I'm gonna pick up a Smith model 637 in a week or so, so naturally I am also going to pick up some dies etc to load for .38 Special. I already reload for several semi autos, but have never done any revolver reloading. Are there any quirks or things like that that I should be aware of? Or just proceed like I would when doing 9mm or 45 ACP?
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The Bushmaster
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With your die set also get a Lee Factory Crimp Die (FCD) for the .38 Special. You will find it very handy.
SASS#23149
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99% of the time you're going to be using a roll crimp. Revolver bullets in FMJ have a crimp groove, that's how you can tell them apart esp in .452 diameter. However if shooting lead, the roll crimp die (esp the FCD) will bite into the bullet enough you can shoot bullets without a groove. I find the FCD to work well with plated bullets enough to hold it especially with something lower pressure like a standard .38 special load.
IMO revolvers and lead are like bread and butter, they go together well. Wadcutters shoot so well out of my Model 64 Smith that they're really all I care to shoot anymore for targets.
Lead bullets will have a crimp groove, while jacketed will have a cannelure for crimping. You should not have crimp to chamber the rounds, only remove the bell. Some stouter .38 Spl loads will need some crimp to assist neck tension to help with bullet pull from recoil, but not usually much. For plated I always use a very light taper crimp which removes the bell and a touch more. I have done a stout .38 Spl load with a Powerbond plated bullet and used a heavy taper crimp, but 99% of plated bullet loads only need a light taper crimp, light to medium at most.
Medium Roll Crimp on a D&J 125 Gr RFN - Using a Hornady seater to seat and crimp in one step.
Light Taper Crimp On Berrys 125 Gr TrFP In .357 Brass
No crimp (Just bell removed) on a WC
Roll crimp on a 110 gr JHP (Can be used for .38 or .357)
Medium Roll Crimp on a D&J 125 Gr RFN - Using a Hornady seater to seat and crimp in one step.
Light Taper Crimp On Berrys 125 Gr TrFP In .357 Brass
No crimp (Just bell removed) on a WC
Roll crimp on a 110 gr JHP (Can be used for .38 or .357)
peterk1234
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38 Special in a revolver is what I started with. I have been reloading now for a long time, about three weeks 
It is that easy. I started with bunny farts (HP38 at 3.2g) and have moved up to a more predictable/accurate load of 3.9g. I have some BE-86 on the way and I intend to try some medium load 357 next.
At the levels I have been loading, the crimping thing has not seemed like a big deal. However, I have not tried to benchrest yet, so it may be affecting accuracy. I'm not there yet, so it does not matter to me. I took the FCD and did a half turn for a light crimp. Pete
It is that easy. I started with bunny farts (HP38 at 3.2g) and have moved up to a more predictable/accurate load of 3.9g. I have some BE-86 on the way and I intend to try some medium load 357 next. At the levels I have been loading, the crimping thing has not seemed like a big deal. However, I have not tried to benchrest yet, so it may be affecting accuracy. I'm not there yet, so it does not matter to me. I took the FCD and did a half turn for a light crimp. Pete
My first test with BE-86 on midrange .357 was promising. I need to test BE-86 on +P .38 Spl. I hope it will shoot well (And expect it to), but also cut down on the ES, especially when the powder is forward. It did well in that in the midrange .357 load.
ArchAngelCD
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When I get the time I'm going to do the same with W572. I expect it to fit right in that range of loading similar to what HS-6 does.
Oldman1151
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The FCD that comes with the 4 die set for 38 Special with do a a taper crimp or a roll crimp. All determined by how you set it up.
Cannibul
Member
I'll disagree. The Lee FCD is a crutch to cover up poor reloading practices.
I load a lot of .38 SPL and have never found a need for a Lee FCD. In fact if you're loading lead it will swage the bullet down and can lead to leading. Since 99.9% of the .38 SPL I shoot is cast I don't want to swage down my bullets.
I too prefer a taper crimp for my .38 SPL loads. I put a very light taper crimp on my DEWC bullets since they are seated flush with the case mouth.
Oldman1151
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I have read that before. While it is probably possible, I found it not to be true for me. I checked size of lead bullet diameter with micrometer before loading then pulled bullet and checked bullet diameter again and found no change. I have done this more than one time.
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USSR
Member
+1. Use bullets that are designed for revolver use and have either a cannelure or crimp groove. Then use a roll crimp, not a taper crimp.
Don
Dudedog
Contributing Member
The revolver FCD is a different beast than the semi auto FCD.
If you don't like something there is no reason to bash it. State why you don't like it please, not just the general FCD bashing that is repeated over and over.
Some people happen to like it and some don't. Do you need it? NO. is it useful I say yes, others may disagree.
I happen to like using the FCD in 9mm and .357.
I don't want to side track this into a FCD thread.
All I can say is try the FCD if you have one. You may like it you may not.
What is different about it? I have owned a couple for autos. (Tried them in .40 & .45. They're still around here somewhere.)
someguy2800
Member
I love the factory crimp die, its a fine quality crutch. I load from a gallon bucket of range brass with about 20 different head stamps and they all work great and accuracy is superb.
I'm sure it's not going to happen to everyone, but it's worth noting anyhow that it is possible. In my case accuracy was so bad I couldn't believe it. Backed off FCD and used seating die to crimp and issues all went away. I use an like FCD in rifle and pistol so I'm not a LFCD snob. Just another little piece of info to keep as reference.
-jeff
Zendude
Member
You might find a bigger difference in the performance of different powders with revolver ammo than semiauto ammo. 38 special has a relatively high case volume and a low operating pressure. If you are making light loads, powder selection is even more important. Bullseye, Unique, and HP38 are the usual go-to powders for 38 special.
Thanks for all of the help, and I didn't intend for this to devolve into a FCD love/bash fest at all. I need to look at some load data and hope that I can find some info for powders I have (700-X, 800-X, TiteGroup, and PowerPistol). Any recommendations for projectiles?
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