240 gr 38 special

[jlallen89]

does any one shoot a 240 gr boolit in a 38 spl case i know it is to long for a 357 case? if so what kind of powder and how much.i got some for shooting bowling pins but dont know how much and what kind of powderto use.

[Ben]

I'd be REAL CAREFUL with a 240 gr. bullet in a 38 Spec.
Your 240 gr. bullet will consume a lot of available air space
in the case,making pressure spikes a major concern.

When that powder ignites, moving that 240 gr. bullet is going to generate some pressure ...QUICK ! !
I have my doubts that you'll find any reloading data from any of the powder or bullet companies.
That leaves it up to an individual.
Use the data at your own risk from individuals.
Be careful with this one.......

[1Shirt]

Listen to Ben!!!!!!!!! And by the way just where would you find loading data for a
240 gr. rifle blt in a 38S?
1Shirt!

[Jon K]

Probably won't stabilize...too long.

Jon

[Love Life]

I'm just curious, but why would you go that heavy for shooting bowling pins?

[Ben]

The 358430 at around 195 - 200 grs. is the heaviest bullet I've seen Lyman list reloading data for in the 38 Spec.

Here is a photo of the bullet :

http://www.lymanproducts.com/includes/img/lyman/bulletcasting/358430.jpg

Ben

[Got-R-Did]

There used to be a factory load for the 200 gr .38 Spl. offered by both Western Cartridge Co. and Rem.-Peters way back in the day and they were only rated at approx. 625 fps out of a 4" bbl. I can't imagine that you could get a 240 anywhere close to that, and as Jon K points out, doubtful that the 1-16" twist would spin it up enough.
Got-R-Did.

[GLL]

I think you will be happier with something like the LYMAN 358627 or the NOE Group Buy variation designed for the .357Magnum case ! Mine cast about 195 grains in HP form.

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/48F5B23791A6340/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/C9D8CFC1EDB96A9/standard.jpg

[wiljen]

I was thinking maybe the saeco 351

[cajun shooter]

I did some testing in the late sixties with the Western 38 spl 200 grain lead bullet load. The old guys were spreading all kinds of myth stories about what this bullet would do. A lot of cops carried this round believing that is was a steam roller.
The f acts are quite different from all the stories that were told.
I had a few old junk cars to use for testing and they showed how meek this round really was. Back then most all cars had what was called a butterfly glass or wing glass or vent glass. It was small in size and was in front of the main door glass. It had it's own crank knob or was manually pulled in and out by hand. This glass was a safety type of glass.
I shot several times at the vent glass on a 1951 Chevrolet and not one of them penetrated the glass. They just hit it and fell to the ground. The bullet would not go into the passenger area when fired at a door or the sides of the car. They were very weak rounds to say the least. There is one story from that time period where a cop shot a man wearing a heavy over coat and other heavy clothes to protect him from the cold weather. He robbed a store and was shot by a police man using the 200 grain bullet. The bullet did not make it to the mans torso before stopping in all the clothing.
You would be much better off using a good design of the 158 grain weight bullet such as the Keith style of rounds. Later David

[jdgabbard]

Cajun, respectfully may I add, I shoot 190-205g boolits in my 38spl all the time. They will go through more than what you think. And I'm willing to bet my life against a big bad man while I'm carrying them in the pipe. Now maybe my +P loadings are a little more potent than the loads that you have loaded them to. But trust me, its not too heavy. As a matter of fact, the Brits used a 200g boolit in the Webley's 38s&w. They found it adequate. So do I. And when either my 190g Ranch Dog or my Lyman 358430 195g (casts at 205g) is loaded to levels that would possibly considered lower end 38/44 loads they knock critters smack on their back side.

It's not a 240g, and I think that a 240g is too heavy. But the 200g is not what you're making it out to be.

[Bret4207]

Cajun, I have to join in with JD's respectful disagreement. I've shot up several boxes of the old 38 Super Police loads (from Peters if memory serves). I found they packed quite a bit more wallop than standard 158 RN, which was the alternative back in the day.

[Larry Gibson]

1st; I also believe the 240 gr bullet is too heavy for use in a 38 SPL.

2nd; I agree with both sides of the 200 gr bullets issue. I tested most all available ammunition back in the mid '70s by chronographing and against verious types of targets for penetration including car doors and windows. With the 200 gr loads I found exactly what both sides have posted. A couple loads were effective but several were quite anemic. Unfortuneately I was paid by the LE department I worked for to conduct the tests and they kept the info close hold so I don't have a copy (only a hard copy, done on a typewriter, was done as that was well before common computer use).

BTW; I also tested some surplus British .38/200 loads and they were the most anemic. How they found that "adequate" was/is beyond me.

Larry Gibson

[frnkeore]

The original poster wasn't very clear in his posting. I read it as using 38 Spec case but possibly using them in a 357 mag and inferred that the cases were to be able to crimp the bullet and have a OAL that would fit a mag cylinder.

I believe it would work in that manner but, have no experiance with such a load. I do load a 35875 (208 gr) bullet in my 357 mag at 1.67 OAL with 14 gr lil gun. 10 - 11 gr with a 240 gr could be a starting place for a 357 MAG chamber.

Frank