What to do with a bucket of .38 spl. bullets

[Swagerman]

I recently came into barn sale find of several bullets and brass in .38 spl. and .357 caliber...unfortunately I don't really shoot much of this caliber.

Maybe I can salvage the 148 gr. cast bullets and swage them into 155 gr. with gas checks and lube.

Just set the .358 diameter cast bullet into the bigger .44 gas check and swage that sucker until it hollers...ouch!

Voile, we got munchkins size .44 bullets that are bound to be super fast and hardly no recoil. They will no doubt shoot low from point of aim, so merely compensate one's POA about 7 to 10 inches and I can cluster them in pretty tight group...I hope.

Jim

Bullets in picture are finished swaged .358 dia. on left to .432 diameter for my Taurus. Bullet on right is .358 dia. setting in big .44 caliber gas check ready to be swaged into .44 caliber.

The swage set up is my ABE box spring unit, (automatic bullet ejector) plans are available for a mere $15.00 at bigcaddy@centurytel.net Sorry, had to get another plug in for this great invention.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PA20000438spl148grto155gr44spl.jpg

Here is another .38 spl. bullet by Speer, 158 gr. converted with gas check to 165 grain bullet .44 spl. caliber.

This weight bullet has shot pretty good POA for me in the past...will see if it still holds true.

Jim

Below are some Speer 148 grain swaged with two different nose punches. One on left has SWC flat top, one on right has slightly rounded nose.

The box on far right shows the original 148 grain Speer before swaging. With gas checks attached they weigh about 155 grains.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PA200007bulletsSpeerwgaschecks.jpg

[georgeld]

About ten yrs ago Iwas given a five gallon bucket mostly full of various reloads rejected from a commercial loading outfit. A friend picked it up in Wisc and hauled it to CO several yrs before and never did anything with it.
Was moving to Ill and didn't want to haul it around any longer.

Many were duds, but, it was very good trigger training in a Ruger. Way too many to pull down. SO I just shot 'em and the duds I'd 'rod' 'em out of the barrel. No big deal. Gained a bunch of brass out of it. Plus got a bunch of shooting too. Most were good loads but, maybe 10 were squibs, or duds. No fire's second try were pulled down. Took a couple months a coffee can at a time.

Swaging to larger is interesting. Never thought of that.

[Swagerman]

I call it bumping up in size, using smaller bullets to make bigger bullets.

Always wanted to try some .40 caliber bullets bumped up to .44 or .45 caliber...but never found any to experiment with in a weight I could use.

I've also found that I can use those under sized Lyman brass gas checks of .426 diameter and the seem to bump up nicely to .432 in these little .38 pills. Thus the gas checks and .358 diameter bullets become projectile of .432 diameter...and now known as .44 caliber.

Jim

[NoDakJak]

I have been swaging sized and lubed 311008 in 358 half jackets to 358. End up weighing 135 grains and will be fired in my old Chiefs Special. I really like the fact that it has one filled lube groove exposed. Should eliminate that old bugaboo abut swaged halfjackets leading.
Neil