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Thread: Heavy .38 Special

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Mr_Flintstone's Avatar
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    Heavy .38 Special

    I found a box of Hunters Supply 190 gr .38/.357 WFP cast bullets (.751” with crimp groove at .430”) today that I bought a few years ago, and stashed away because I couldn’t find a proper use for, and decided to load up some heavy .38 Special for my Henry with 9 gr IMR-4227 using 200 gr data from an old IMR 2001 annual Handloader’s Guide.

    They felt pretty mild, and were dead-on accurate at 25 yards. I didn’t check the velocity because my new chronograph hasn’t arrived yet, so after I came in and put everything away, I ran a quick simulation on Gordon’s Reloading Tool. It predicted a velocity of a little over 1,200 FPS at just over 16,000 PSI from my 20” barrel. Somehow this just doesn’t sound right. What do you guys think? I know 4227 is a slow powder, but can it push that heavy a bullet to 1,200 FPS at standard pressure?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Quickload came up with 1010 fps at 13124 psi from a 20" gun for a 190 gr cast over 9 gr IMR 4227 with a 0.430" seating depth.

    Did you notice a sonic crack?

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy Mr_Flintstone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by P Flados View Post
    Quickload came up with 1010 fps at 13124 psi from a 20" gun for a 190 gr cast over 9 gr IMR 4227 with a 0.430" seating depth.

    Did you notice a sonic crack?
    I went back and checked, and I had put in the maximum load of 9.2 gr instead of 9.0 gr, and had it adjusted for a magnum primer. I changed those values, and got 12,551 PSI and 1076 FPS. That’s a lot closer to what you got. One of these days I’m going to have to break down and buy Quickload. Gordon’s kinda works, but it’s not perfect.

  4. #4
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    ddixie884's Avatar
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    Did this load burn clean in a rifle?
    JMHO-YMMV
    dd884
    gary@2texastrucks.com
    Gary D. Peek

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy Mr_Flintstone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ddixie884 View Post
    Did this load burn clean in a rifle?
    About what you'd expect... probably a little better. There were a few of the infamous unburned yellow flakes in the spent cases, but I gave them a good heavy crimp, and the 20" barrel and heavy bullet allowed most of the powder to be burned, and the barrel and action weren't very dirty at all after 20 rounds. They'd probably be a lot dirtier in a 4" revolver though.

    I wish I could find a powder that performed as well as IMR-4227 without the leftover grit. I thought about W296/H110, but I've had trouble finding any data for a .38 Special load like this, and I worry about what the lower pressure would do with H110. There are some other powders I'd like to try too, but I've had no luck in the powder finding department lately.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    W295/H110 are very good if everything is perfect. However, they can be very bad and/or frustrating if conditions are not right for reliable initial ignition. I have half a jug of H110 but it is gathering dust as I have moved on to other powders for all of my regular loads.

    AA 1680 (or Milsurp WC 680 if you can find it) is a little slower than 4227 and does not have the poor ignition issues of H110. It is used in lower pressure AR subsonic loads a lot.

    Shooters World Heavy Pistol and Accurate #9 are about the same and a little faster than H110. I have Heavy Pistol and found it to work with no problems in any load I have tried.

    I have seen good reports on VV N110 (similar burn rate to 4227 & H110) but have never seen any at a price I was willing to pay.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check