38-40 boolits

[ski2me]

I'm considering buying a Ruger Blackhawk Frankenstein gun. It is a 357 mag frame with with a 38-40 barrel and cylinder. What I was wondering was if the .401 165gr LFN bullet that i use in my 40 S&Ws is what I would use in this caliber?

The gun is really cool looking, a combination of case hardened steel frame with some SS parts (like the ejector rod tube) on it. I'm a sucker for unique guns. I'd also like some opinions on what a good price would be on something like this.

[timspawn]

I had several 1873 Winchesters years ago in 38-40. I used the .401 cast lead bullets with great success.

[gunseller]

YES. I had a set of Rugers in 38-40 that came with the 40 S&W cylinders. It shot the 40 S&W rounds OK but really shot the 38-40 well. Bought them to go with my 73 win with that chambering. Ended up selling them to a Cowboy Action Shooter as he had a 92 in that round. Was going to sell my 73 but never got around to it so I guess I will keep the rifle.
Steve

[shooter93]

Nothing wrong with the 165. 180 grain was the standard 38-40 bullet for many yrs.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I've been using the Lyman 401043 weighing around 175 grains in a Win 73 and in a Ruger BH Buckeye. It casts at .403 and shoots well in both guns when sized to .401. LLs

[fcvan]

The first boolit I shot through my Vaquero in 38-40, 40S&W was the Lee 401-145 SWC as it was the only 40 boolits I had cast when my gun came in. Since then I've been shooting the Lee 401-175 TC (mine cast 180) exclusively. Occasionally, I'll shoot 40S&W through it but I prefer the 38-40, especially with the heavier boolit. The point of impact for the heavier boolit was closer to point of aim but the lighter boolit wasn't off by much. Frank

[Bluehawk]

I had a ruger from "Buckeye " sports a number of years ago , in 38/40 and 10mm.
I had a lot of problems with chambering reloaded rounds in it till I modified my dies . I had been loading for several years on 1889 Marlin in 38/ 40 with no problems BUT the Ruger's chamber were much tighter and would not chamber the rounds I had been having no problems with in the Marlin. Once I got the dies straightened our they chambered fine in both .
It was a perfect gun for me , at the time . I had the 38/40 Rifle and I was carrying a S&W 10mm on duty so i had lots of brass and use for the gun . The dept went to 40 cal and I got a REAL HEAVY offer for the Ruger so it went with the wind .
I used the standard Lyman mold for bullets ( not much choice at the time ) for the 180 gr RN FP Worked great n all three guns. Air cooled WW alloy with a bit of tin added .

[Wayne Smith]

Not only is it ok, you are probably better off with it. The original 38-40 (and 44-40) boolits had no crimp grove because they were loaded on a full case of BP and could not slide back in the case. If you are shooting smokeless you need a boolit with a crimp grove.

[ski2me]

No one said anything about the gun itself. In the opinion of this highly knowledgeable and intelligent group, do I need to be afraid of a gun that has been put together as I described above? It looks as if it was factory made this way. No gaps or bailing wire holding it together. It's a blackhawk three screw frame and shows average wear.

What would you be willing to pay for it.

[gunseller]

It is a Ruger what else is there to say? I am not a stainless guy so I would replace the ejector rod housing with a blued one but that is just me. Who made the barrel and cylinder?
Steve

[ski2me]

All original Ruger. Wish I had pics. I don't know if the gun went KB and these parts were added or if the owner just wanted to build something different.

[Wayne Smith]

Which frame was used on the Lipsey" (?) 38-40/40S&W convertible? Might this be one of those with some added stainless?

[ski2me]

the barrel has all the typical Ruger markings and reads 38-40. The frame is also typical but stamped 357.

[Harry O]

You should not have any problem with any reasonable load. I had a couple of 38-40 Uberti-Colt clones (they have since been converted to 41 Long Colt). They could not be any stronger than your Ruger. I shot 7.5gr and 8.5gr of Unique with a 180gr bullet. A couple of notes:

1. With reasonably heavy loads, the bullets will work forward. After 3 to 5 shots, it will tie up the gun. It makes no difference how you size the neck. It is not strong enough to hold the bullet under reasonably brisk recoil. Taper crimp will also not work. You absolutely have to roll crimp the bullet. I did not check your bullet, but most 10mm/.40cal moulds do NOT have a crimping groove. You can crimp ahead of the curve on the front of the mould if it is sized right to fit the gun. That is what I did with the 401043 mould.

2. With the Uberti's, anything more than about 6.0gr or 6.5gr of Unique would sometimes jam when the center pin jumped out of its notch. I replaced it with a Belt Mountain center pin and have not had a problem since.

[Bluehawk]

I also had two Uberti's in 38/40 I used for CAS. I will agree with Harry O.
Uberti's need to be kept down to target work loads I was also using 6.2 grains of UNIQUE . the center pin did move a bit from time to time . Had it replaced
YES you have to roll crimp the rounds for use in revolver At least that is my experience, especially with the Ruger when I was using heavier loads. Necks are VERY thin and adjusting the die to not crush the neck down is very important .