.38 Special Gas check bird shot rounds?

[guywitha3006]

Hello,

I am thinking about trying to load up some .38 special chipmunk loads. We have used .22 bird shot for the last lifetime, but even that is hard to find these days. So I am looking for any information I can get regarding making them, what to expect, safety, pattern size, loads ect there are cottages near us (not in the direction we shoot the chipmunks) but I prefer not to use a solid bullet. I plan on using the loads in either a GP100 5" barrel or an SP101 4" barrel. I am thinking of tracking down some #12 shot for the job.

Thanks for the help.

[littlejack]

3.5 to 4 grains of bullseye, W231, Red Dot. Over powder wad. One or two punched from cereal boxes. Fill with shot preference.
One over shot wad. Crimp to suit. Top with Elmer's glue or momma's fingernail polish. SHOOT, have fun.
ORRRRRRRRRRR you could find some Speer shot capsules and load them.
Regards
Jack

[guywitha3006]

Littlejack never thought about card board. Speer capsules gave me the idea but OOS and not cheap...and I am. What's a good way to cut the cardboard out?

[dmize]

Best way to cut cardboard is with a wad cutter. Or try to find a piece of steel tubing with an ID of .358 and sharpen the edges of it. Using a piece of brass may work but it will crush pretty easily.

[osteodoc08]

Or you can go the lazy mans route and use gas checks. Powder with GC with cup up, shot, GC Cup down, light crimp, test pattern.

[Ed_Shot]

I use a reject (deprimed) 9MM case to cut wads from a stack of 3 Wmart paper plates...use a piece of wire to poke the paper wads out of the case. Use the eraser end of a pencil to seat over BE 3.0 in a 38 Spl case. Fill to "almost" the rim with #9 shot and seat another paper wad. Put a little crip on the case mouth to hold the wad and put a drop of Elmer's white glue on top of the wad and spread it around the edges with a toothpick....let dry for a nice watertight seal. Be careful not to shoot at any surface that will cause shot to bounce back at you.

[JHeath]

I used the male end of an RCBS case deburring tool to chamfer only the inside of a piece of brass until the case mouth was sharp. Then I used that piece of brass to punch plastic discs from coffee can lids. Because I chamfered only the inside of the punch-brass, the discs were a good fit.

[guywitha3006]

Thank you for all the tips. Has any one tried dipping the top of the loaded round in melt wax and wiping off the excess to water proof them? Now I just need to find some #9 shot for a halfway reasonable price.

[str8wal]

I use cork for over powder wad. They sell "coaster" kits at the 5 and dime for making coasters to keep your glass from ringing your table and those cork discs work great. Cut them out with a sharpened piece of brass.

[35remington]

No need to water proof them if gaschecks and a crimp are used. I use GC's and 3.5 grains Bullseye myself, as this load has been mentioned for eons by several well known authorities. Works fine out to about 15 feet. The GC itself is a deadly projectile on small critters out to that range, unlike a paper wad.

Large shot has too many holes in the pattern. Small shot loses its umph too fast. No way to make a .38 into a 3 1/2 inch 10 gauge.....sorry. The rifled barrel means the pattern opens up quickly.

[DLCTEX]

I use styrofoam take out trays for wads. One over powder and tamped down with a dowel rod, insert shot, top with another wad, press down and glue in place with Dap tub and tile caulk. Drill out the primer hole to allow a push rod to push out the wads from the sharpened case. I filed saw teeth on mine, a twist cuts easily.

[beagle]

To make a good wadcutter. Take a .357 fired case. Drill through the primer pocket with the appropriate sized drill. Go to the hardware and pick up about a 1 1/2" 10-32 CSH screw and a fiberlock nut. Install screw through the hole and place nut on the outside. Use a dremel tool to make an access port in the side of the case to allow wad removal. Chuck case in a DP and sharpen the case mouth with a file. Will cut about 1/8" thick cardboard and they make great shot wads./beagle


Littlejack never thought about card board. Speer capsules gave me the idea but OOS and not cheap...and I am. What's a good way to cut the cardboard out?

[TNRELOADER]

I like to use clear fingernail polish over my shot cards to seal them. Usually about two coats. I also use different colored cardboard for different shot sizes. And with the clear nail polish you can still see the color underneath.

[Salmoneye]

3.5 to 4 grains of bullseye, W231, Red Dot. Over powder wad. One or two punched from cereal boxes. Fill with shot preference.
One over shot wad. Crimp to suit. Top with Elmer's glue or momma's fingernail polish. SHOOT, have fun.
ORRRRRRRRRRR you could find some Speer shot capsules and load them.
Regards
Jack

For 'cards', I use a Styrofoam takeout container, and cut them with a chamfered case...

If you will be shooting through a .357, then use .357 cases, as you will get more shot...

I get better patterns than when I use capsules...

[guywitha3006]

Thanks for all the replies I am hoping to load some up tonight. I'm not so much worried about extra shot, just being able to pop chipmunks. For the longest time we just use a .22 single shot rifle with #12 bird shot...but the rifle is gone and ammo almost impossible to find...lol so I figure I'll load my own.

[NavyVet1959]

I have used a small wad of paper towel to separate the powder from the shot and then put some bullet lube wax smashed into the top with my fingers to hold everything together. The lube / wax pretty much disintegrates when you shoot it.

[gray wolf]

Powder, any thin cardboard wad, shot, nother cardboard wad, crimp and glue,

[gwpercle]

Styrofoam plates cut easily with a 38 or 9mm case, chamfer the outside edge to sharpen , drill hole in primer pocket so you can push out "wads" . Seat , light crimp and seal...you ready.
Back in the old days we used gas checks...those are getting expensive now. Midway has them for $46.00 for 1000
- OUCH!!!. Styrofoam plates much cheaper.
Gary

[sundog]

Sharpen a case with a deburring tool inside and out. Then, make a series of 'cuts' inside the case mouth with a [triangle] file, making 'teeth' all the way around. Drill out the primer hole and attach the case to a handle with a screw through the drilled out primer hole. You now have a wad cutter to use on legal pad cardboard backer. Just tip the newly cut wad in the case with needle plier and pull out. That heavy cardboard works much better that styrofoam. I just got done doing this for 45 Colt last weekend and used #12 shot. At 7 yds it handily goes through both sides of a pop can. I started with styrofoam and decided that the cardboard was way better.

I made my shot loads to eradicate a few of the over abundance of this years' wood bees hanging out in the barn. They work exceptionally well. I would not hesitate using them on rodents or snakes, as needed.

Do not forget to wear safety glasses when playing around with these loads.

Do not forget to wear safety glasses when playing around with these loads.

Do not forget to wear safety glasses when playing around with these loads.

That was not a mistake, I meant to say that three times.

[bedbugbilly]

Just remember since you're not seating a slug - you can use a 357 case which will possibly give you a little more shot space.

I have tried the Speers capsules - the smallest shot I had was #8 and I loaded some up for snakes. I haven't used any on critters yet but I'm saving my $ the next time and forgetting about the Speer Capsuls. I think a person can do just as well by rolling their own with a 357 casing.

Good luck and let us know how they work for you. You could also use a casing to cut wads out of something like a thick felt - and old hat, weatherstripping, etc. I'm with you on the 22 shotshells - I have some chipmunks that are becoming a pest but I can't find any 22 shotshells around me at all.