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Old September 26, 2013, 05:03 PM   #1
Pond, James Pond
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Recommended velocities for these chamberings, please!

I've finally got around to making up some loads with my new powders and cases. I plan to shoot them over the chrono tomorrow.

So I have .38Spls ranging from 4.5 to 5.1gr, under 125gr copper-plated FN bullets. These will shoot from a 2" barrel. (Astra 680)

Then I have 200gr 0.429 copper-plated FN bullets sitting over loads of 6.3 to 6.9gr of N320, and then 9.1gr to 9.9gr of N350. These will go through a 4" barrel (Ruger RH)

All my loads are 0.2 increments for each range.

These are min all the way to max loads.
My Lee die data even quotes the 5.1gr .38 load as +P.

So what sort of FPS should I be looking for as an indicator to stop testing loads any further.
What would be a safe cut-off point for each?

Looking at the manuals at 125gr or 200gr data and making guesstimates of max velocity through my barrel lengths instead of the manual ones, I'm aiming for a max of about 825fps for the 38s and about 850-900 max for the .44s

Thoughts?
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Old September 27, 2013, 06:57 AM   #2
Bart B.
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With all due respect of your search for a given muzzle velocity, I don't think it's a good idea to have that as your goal.

It's typically safer to load ammo to where there's no high pressure signs then let whatever muzzle velocity your tests show stand. Rarely, if ever, does a listed load's muzzle velocity happen in ones firearm they try it in. The component lots and assembly criteria are different as well as the firearm and the way its held. If you're within 100 fps of what the load data claims, that's close enough for safety's sake.

The safe cutoff point's when high pressure signs appear. If the velocity you get isn't enough, then use a load with a different powder type for the cartridge and bullet used. Sometimes, this helps.

Some handgun load data's taken from solid test barrels longer than a revolver barrel with a gap between the cylinder and barrel. Such data's velocity is typically 200 to 400 fps faster than what a revolver will produce. A lot of gas is diverted sideways between the barrel and cylinder and that subtracts from what pushes the bullet out of a solid test barrel. SAAMI .38 Spcl. test barrel specifications call for a 5" long one piece barrel or a 4" revolver barrel. Your Astra's 2" barrel will produce lower muzzle velocities than either of these with ammo loaded to safe levels.

Loads for the .38 Spcl. with Vihtavuori powders:

http://www.lapua.com/en/products/rel.../relodata/6/28

Last edited by Bart B.; September 27, 2013 at 07:08 AM.
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Old September 27, 2013, 12:13 PM   #3
Pond, James Pond
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Quote:
It's typically safer to load ammo to where there's no high pressure signs then let whatever muzzle velocity your tests show stand.
I agree, but contributions to a thread or two that I had started some months ago made it quite clear that pressure signs are not often detectable in handgun cartridges the way they would be in rifle cartridges.

As I understood it, if you have sticky extraction you're way over the top already and the cylinder would pop on my .38 before I got flattened primers.

However, velocity and velocity jumps are measurable in all calibres and so I wanted to use this variable as a guide.
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Old September 28, 2013, 01:55 PM   #4
Pond, James Pond
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Well, for better or for worse, I shot all my .44Spl and .38Spl over the chrono.

My highest charges (on this occasion) of N350 (9.9gr) and N320 (6.9gr) gave me 1040 fps and 780 fps respectively.

Meanwhile for the .38s I had a top load of 5.1gr. That managed to eek out about 635fps from my 2" barrel.

Well, the .44s came about the same as the BBTI values for 4". However, the .38s were about 90fps below the BBTI values for 2" barrels.

No signs of pressure, no sticky cases, no squashed primers and not excessive velocities. I think I'll stick to this load for now: seems safe.
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