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Old November 28, 2009, 10:03 AM   #1
spacecoast
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First reloading - .38 special - two questions on OAL

I'm reloading my first batch of bullets - a mild load of 158 gr. lead RN bullets over 3.5 grains of Titegroup powder, using CCI primers. I have an overall length target of 1.475 inches, although that figure is from the Lee data sheet, which is not calibrated specifically for these bullets, which are locally manufactured.

It took me a few rounds to adjust the height so it was coming out to 1.475 inches overall. My first question is - does sinking the bullet a little too far on the first few rounds present a problem, and do those rounds need to be discarded? In the attached picture, it shows a "full-size" reload of 1.475 inches next to the shortest of my first few attempts, which is 1.39 inches overall. Do I need to worry about overpressure due to the short bullet and discard these?

The other question - the correctly sized bullets do not appear to be quite deep enough, they are not quite down to the thin collar that appears after the rounding of the nose straightens out. Should I take them a little deeper, or shoot them as-is? I want to make sure they are deep enough not to shake out on recoil. Chamber length is not a consideration since I'll be shooting these from my .357.

Thanks in advance...
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Last edited by spacecoast; November 28, 2009 at 11:29 AM.
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Old November 28, 2009, 10:27 AM   #2
Dragon55
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"Do I need to worry about overpressure due to the short bullet and discard these?"

Don't discard.... but I'd pull them and start over on those. Really if for no other reason than to not get in a habit of 'that's close enough' on reloading.

I've only been at it almost a year and I've seen several pics on this forum of damaged guns and damaged hands due to overpressure rounds.

You can pickup one of the impact pullers for $15.
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Old November 28, 2009, 10:46 AM   #3
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I like Dragon55's idea that you don't want to get in to bad habits... that makes a lot of sense. But I also take a practical approach to what I do, and I look at those rounds like this.

Are they high pressure rounds to begin with, like 9mm or .40 S&W?
No.

Are you running up against max loads at full power given your bullet weight, powder choice and charge and published load data?
No.

Are they going to be fired in a semi-auto pistol that violently shucks the loaded round in to the chamber under force, to be chambered where you can't see them to see if they accidentally set back even further?
No.

Special bonus: Are we talking about low pressure .38 Special being fired in a .357 Mag revolver that's already spec'd to handle .357 Mag in the first place, giving you a tremendous safe margin?
Yes!

With all that, I'd say that you are in quite safe territory.

At my bench, .38 Special tends to get loaded not to a spec length from load data, but I load them to crimp groove length. With .38 Special, I'm not ever building max loads anyhow and the rounds aren't being shucked in to a pistol.

When I'm making 9 or 10mm, I pay much more attention to finding and following a set COAL. With .38 Special, I'm simply loading to the crimp groove.
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Old November 28, 2009, 11:33 AM   #4
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Spacecoast,

Please note that your bullet has a crimp groove. This groove is supposed to be put level with the case mouth and the mouth then roll crimped into the groove. That's what sets correct COL for that bullet design. Ignore the Lee number. Failure to apply a roll crimp may result in bullets backing out under recoil until they protrude from the cylinder, preventing it from rotating.



Inserting bullets too deeply raises pressure. QuickLOAD shows 1.39 inches being too short for that charge and giving 19,000 psi with a Lyman 158 grain cast RN. In reality that may or may not happen due to bullet unseating by the primer before powder burn gets completely underway. Nonetheless, to be safe, use an inertial bullet puller to knock those forward and set them to the crimp groove. I would start with just 3 grains of Tightgroup and work up, for that reason. In a modern gun 19,000 psi is unlikely to be a problem, but it is technically over the SAAMI spec, and just a fraction over +P spec.

Nick
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Last edited by Unclenick; November 28, 2009 at 11:42 AM. Reason: Corrected assumption
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Old November 28, 2009, 12:30 PM   #5
spacecoast
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Thanks very much to all for the replies. I only have three rounds that are definitely pushed in too far, seven more are at least 1.42 inches OAL so I think I will just discard the three, or segregate them for TBD depending on how the others shoot. After I figured out the bullet seathing die, the OAL with the bullets pushed in to just cover the crimp groove is 1.45 inches, so that's what I am going with for the remainder of the first batch of 50.

One more issue with the crimp - I am using the 4-die Lee set with the dedicated crimp/post sizing die, and am following the directions, but it doesn't appear to be doing anything - there is no resistance whatsoever at the top of the stroke of the press and I can't see/feel any crimp being applied. Am I forgetting something, or not following directions correctly? I am using a Lee hand press.

Thanks again.
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Old November 29, 2009, 11:43 AM   #6
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Check the Lee help video, here.
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