What heeled boolit are you loading in your 38 long colt?

[pull the trigger]

I've been looking at the accurate mold website for three days straight now. There are a few on there, but they either look too long over all or have a super short heel. I'm looking at loading for a Marlin Ballard. What are you having success with? Thanks!!

[Outpost75]

I shoot this one in my Pietta with Howell conversion:

274253274254

[dtknowles]

I shoot this one in my Pietta with Howell conversion:

274253274254

That does not seem right to me. The grease groove is in the wrong spot. Shouldn't it be outside lubed. I guess it works but still does not seem right.

Tim

[Outpost75]

That does not seem right to me. The grease groove is in the wrong spot. Shouldn't it be outside lubed. I guess it works but still does not seem right.

Tim

I wanted a "pocket safe" load which didn't pick up grit and lint.

I am only shooting smokeless powder, mostly Bullseye and 452AA, with backstop scrap and Lee Liquid Alox and have had no leading issues. Velocity and accuracy approximate factory Winchester .38 Long Colt with 3 grains of Bullseye or 3.5 grains of 452AA or WST.

If one were shooting black powder and required a larger volume of lubricant to keep the fouling "wet" an outside lubricated bullet is indicated, but it is simply not needed with smokeless.

[pull the trigger]

I have been looking for grease grooves that would contact the barrel as well. So just tumble lubed? Would the PC boolits with no grooves work as well, tumble lubed?

[bedbugbilly]

I'm using the Old West mold - 150 grain RN - .375 bullet with .358 base. Their molds is a high quality double cavity - fits the Lee 6 cavity mold handle. It has a single lube groove for external lubed cartridge and it seems ample enough. I also bought their special shell holder that is adjustable in height to use with the collet crimp die they have. It works slick. The shell holder is adjustable so that it will also work with 38 Colt Short - the special shell holder is needed to put the loaded cartridge up into the collet crimp die to do the crimp. They also make a DC mold for a heeled 120 isn grain RN.

I'm using soft lead for my boolits. Mine drop at about .359 - .3595 on the heel. I put a very slight flair on the mouth of the Colt Long for seating and the collet crimp irons that out.

I'm using a Taylors conversion cylinder in a Pietta '58 Remington Navy. At the bullet dimensionI ah=m getting, they were tight in the chamber at the intersection of the boolit and case. I discovered that after loading them, if I ran them up into the bottom of an old Lyman AA seating die for 38/357 die - just so the intersection of the boolit/case goes up into the die about and 1/8 " to 1/4", it ironed that area out to .375 and the loaded cartridge drops right into the chamber.

Right now, I'm lubing both my smokeless and BP loads with my BP lube - beeswax/crisco. I make it on the stiff side (so it doesn't get so soft here in AZ warmth). I melt thelube and dip the bullet into it down to the case. When hardened, I run them up mot the old Lyman die that I use to iron them out and it leaves a nice lubed groove -then I wipe the nose off.

Outpost75 was a great help to me to get started. Ed had run tests and wrote a great article on the conversion cylinder - in fact, I ended up with the same revolver he used - a Pietta Navy but with a 6 1/2" barrel. If I was just using smokeless and didn't want the possibility of the outside lube rubbing off on clothes, in pockets, etc. - I would do as he suggests and just tumble lube them and then load and shoot them.

The Old West mold is a bit pricey but I won't complain on that as once I had 2 or 3 casting sessions with it - it is a great mold and produces an authentic 38 Colt Long RN boolit. Their special shell holder - which fits a press ram like a standard shell holder does - holds the casing very well when performing the crimp with the collet crimp die. At some point, I will probably ketone of their 120sh grain RN molds as well.

Just thought I would pass on my experiences so far.

[pull the trigger]

Thanks for sharing, I keep looking at the old west site, it's great to see some first hand experience with their product.

[Tar Heel]

I am using the Eras Gone 36 Colt Cartridge Works bullet. I load these with black powder. I lube with Paul Matthews #1 lube.

https://erasgonebullets.webstarts.com/store/product/-36-colt-cartridge-works

277626

[cas]

Hasn't been too recent I'll say. But I would rub standard lube in with my finger and wipe them off with a rag. If I wasn't feeling lazy, or for ones that would get carried around other than in an ammo box, I'd hit them with some RoosterJackert.

https://photos.imageevent.com/cas6969/shmisc/websize/310small.jpg

[pull the trigger]

I figured it out. I bought a lee 357 mag collet crimp die to crimp the boolit into the case once loaded. I also realized I could also size the base of my 375-130gr lee boolit in the collet, by placing the boolit upside down in a flared case (at the correct OAL) and squeeze a heel onto the boolit. Works perfectly. Sorry I can't post pics. Also, I have cut a piece of tube to the correct length, to place the round in, to properly to crimp the case mouth, feeding from the top of the die, although, I haven't fully tested this part yet