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Thread: My Victory Model S&W and reload info

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    My Victory Model S&W and reload info

    It has been a long long time since I have shot my Victory Model S&W and I want to shoot it again. It is in the original .38 S&W cartridge. I have lots of Starline brass and I have my dies. I also have a stockpile of nice 158 grain cast round nose bullets. About the only thing I can find for info on powder is Unique and HP38. I have no Unique and one pound of HP38. I do have a lot of VV N320 which is in the burn rate chart ballpark of HP38.

    Anyone have a decent recipe? Thanks in advance!!!

  2. #2
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    do not have any HP38, but have been using 2.3 grains of red dot with the 158 grain cast for decades -
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  3. #3
    Boolit Master smkummer's Avatar
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    I’m using slightly less than 3 grains of bullseye and red dot in my colts chambered for 38 S&W ( 38 colt New police) and I am able to use correct profile long round nose 150 grain bullets made for 38 S&W. The good with my colts is that .358 diameter bullets work fine. It’s my understanding that S&W likes fatter .360-.361 diameter. You might want to further investigate that before you load .358 diameter bullets in your S&W.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

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    Check out the .38S&W / Webley thread we have in the stickies. In the 14th and 15 pages, I got going with NOE's copy of the 200 grain British MKI bullet, which, if you've got a WW2 Lend-Lease revolver, I'd almost consider mandatory equipment.
    WWJMBD?

    In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    except for the early Colts that used hollow based bullets the .357 - 3.59 work perfectly - see specs from first Lee manual -
    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/att...7&d=1698614234
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    My S&W Victory has .363 cylinder throats and barrel is .360 groove diameter.

    +1 on what BigSlug said. Best load in mine is NOE .363-204RN cast soft 8 Bhn with 2.0 grains of Bullseye or 2.5 of 231 for 600 fps. I load bullets as-cast and unsized, lightly lubed with Lee Liquid Alox just enough to turn them a light brassy color.
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    none of my S&W's have bore diameters over .358 including 3 new old stock victory model barrels + several M+P's, one new departure , + one MKII Enfield - - lots of comments on several older threads about this - the only ones that i have seen with bore diameters over .360 are the early colts that used the hollow base bullets that expanded to bore size when fired -
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    Excellent. Thank you. I have fired it before(a while ago) and it did well w/ the .358” 158 grain round nose.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigslug View Post
    Check out the .38S&W / Webley thread we have in the stickies. In the 14th and 15 pages, I got going with NOE's copy of the 200 grain British MKI bullet, which, if you've got a WW2 Lend-Lease revolver, I'd almost consider mandatory equipment.
    My revolver has no lend-lease markings at all. Not US Navy marked either. Just a decent park job w/ the Ordnance bomb and US Property marking. I am considering the NOE 200 grain mold.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master Tall's Avatar
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    Matt's bullets sells either the 150 grain or the 200 grain bullet for the 38 S&W. Both have been very accurate for me. They are sized to .361".

    https://www.mattsbullets.com/myaccount.asp

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by schutzen-jager View Post
    none of my S&W's have bore diameters over .358 including 3 new old stock victory model barrels + several M+P's, one new departure , + one MKII Enfield - - lots of comments on several older threads about this - the only ones that i have seen with bore diameters over .360 are the early colts that used the hollow base bullets that expanded to bore size when fired -
    Measuring 5-groove S&W barrels with lead slug and ordinary Mic gives false diameter about 0.0015 under true size determined with V-anvil thread micrometer. Most I have measured were closer to .360 actual.
    The ENEMY is listening.
    HE wants to know what YOU know.
    Keep it to yourself.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    measurements done correctly as explained in older threads on subject + confirmed by many other posters - even the older Speer manuals state that .38 special bullets are suitable for use in.38 S&W, which i + many others have found accurate - will add that some wartime barrels produced on worn tooling might have over sized bores -


    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...the-38-S-amp-W

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...and-Sizer-Dies

    https://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...-diameter.html
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DSCN2249.JPG  
    Last edited by schutzen-jager; 02-02-2025 at 12:20 PM.
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  13. #13
    Boolit Bub
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    Bear Creek Supply has the original style swaged 190gr, .361 diameter (that will shoot the sights) for a very reasonable price.

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
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    Seems like you have your bullet diameter figured out.

    Decades ago I cast a lyman 358311 rn bullet (160gr+) and used it unsized around .360" for my brothers victory model revolver. I used 2.5gr of unique per lyman #3 manual.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by M1fuzz View Post
    My revolver has no lend-lease markings at all. Not US Navy marked either. Just a decent park job w/ the Ordnance bomb and US Property marking. I am considering the NOE 200 grain mold.
    My somewhat limited understanding is that the Victory models in .38SW were pretty much UK-intended, since that was their standard service load at the time. You might want to look it over for British acceptance / proof marks. Much like the "WAR FINISH" stamp on Webley MKIV's, the "V" prefix serial number was Smith & Wesson's way of saying "We deliberately made these in a hurry; it's not the way we usually choose to do things".

    As to the NOE mold, mine casts a little bit on the fat side (around .365" as I recall), but with the soft alloys you'll want for the round, sizing to .361 for my Webley's .360" throats is no issue. For anybody following, I hope to add further postings of milk jug research into it's tumbling antics this weekend.
    WWJMBD?

    In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    [ My somewhat limited understanding is that the Victory models in .38SW were pretty much UK-intended, ]

    many were procured for use state side + issued for use by security forces at defense plants + other sensitive areas - S&W, H+R, + Colts were utilized in .38 S&W caliber - the first years of British + common wealth lend lease did no have the V serial numbers -
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  17. #17
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    just loaded some + LEE die specs show bullet size at .357 .358 -

    none have mine have ever required bullets over .357 for optimum accuracy -
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails .38 S&W.jpg  
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigslug View Post
    My somewhat limited understanding is that the Victory models in .38SW were pretty much UK-intended, since that was their standard service load at the time. You might want to look it over for British acceptance / proof marks. Much like the "WAR FINISH" stamp on Webley MKIV's, the "V" prefix serial number was Smith & Wesson's way of saying "We deliberately made these in a hurry; it's not the way we usually choose to do things".

    As to the NOE mold, mine casts a little bit on the fat side (around .365" as I recall), but with the soft alloys you'll want for the round, sizing to .361 for my Webley's .360" throats is no issue. For anybody following, I hope to add further postings of milk jug research into it's tumbling antics this weekend.
    I have torn my Victory model down completely to give a good cleaning before firing it. There is no Brit/Commonwealth stamps/markings anywhere.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by M1fuzz View Post
    I have torn my Victory model down completely to give a good cleaning before firing it. There is no Brit/Commonwealth stamps/markings anywhere.
    see post #16 -
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Tall's Avatar
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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