Questions from someone new to reloading

[MATTUSMC]

Hello,

I am new to reloading and only produced about 500 rounds of .45 acp so far and have a few questions, I am sure they have been answered before, but I would appreciate some help from those with more experiance.

1. Do different brands of primers make a difference? Such as using Winchester large pistol vise CCI large pistol... The Speer manual that I have only references CCI primers, but with the wonderful shortage out there all I could find is Winchester Large Pistol. (Only talking about the manufacturer not Large and Large Magnum.)

2. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good load for 148 gr Wadcutter in .38 Special using Unique powder? Through three reloading manuals I have found very different loads upto two grains difference.

3. Are plated bullets safe to load at published load data for the same weight and cut as a jacketed bullet? (i.e. 125 grain FP - .38 plated instead of jacketed)

Thanks,

Matt

[dawico]

Hey Matt,
Welcome to the wonderful world of reloading.

1. It shouldn't make a difference. The biggest effect I have noticed on rifles is point of impact changes. The pressure should not be affected much.

2. What are you trying to do with them? Accuracy is going to be up to your gun. Guns prefer different velocity to get the best accuracy. I usually load at mid range charges. I 'dump' on a progressive so I don't have to worry about the load being too heavy or light. Small charges of Unique don't meter well from either of my dispensers. These are mainly plinking loads anyway.

3. I load plated bullets the same as jacketed with no ill effects. I have loaded lead at the same speeds and had huge leading problems. Apparently the plating is enough to keep this from happening.

The best advise I can give you is to load small amounts to make sure they function properly. You don't want to load up a bunch and find out they are only good for single shots. One time I had to run 500+ rounds of 45 back through my seating die because they wouldn't feed through my magazines.

Good luck.

[wncchester]

1. Do different brands of primers make a difference?

Any difference makes a difference but most of them are trivial. To a .38, primer differences are trivial.


2. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good load for 148 gr Wadcutter in .38 Special using Unique powder? ...I have found very different loads upto two grains difference.

Many manual makers do have fairly wide variations for light charges in a low pressure round. That mostly means it really isn't critical. The traditional target charge for a .38/148WC is 2.7 - 3.0 gr. Bullseye. Using Unique will certainly work but will requre more powder to do so. Still not critical, pick one of the listed charges and use it, you'll be fine.


3. Are plated bullets safe to load at published load data for the same weight and cut as a jacketed bullet?

Yes. Components need not be identical with the published materials but some do agonise over such minor differenced but they need not. If that weren't true there are precious few bullets we could load for! The only time it matters at all is when we are already loading on the ragged edge of a blow-up. Your loads are quite mild so it's not an issue.

[res45]

3. Are plated bullets safe to load at published load data for the same weight and cut as a jacketed bullet?

I would agree with all the above with one exception on the plated bullets. Berry's states in the FAQ section to not shoot there plated pistol bullets over 1200 fps. and to use midrange jacketed bullet data that keeps you under that fps. rating. Some may shoot them at higher jacketed bullet velocity but I choose to go by the mfg. suggestions and stay within that depending on the caliber I'm using them in,I suppose they have a good reason for that.

Plated bullets will actually shoot a bit faster (not much) with the same load data as jacketed bullets,just as an equal weight/load with a cast bullet will shoot faster than the jacketed or plated bullet it's all about pressure and friction,plated bullets being in between jacketed and cast. Since your shooting 38 SP and not a 357 Mag. you want have a problem using the jacketed bullet data. Just take into consideration about anywhere for 25 to 50 fps. muzzle velocity increase when you substituting a plated bullet into jacketed bullet data,that what I have found to be pretty common when I run various jacketed,plated and cast bullets of identical weight/load data through my 9 mm and a chrono.

[LHB1]

I don't use plated bullets but have repeatedly read that they should be loaded using cast lead bullet data and NOT jacketed bullet data. Check the web site for whichever brand of plated bullets you are using to see what they recommend. Call them if that info is not found on the web site. Good luck.

[Thirties]

CCI primers are a bit "hard" in the sense that they will not explode properly when struck by a weak firing pin. Please note that this is a very unusual circumstance. It happened to me with a Russian Nagant revolver. The hammer ignited the primer, but most of the powder was not exploded. sounded like "poooff". The residue was a dark greasy mess, not to mention the bullet stuck in the barrel.

I switched to Winchester and had no problems again with the Nagant.

All my other pistols fire perfectly with both CCI and Winchester.

[chris in va]

I've found that CCI primers fit more snugly in my reloads vs the Remingtons I just bought. As a matter of fact, I actually had a primer fall out because it was so loose. It's multiple fired range brass though, so to be expected.

[fprefect]

1. Changing any component in a load can and usually will change the performance of the round, sometimes for the good, sometimes not. When primers become more readily available I would suggest you try 2 or 3 different brands and see which type will give you the best accuracy and velocity.

2. Every gun will have a particular load that produces the best accuracy and velocity. Again, experimentation is the only way to find the load that works best in your gun for the particular purpose you intend to use the loads.

3. I would treat plated bullets using the same data for lead bullets and would not make a habit of firing large numbers of maximum loads using plated bullets as it is very likely you will experience some leading in the barrel. The plating is extremely thin and is probably used for aesthetics more than anything else.

The advantage of reloading is that it gives you the chance to try a myriad of different combinations of bullets, powders, and primers and not be forced to use only what the factory provides. I think you will find in almost every case, reloading will allow you to find a load that your particular gun will shoot more accurately and in many cases at a higher velocity as well, than the results you will obtain from using factory loads. Along with with a savings in ammunition costs, it is the primary advantage a shooter will gain from loading his/her own ammunition that is tailored to the particular weapon and for a particular use.

F. Prefect

[MATTUSMC]

Thanks for the info. Stood infront of a new to me, yet used Dillon Square Deal B and pressed out 50 - .38 Special / 148gr WCDBB (Dardas Cast) / 3.3 gr of Unique and 50 - .38 Special / 125 gr FP (Berry's Plated) / 5.0 gr of Unique.

Going to the range on Saturday morning to see how they shoot through the Blackhawk and Security Six...

Question: Should I make any changes to published pistol load data when pulling out the 38/357 Level Gun out of the safe or just use what is published for pistols?

[Al Norris]

Matt, my Lyman's, Hodgdon's and Hornady load manuals actually give different data for lever guns in 357 or 44.

You might find that your lever gun will like 357's better than 38's.

You can therefore work up a specific load for your 357 lever that will be the best for that particular carbine, and a different load that will be best for your handgun.

OR

You can do what I did. I worked up a specific load that shoots well in both my SBH and my Marlin.

As it has been said, this is part of the fun of loading your own: Experimentation.

[wncchester]

"I would agree with all the above with one exception on the plated bullets. Berry's states in the FAQ section to not shoot there plated pistol bullets over 1200 fps." And others.

The question is for a .38 Special. It won't be acheiving 1,200 fps, far less exceeding that speed.

The leading bugaboo is vastly over stated. At .38 speeds, a quality plated bullet with any decent factory applied lube will be fine.

Think....

[gearheadpyro]

Primers: A little bit of difference but not by much, at least as far as pressures go. Using your primers, just start off a little lower than you ideally want to shoot at, then work up if you like.

Plated bullets: I shoot rainier plated bullets in my .40S&W using jacketed bullet data. I've had no issue running them at maximum loads, however, I normally load my practice rounds a little bit light anyways so as not to beat up my gun unneccesarily.

As for the load data, I'm sorry I can't help as I don't shoot those calibers.

[fprefect]

Hello,

I am new to reloading and only produced about 500 rounds of .45 acp so far and have a few questions, I am sure they have been answered before, but I would appreciate some help from those with more experiance.

1. Do different brands of primers make a difference? Such as using Winchester large pistol vise CCI large pistol... The Speer manual that I have only references CCI primers, but with the wonderful shortage out there all I could find is Winchester Large Pistol. (Only talking about the manufacturer not Large and Large Magnum.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Although there are some minor manufacturing variations between manufacturers, as a rule you will not notice a great deal of difference in performance between them, less so with handguns than with rifles. But there are exceptions and the only way to find if one brand of primer is going to give you superior performance and accuracy is through experimentation. But after all, that's part of the fun.

2. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good load for 148 gr Wadcutter in .38 Special using Unique powder? Through three reloading manuals I have found very different loads upto two grains difference.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Again, no two guns are alike and a "good" load in my 38 might prove to be mediocre at best in yours. So, without actually loading a few rounds for your particular pistol, any advice I might give would probably not be of all that much use.

3. Are plated bullets safe to load at published load data for the same weight and cut as a jacketed bullet? (i.e. 125 grain FP - .38 plated instead of jacketed)

-------------------------------------------------------------------
I have used very few plated bullets in high pressure firearms, but a friend uses them all the time using loading data for jacketed bullets and claims he has experienced no leading at all. So use your own due diligence.

F. Prefect