old speer manuels with snubnose loads ??

[rojo]

hi guys , I believe that in the old Speer manuel they used to have a section loading for the Snubnose , can someone tell me which manuel number had this info ??

many thanks, rojo

[kmag]

I think I have had about every Speer Manuel published in the last 55 years and cannot remember an article specifically for the snubnose. (Guess I could have missed it.) However I do remember that years ago some of the gun magazines had articles on loading for the snubnose. My rule of thumb has been to use fast burning powders for the snubnose, medium burning powders for the 4", and slow burning powders for 6" and up. Thats not to say that I didn't try all powders in all barrel lengths at one time or another.
I think that fast pistol powder: Bullseye, HP-38, 700-x, and WW-231 do best in short barrels, You can find loading data in most Manuels for these loads,I think that a powder that burns more completely in a short barrel and produces less muzzle flash are more enjoyable to shoot. I have not tried many of the newer powders and some of them might be better. I'm too old and set in my ways to look for newer loads now. this is just one mans opinion. I do remember that at one time Winchester loaded their factory target 148gr. wadcutters with 3.1gr. of WW-231. Take Care,

[rockshooter]

number 8, p 367
Loren

[Willbird]

Modern theory is more along the lines that the load which will give the highest velocity in say a 6" will also give the highest velocity in the snub. I think in many handgun ctg the peak pressure is reached before the bullet ever leaves the cylinder anyway.

[303Guy]

Perhaps it's about muzzle blast. I have No.10 and I seem to think it had something on snubby's. Or was it rifles with handgun cartridges and handguns?

[Willbird]

Over the years since I started reading reloading manuals they have changed a few views.....if you go back to the older books 222 was too large to work in the contender length barrels....but then 223 became fine, and even 22-250 in encore .

[Rocky Raab]

Willbird is correct: The powder in most handgun loads burns before the bullet moves much, often before it leaves the case mouth. Forget that old "powder burning the length of the barrel" nonsense.

Muzzle blast CAN be slightly reduced in handguns by using a faster powder because there's less residual pressure at the muzzle with a steeper pressure curve backside. But the cylinder gap is where most of the blast occurs, so the effect is minimal.

Muzzle FLASH is due to something else entirely.

[303Guy]

Well, one can find a need for longer barrels with certain powders but those would be for 44 and 375 mags - hardly snub nose revolver rounds. Some powders need enough barrel to burn and also enough powder to create enough pressure to burn in the barrel. When one speaks of a snub nose one would be thinking of a 38 special, not so? I used to load 38 special for a buddy for his Rossie lever gun which I'm sure would not have been suitable for his snubbie. I think the COAL prevented chambering in it - I would have made sure of that as I was loading to magnum levels for his rifle although I'm sure chamber pressures would have been withing 38 special levels anyway but I wasn't going to push my luck!

[243winxb]

Speer #8 P.367/38 spec, 2" bbl., P.374/357mag., 2 1/2" bbl. Max.loads are HOT.

[Bello]

Wow Speer 8 was long ago huh?

[220swiftfn]

Wow Speer 8 was long ago huh?

Hell, I have #14, and it has short barrel loads in it...... (talk about the "now generation", huh???)



Dan

[Rocky Raab]

Warning about Speer #8. SOME loads in that edition are way over any safe maximum. The reason is that one of the many lots of copper slugs used came with the wrong calibration tables. ALL loads developed with that lot of copper slugs are over max. They were re-tested for the #9 manual, but all records of which loads were affected are long gone.

So, do NOT use any load from the Speer #8 that seems to deliver "magically" high velocity.

[1Shirt]

I like old reloading manuals as they are excellent referance tools. That said, things change over times, and for me that includes powders and burn rates. Accordingly, while I reference old manuals, I cross reference the data in them with the most current reloading manuals. It is a good practice to follow.
1Shirt!

[williamwaco]

I used to experiment with special loads for 2" Smiths.

I didn't have a chronograph back then but I can tell you this: With heavy loads in a 2" .38 special with 2400 you will get so much muzzle flash you can see it in daylight. after about a dozen of those, I went back to Bullseye and Unique.

You sure don't want to catch yourself in the dark with a 2" barrel and heavy loads of 2400. You will be blind after the first shot. ( of course, your attacker will be too.)

[mpmarty]

Speer manual number 8 is fairly recent, mine is copyrighted 1970.