Blackhawk.You have cases that look as good as the old 12 ga greener shells made of brass.
My load process is dump the powder, I cut cards out of card board with a sharp 45 case, once the powder is dumped I carefully use a flat eraser end on a lead pencil to seat it down flat over the charge, then dump the #8 shot all the way to the top, I then carefully put a revered 44 cal gas check on top and drop a drop or two of wax over the top of the gas check and slightly crimp them. The early shells were sealed with pastbord cards and bees wax.
The Water bottle was full and has holes 360 degrees around it, so full penetration at 25 yards is great. The Turkey target also at 25 yards shows how effective this could be for snakes and the likes. Very handy out of the 5.5" Blackhawk.
The Starline 5 in 1 Blank cases work for shot loads too:
https://www.44winchestercenterfireca...-1-Blank-cases
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/41...-bulk-packaged
Description of the shotshell procedure from my review:
5 in 1 Revolver and Rifle Shot
Submitted 3 years ago
From West Virginia
Verified Buyer
The Starline 5 in 1 Blank cases work well to assemble handgun shotshells useable in the .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .38-40, .44-40 and .45 Colt revolvers. Powder charges must be kept mild due to the enlarged flash hole. I use 5 grains of Alliant Bullseye or 6 grains of WST or 231 and a Winchester Large Pistol primer. A Buffalo Arms .45 card wad must be inserted over the powder charge, first inserting the card sideways with tweezers, pushing it about halfway into the case, before rotating it to bridge across the interior case wall and then aligning and pressing it down against the powder using a 3/8" dowel. Next a Federal 410SC shot cup is inserted firmly against the card, seated with the dowel and its protruding wad fingers trimmed off with a sharp knife. It is absolutely necessary to use the .45 card under the plastic shot cup because it is not of sufficient diameter to prevent powder from otherwise leaking around it, which will cause bloopers. Load about 1/3 oz. of fine shot not larger than 7-1/2, to maintain adequate pellet count, within 1/8" of the case mouth. Insert a .38 cal. Buffalo Arms card wad over the shot and then crimp the shell using either a .44 Long Shot, .45 ACP Shot or Lee .308 Winchester seating die which has been shortened by 1" and a blank RCBS sizer-lubricator top punch positioned and adjusted in the seating stem collar to hold the top card at the mid point of the die shoulder, while the case mouth is bumped against the shoulder to form a nice, professional looking crimp. Waterproof the shell by painting the top wad with clear urethane or varnish. These produce rabbit and grouse killing patterns patterns at 20 feet with No.8s and burn rattlers to "snakeburgers" at 15 feet. More effective than the Speer factory shot and useable in a variety of guns. I pack 20 of these in each vehicle or aircraft survival kit.
Photos:
5 in 1 Revolver and Rifle Shot 25 foot pattern from Marlin 1894S .44 rifle
5 in 1 Revolver and Rifle Shot 25 foot pattern from 5-1/2" Ruger .44 with No.8
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
One of our castboolit brothers proffered the use of .303 Brit brass trimmed to length (of the whole .44 mag cylinder / minus a fraction), fire formed in the revolver cylinder, then loaded with unique, wad cards, shot (I use #7 1/2 shot), over shot card, then sealed with Elmer's glue. Re-sizing starts with a .44 mag FL and then the reduced "bottle neck" is re-sized with a .40 FL die. Works like a champ.
I use 30-40 Krag brass
NRA Benefactor 2004 USAF RET 1971-95
Have you tried some of the different hole punch out there, some make quiet a large plug from many different materials.
You can buy many different sizes from Hobby Shops and even some automotive supply places (used to put holes on gasket materials for carbs etc. (giving my age away).
You can get them in sets or individually.
Mine are from an old set of Tandy Leather punches. I also have a set from an auto place.
Its worth a try and saves a lot of cutting.
They will cut thru most any not metal material.
On a side note, I always used the CCI capsules, but I was working with buckshot mostly.
I used to reload a lot of .38 and .357, but now I just get loaded.
you might try gas checks and reverse them you have to get the right amount of shot to fill the case then crimp them work very well in 38spl to 45/70 I use 444 marlin in my 410 just use 410 data and wad
Dear Gear
You have made the double gas check load obsolete.
You are an innovative reloader to be sure.
Your patience explaining to everyone and then another double gas checker shows up.
Without your heat formed wad, the shotload has no protection.
Again I want to thank you!
I hope to copy your method to make shotloads for .32 H&R revolver cartridge.
I'm planning on trying a hardwood dowel to make the forming mandrel and cut off cases for the nose collar .
If the hardwood dowel doesn't prove sturdy enough, I will use a turned down bolt.
Takes me awhile so i will get back to you and let you know.
Thanks for sharing.
Gear
Post #131 says it all.
Any one making 9mm shot shell loads for 9mm revolvers? Am working on some made from 223 brass necked down to fit the throat of the cylinder, for use in a Charter arms 9mm Luger, no moon clips required. Lengths of 1.100,1.200,1.300,1.400 hopefully will get final trimmed to lengths today, deburred , chamfered inside and out, run through tumbler to get clean and ready to load. Anyone making them for use in a auto pistol especially a Glock? Should get a hefty payload for the revolver with the 1.400 oal. My mail carrier is interested in some for use in a 9mm Glock. Would like to know the oal if any one is making them to use in the 9mm autos. Thanks
Overall length for a 45 in a 1911 to be able to cycle semi auto is a function of the ejection port lenght, the fired shotshell case (still full lenght or even a little longer than a bullet loaded round) must be able to be ejected thru the ejection port. Id try trial end error while focusing on ejection.
Let us know if you can get it to work through a 9mm Glock, hopefully semi automatically.
What caliber sizing die do you plan on using to form the case mouth to headspace on using cut down 223 cases? (32acp?)
Interesting I use a blank die which will perform a star crimp on a 357 Mag case. A felt wad and shot crimped in place works perfect for me. You can not reload the cartridge as the crimped star will break upon opening.
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 |