The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Bullet seating depth: 38 special, Please help

Johnny Guest · October 12, 2001, 11:27 AM

- - is one of the slower-burning powders and is frequently used to build up hotter loads. I have no experience in using it for lighter loads. One caution--You need a good, firm crimp to get all the 2400 in a load to burn, otherwise, you'll have a lot of discolored but unburned granules left in chambers and bore of your revolver. Be sure to brush these out often, or they will build up under the extractor/ejector star and tie up your cylinder at an inconvenient time. You might be happier with moderate loads of Unique or Bullseye powder.

One of the nicer things about .38 Special is the fact that it is a rather "forgiving" cartridge--as long as you stay with loads within published data, and they will chamber, it sill work. Some loads work better than others, is all.

You mention loading both .38 and .357 mag ctgs--What kind of revolver are you using? Some will accept heavier loads better than others, clearly. It is not EASY to blow up a good revolver, but some will shoot loose more quickly than others.

For any kind of advanced reloading, you should really have a caliper. That said, though, you can "eyeball" your loads pretty well, by comparing to a factory load with a similar bullet. Goes back to the forgiving nature of the round. The major factor is uniformity. If every load has same powder charge and same bullet seated to same depth, chances are your accuracy will be pretty acceptable.

Best of luck - - -
Johnny

October 12, 2001, 11:27 AM	#10
Johnny Guest Moderator in Memoriam Join Date: August 28, 1999 Location: North Texas Posts: 4,123	2400 powder - - - - - is one of the slower-burning powders and is frequently used to build up hotter loads. I have no experience in using it for lighter loads. One caution--You need a good, firm crimp to get all the 2400 in a load to burn, otherwise, you'll have a lot of discolored but unburned granules left in chambers and bore of your revolver. Be sure to brush these out often, or they will build up under the extractor/ejector star and tie up your cylinder at an inconvenient time. You might be happier with moderate loads of Unique or Bullseye powder. One of the nicer things about .38 Special is the fact that it is a rather "forgiving" cartridge--as long as you stay with loads within published data, and they will chamber, it sill work. Some loads work better than others, is all. You mention loading both .38 and .357 mag ctgs--What kind of revolver are you using? Some will accept heavier loads better than others, clearly. It is not EASY to blow up a good revolver, but some will shoot loose more quickly than others. For any kind of advanced reloading, you should really have a caliper. That said, though, you can "eyeball" your loads pretty well, by comparing to a factory load with a similar bullet. Goes back to the forgiving nature of the round. The major factor is uniformity. If every load has same powder charge and same bullet seated to same depth, chances are your accuracy will be pretty acceptable. Best of luck - - - Johnny