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What typically happens is the brass looks blackened and even scorched on the outside of the brass as the propellant gases are finding many directions of escape RATHER than where you WANT them to escape, which is immediately behind the bullet. And when that happens and you have gases and scuzz filling every orifice from a lousy burn...you may notice extraction or ejection anomalies.
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Well, I've looked at the cases.
Some look clean (for a fired case) whilst others have a ring of bluing from heat. No scorch marks though. In fact most of my .44 Mag brass (20.5ish gr N110, 200 plated FN, std LP primer) have got a scorch mark, but only down one side. They too sometimes had unburnt powder, but not as much as the .38s. I doubt the .44 Mag is running near low, though. The rounds were still leaving the barrel at about 1100fps. I plan to up their charge to 21gr: I've tried that before and it worked nicely. Different dipper.
Going back to the .38s, I think you are on the right track with your deduction. It makes a lot of sense. It only happened on some cases, not all, so perhaps I am on the border-line of low charges.
Either-way, N350 is too slow a powder for such a light bullet and short barrel. As this is my only .38, I may as well get a powder that works well for it and I think N320 is that powder, especially as there is data for N320 in .44Spl too and I've ordered some such brass recently.
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This isn't specifically "dangerous", unless (until?) you make a load so light that you stick a bullet in the bore. Then it can get REALLY dangerous.
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Been there, done that. That is what resulted in a bulged barrel for my first little Astra... (sniff...
), although it was even lighter than the charge I used this time. That lesson has made me just as wary of light loads as of heavy ones. Luckily I learnt it with only damage to my little gun, and no one else, not that it deserved it...