BP 38-40 Reloading equipment recommendations and NONO list

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Howdy all,

Made a deal for a 1894 Marlin in 38-40 WCF today and have no reloading stuff for such. What do you recommend before I start buying.
Probably going to try the DD Big lube boolits from Springfield first, Also what Brass do you recommend? Will be loading with 3F Goex.

Thanks,

Sam :D

[Don McDowell]

Hornady dies, rcbs 180 gr double cavity mould, and 2f schuetzen powder. Winchester brass.

[Springfield]

Use a 6 cavity Big Lube mould and it won't matter which BP powder. I do prefer the RCBS cowboy dies, it tends to shave less lead from the bullet when seating, at least with my 45 Colt and 44-40 loads with my very soft bullets. With my 38-55 also, as I use .380 sized bullets.

[Charley]

I use Lee dies, Lyman's 410043 mold, SPG lube, GOEX FFFg, WW cases, and Winchester large pistol primers. Shoot mine in an early 1900s Winchester 1892 rifle. Taken several whitetails with that combo, works well for me.

[405]

Nothing unusual about the 38-40 other than the brass tends to be thin so extra care is needed when doing the various functions of reloading. I like the Lyman 3 die set a little better than the RCBS Cowboy 3 die set mainly because I prefer the Lyman M die over the RCBS expander. I like and use Starline brass for quite a few cartridges including the 38-40. I you feel you need a heavy crimp the Lee FCD is hard to beat. If you use only a light crimp then judicious use of the roll crimp shoulder in the seating die works fine. I prefer Standard Remington Large Pistol primers for the 38-40. For carbine/rifle BP loads you may want to get some 40 caliber .030" fiber over powder wads like Walters or similar.

[cajun shooter]

405, I use the RCBS Cowboy Dies because they have the larger expander's included and a very high polish that allows me to load with out a lubing process. I used the Lee FCD for quite a while but found that on many cases it was more of a pinch type of crimp and not the easy roll I was wanting. I load in a four stage process with seating and crimping being separate stages. I purchased the Redding Profile Die about 5 months ago and have never been happier. This die gives your cases a beautiful roll over the edge of the driving band that is perfect. I will never use anything else.

[405]

405, I use the RCBS Cowboy Dies because they have the larger expander's included and a very high polish that allows me to load with out a lubing process. I used the Lee FCD for quite a while but found that on many cases it was more of a pinch type of crimp and not the easy roll I was wanting. I load in a four stage process with seating and crimping being separate stages. I purchased the Redding Profile Die about 5 months ago and have never been happier. This die gives your cases a beautiful roll over the edge of the driving band that is perfect. I will never use anything else.

Interesting. I've found pretty much the opposite. I have and use 4 different sets of RCBS Cowboy dies. Except for the "ye olde antiquee" finish they are not much different from other conventional dies. Their working surfaces if anything seem not as smooth as other dies. The expander that comes with the Cowboy is a simple parallel plug with a flare at the end. The Lyman M die has a parallel section then a short step then the flare- works better for me. As far as crimping.... I don't use a heavy crimp for 99% of what I load and only use a heavy crimp for large, magnum, full house jbullet loads in big boomers... but if you need or want a heavy crimp, the Lee FCD is the one that won't buckle the neck and cause other problems. For just a normal light roll crimp into the forward part of a crimp groove on the bullet, the crimping shoulder in most seaters works fine for me. If the case lengths vary a bunch then roll crimping with any die will be variable and may do more harm than good.

[cajun shooter]

First, There is no where in my posting that I said anything about a big heavy crimp! In fact I was trying to have the brass just roll over the top driving band as my custom bullets have no crimp groove. The RCBS Cowboy die sets all come with two different expanders and that is what I was talking about. The insides of my dies look like mirrors. You have taken my posting and made it something it is not nor was ever iintended to be. I shoot 100% BP and don't put big heavy crimps on anything and never said so. I became upset with the Lee FCD when it would go from a crimp that was not enough to a crimp that pinched my cases and bullets. It would not take a small adjustment. The Redding Die which are the dies I used in the 60's is just the die I was looking for and it allows me to have that ever so smooth easy roll type of crimp that every die should. I will also say that your results don't match what mine show so there we have a difference in results which is why every person in this world needs to find what works for them. You and I have done that although I did not add words to yours.