Elmer Keith’s 38 Spl and 358429 load experiences?

[Kosh75287]

I once loaded up some of their Ruger/Contender only loads for my Contender with a 14" .44 Mag barrel. They got 1350 fps with a Super Blackhawk with its cylinder gap and 7-1/2" barrel. My perfectly sealed 14" barrel chronographed the same load at 1600 fps.

I know the results may be "underwhelming", but I don't find the comparison implausible. Losing only 250 f/s from a vented barrel that is 47% shorter than the un-vented one, that's not awful. Extrapolating to what might be had from a 18.5" barrel I get 1750 f/s, which is about what I'd expect.

[nicholst55]

Personally, I think that 5.0 grains of Unique under a 358429 is too hot a load for standard .38 Special. In some books, that's a starting load for .357 Mag. I download mine a bit, and don't feel undergunned.

[megasupermagnum]

He blew up a few guns, too - so he sometimes pushed the envelope.

It was only one. A 45 colt SAA, and he was shooting 45-70 bullets out of it. I'm not sure I've seen what the powder load was, but I would guess it was all of the 2400 that he could. He then stepped back, wrote some experts, learned, and never blew up another gun.

Your talking about a guy who was burned alive as a kid, took some hard liquor, and had his parents peel is burned skin apart on his hand so he could use it again.

He didn't make mistakes twice. His later published loads might be a little strong for the sissy engineers, but I trust them.

[rkrcpa]

It was only one. A 45 colt SAA, and he was shooting 45-70 bullets out of it. I'm not sure I've seen what the powder load was, but I would guess it was all of the 2400 that he could.

As I recall it was Dupont #80 that he had ground to the consistency of flour.