.38 special 1872 open top urberti.

[johnson1942]

want to shoot about 700 ft. per sec. going to buy one in the next couple of days. powder and bullet to do same, thanks before hand.

[newton]

What boolit are you going to use? Have a particular weight in mind?

Thats going to be a fun gun to shoot for sure.

[Good Cheer]

Please post some pictures when you get the chance.

[johnson1942]

im going to run either .40 cal or .37 diam round balls through a .358 resizer and coat them with alox. im going to get a bench mounted wad cutter for 38 special and cut wads from rubber cork gasket material, for the wad. i just need input for a powder to get them going about 700 ft. per sec. i will also put some lube ontop of the ball as it will be down in the case a little. then crimp slightly the end so it stayes in place. i want this gun to shoot similar to the way they were shot in the days gone by. also it will be cheap shooting . i also found a site to day that sells once used brass very very cheap. it is called shooter alley. is this site on the up and up because the prices are really good? i like the idea of once used brass as it has been blown out and easier to reload, anyways thats been my experience. ive always wanted a traditional looking wheel gun from those days. i had two colt single action armies once and didnt like them, have handled the earlier colts and liked the feel of them. i like the navy grips for my small hands. seemed to point better than the 1873 ssa/s. also want to out shoot my two grown sons with all their moder auto hand guns. we will see.

[newton]

I like shooting the 38 special. I don't own one, but reload for a friend who does. We were plinking steel at 125 yards one day with it.

I have no data for those kinds of loads. But I have some for regular boolits? If you ever feel the need to try some, let me know and I'll hook you up.

Im sure someone on here has played with roundballs in the 38.

[newton]

Why the wad underneath? That has me curious.

[johnson1942]

no leading

[Wayne Smith]

Johnson, if your boolit fits you won't get leading. Think of the swaged wadcutters of the target shooters. Those were soft - and they fit. You can go with a full case of BP as I know you know how to do or try the 2.7gr BE that the target shooters use. The BP will give you more velocity!

[johnson1942]

wayne smith: is that 2.7 grains of bulls eye a case filler or do you have to put filler above the powder? im nervous about not filling a case and leaveing a hollow spot beteen bullet and powder. any help would be useful and i have never loaded handgun cases before.

[BruceB]

I'm not Wayne, but I doubt that he'll mind.....

That charge of 2.7 grains of Bullseye with a +/- 148 wadcutter has been a standard load for GENERATIONS of pistoleros..... without any fillers whatever.

There is absolutely no reason to be nervous about it.

[johnson1942]

thanks

[newton]

Smokeless powder is a whole different ballgame than black powder or it's substitutes. Not sure how much you've reloaded smokeless powder Roger, but there are no worriesif you use the ones mentioned. Bullseye, unique, red dot....etc.

my 45 load with bullseye sits well below the boolit base. No problems at all.

[johnson1942]

im learning and you cant fight facts, i will go with the bulleye, thousands of shooter cant be wrong. will it make a diff how i position the gun. can i shoot up extreem up hill and down hill and not worry or see a diff and discharge? i ringed a barrel once and i dont want to ring a chamber.

[newton]

How much does the round ball weigh? Here is some data for 90 grain boolit.

129094

[johnson1942]

what i can find on the internet is about 71 to 75 grains in weight. the reason i want to use the roundball is you can buy them by the sack full for a good price. they were used in the old .36 cal navy colts and worked fine their. i used to think you needed a slow twist for a round ball. my 1/28 twist .44 cal proved me wrong on that one. it shoots round balls as good as cast and paperpatched. boy was i surprised but it was nice to learn it. every body here has helped alot and the bulls eye powder sounds like really good advice. i havent got a new toy in a long time and it feels good and in nickle plated. this gun hit all my wish list things i had for a gun like this. i know its going to shoot good. used to own 13 highquality hand guns. it will feel good to have one again.

[bedbugbilly]

The original 1871/72 open tops were chambered for the 44 Henry rimfire. The reproduction that you are getting (I'm assuming Uberti?) in 38 has a standard .357 bore like modern 38s - no need for a heeled boolit like the original Richards & Mason conversions of the '51.

In regards to the 38 Colt Long casing, it is only about a 1/10 or so shorter than the 38 spl. casing so if you can use the 38 spl. in your revolver, the brass is easier to come by. If you at some point want to try the 38 Colt Short & Long - I use Star Line. They show it on their site or it's usually available through Track of the Wolf.

First off - for smokeless loads - take a look at what one of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks has for the different lead boolit weights. If you are going to use a RB, adjust for the lighter weight. I'm assuming that originally, you were talking about a BP Load? Lots of folks use wads under the boolit but it really isn't going to prevent "leading". I will separate the ball and any BP lube from the powder and prevent contaminating the BP - and of course with the BP, it will have to be a compressed load.

The open top is an interesting revolver and you'll have lots of fun with it. Remember that while you can use a 38 spl. casing in them, you can also use 38 Colt Short and 38 Colt Long in them as well. The 38 Colt Short was originally developed for the Richards & Mason conversions of the 1851 Navy.

I load and shoot quite a few 38 Colt Shorts and Longs as well as Specials. In the 38 Colt Shorts, I normally use either a Lyman 358242 120ish grain bullet or the Lee 358 90 grain SWC. Over a mild load of BE they work very well from all of my 38s. Do a search on those cartridges and you should come up with some recommended minimum / maximum charges. Or, you can load 'em up with the BP compressed load as well.

Just remember that with Bulls Eye - there is not a lot of case fill so be careful to check and never double charge. As far as the BE goes and all the space left in the casing, your primer will set it off with no problem. Smokeless loading is a lot different than BP. If you aren't familiar with the Smokeless - read up on it so you have it square in your mind.

I've never loaded any round ball 38 spl. with BP as I always use conical/SWC, etc. If I was going to try it, I'd use soft lead just as I use in my 36 Navy C & B. I'd size them to .358 - you can certainly TL them in Alox or whatever and it wouldn't hurt a thing. Use of a wad under the ball would be a personal choicee but I think I'd try some with the ball seated and compressing the BP, seated so it's flush with the casing mouth. Then I'd smear some BP lube in the case mouth around the ball - the same as you would if loading your C & B revolver. That should give you enough lube to keep fouling soft and the neck tension would keep the ball in without having to do any crimp.

Let us know how it all works out for you and what works best. I have a 38 open top on my "wish list" as they are a neat historical revolver quickly made obsolete by the 1873 SAA. Have fun and good luck Roger!

[johnson1942]

thanks, johnson1942