.38 Special Cartridge Question

[SP101]

This morning I went to the range with my SP101. I took 50 rounds of Remington .38 special UMC and 50 rounds of American Eagle .38 special - both 130 grain. (For clarification, the American Eagle was not IRT.)

I noticed something that I've seen before but didn't worry much about, but I tried an experiment. I alternated between the two brands - 5 rounds Remington and 5 rounds American Eagle.

Funny thing happened.

The Remington cartridges would not consistently eject smoothly while the American Eagle would eject flawlessly.

Anyone else ever noticed something like this?

[MrBorland]

IIRC, Remington brass tends to run a bit thin, so it could be the brass expands more in the chambers, even under .38spl pressures. Could be the chambers need a wee bit of cleaning, exacerbating the problem. Just a WAG, though.

[aarondhgraham]

I had one revolver that was always hard to eject brass from,,,
I polished the cylinders with a cleaning mop, toothpaste, and a drill.

Now they fall out easily,,,
Go figure.

[Daryl]

IRT?? My apologies, but I'm no good at text language.

Anyway, yes; I've seen similar things on occasion.

Some information for clearification purposes, and you may or may not be aware of them:

When you fire a cartridge, the pressure forces the brass case of the cartridge to "form" to the chamber. When pressures start to get a bit on the high side for your firearm, you'll notice the cases start to "stick", rather than ejecting smoothly.

Different guns will stand different pressures. What is ok in one firearm might be a bit on the high pressure side for another even in firearms of the same make and model.

This may be the cause of your problem; or, it may not.

The brass used in the various manufacture's cases will have different characteristics. I.E., Remington brass is more rigid than Federal brass, so it's less "flexible". The load used in the Remington cartridge, in conjunction with the brass characteristics may not be well suited to your firearm.

This is not necessarily the fault of Remington, or of the firearm manufacturer. It simply means that the combination isn't a good match for your particular firearm.

So to put it simply, you're gun would be best suited to the Federal ammo rather than the Remington. Another firearm might perfer the Remington, while another might shoot either one equally well.

You just never know.

Daryl

[SP101]

Daryl,

IRT is a term the Federal uses on their website. It stands for Indoor Range Training option.

Thanks for the explanation. Where I live the Remington is easy to get, while the Federal is a little more difficult to find nearby. I guess I better stock up.

[Lemmon]

One might be hotter (higher Pressure) than the other. I remember when I used to a lot of hand loading, some of my hot loads would be difficult to eject. This was in my early months of handloading and have since used a more moderate or middle of the road loadings..... Makes it easier to eject and not as destructive to the brass. Lemmon

[Daryl]

Daryl,

IRT is a term the Federal uses on their website. It stands for Indoor Range Training option.

Thanks for the explanation. Where I live the Remington is easy to get, while the Federal is a little more difficult to find nearby. I guess I better stock up.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. I handload, and don't buy much factory ammo, so I don't spend much time on the manufacturer's websites. Instead, I check for load data on the powder manufacturer's website. *grin*

I have some of the UMC ball ammo that I bought some years back. I've shot a bit of it with no problems, but I prefer my handloads. The UMC stuff seems a little on the 'warm' side for target/plinking ammo, and I wouldn't use FMJ's for self-defense. It seems to shoot well enough from my carry gun though.