looking to rebarrel a roller and kinda considered .357 mag carbine ...but then got to thinking what if a 38-55 was necked down a smidgen? Then I got to thinking.? Is there anything that all ready exists ?
looking to rebarrel a roller and kinda considered .357 mag carbine ...but then got to thinking what if a 38-55 was necked down a smidgen? Then I got to thinking.? Is there anything that all ready exists ?
I've had those thoughts, too. I have a rimfire Remington 1 1/2 that cries out for this sort of project. The 357 Maximum case is quite like the antique 35-30 case, and folks writing in Black Powder Cartridge News some time ago reported good results with the Max and black powder. I think you could get about all the performance you'd want from a 35 bore in the Max case from a pressure limited RB action and smokeless powder.
Common, cheap and plentiful ordinary .357 Mag brass holds the same amount of black powder that the pre-WW2 .38 Special balloon - head cases did. Off the shelf Cowboy rifles shoot well with correctly assembled black powder loads using 1 to 30 tin-lead and suitable "big lube" bullet designs from Accurate which have sufficient lube capacity to prevent foul - out in rifle barrels using Goex powder with SPG lube, or 50-50 olive oil and beeswax. K.I.S.S. principle!
Typical carbine velocity with 150 - grain bullet is 1080 fps, like Eley Tenex that grew up. Shoots well in revolvers too giving familiar .38 Special ballistics with normal accuracy. Standard - weight bullet which is stable in slow twist, of correct diameter which fits, using a proper soft BP lube is key. I do use a compression die.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
38 Ballard extra long is almost the same as a 357 maximum case although it used an outside lubricated heeled bullet. It makes a very nice cartridge as well.
As usual Outpost75 is right on target
The 38 Special was originally a black powder cartridge.
35 Winchester or 35 Newton. Both use a 0.358 bullet and cases are 2.41” and 2.52” respectively. 35-30 Maynard used a 0.359” bullet with a 1.63” case. But roll type cap as a primer
Last edited by Castaway; 09-30-2021 at 03:26 PM.
Is there much fouling blowback when loading .357 with BP, assuming a full charge?
Extra virgin?
Dave M. If you anneal your brass and have a full case of black in a single shot rifle, your case should keep fouling limited to the barrel. Five or six damp patches, followed by a couple dry patches and an oiled patch and you’re good to go for the next shooting session
Olive oil is a good lubricant. During WW2 an R4D (Navy C-47) was flown several hundred miles with one engine running on olive oil. Allegedly, when they got it back to base, they just replaced it with regular oil and kept on flying it.
Cognitive Dissident
My buddy in Italy runs olive oil in his Fiat farm tractor and vintage 124 mini. He says that during WW2 when petroleum products were rationed and expensive olive oil blends were widely used. A 50-50 blend of olive oil and 190 proof grappa substituted for Diesel in farm machinery.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
What, no apre ballis nosh?
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 |