38 Special sticking cases

[Skinnedknuckles]

fireman 9731, thanks.

It was all the same brass/headstamp, CBC.

I will probably work up the load again and see when it starts to stick a bit. I did not make any notes when I did my load workup, so it is strange that it is sticking now. It will be better for me to be cautious at this time.

I recently had a similar situation (using Universal instead of Unique) loading some .38 Special +P loads. Turned out when I used CBC brass I had sticking, but with Winchester brass at the same load I had no sticking. I backed off .2 gr because that load shot a little better anyway, but I repeated the experiment and the CBC brass was sticky in certain chambers but the Winchester never was.

 

[jim8115]

Thanks jim8115. Did you ever figure our why most loads were sticking during extraction?

No, I just got rid of it. Wasnt terribly impressed with it overall anyway

JIM

 

[vaalpens]

I recently had a similar situation (using Universal instead of Unique) loading some .38 Special +P loads. Turned out when I used CBC brass I had sticking, but with Winchester brass at the same load I had no sticking. I backed off .2 gr because that load shot a little better anyway, but I repeated the experiment and the CBC brass was sticky in certain chambers but the Winchester never was.

Skinnedknuckles, thanks for the information.

If my testing also shows that it is only the CBC brass that is sticking, then I will probably just use the CBC for my DEWC loads. I don't want to go much lower in teh charge since these bullets are the Brinell 18 hardness, so I prefer to stay up in the +P range with them.

When I worked up my load, my best grouping was actually using 5.0gr of Unique, but the it opened up at 5.1 and 5.2. That is basically why I decided on 4.9gr. My load at 4.7gr and 4.8gr also tested well, so if I have to back off my load a bit it would probably not impact accuracy that much.

 

[vaalpens]

I'm interested in this thread, as I am new to .38/357, with a new SP101 3" in the safe. The few reloads I've shot from mine so far have not given me any stickiness. I've loaded Federal and RP headstamps so far.

Since you mentioned that CBC is the only headstamp that you're experiencing the stickiness with, that seems to be the likely variable to change in order to trouble shoot. I'm looking forward to your results.

Skinnedknuckles, thanks for the information. I am also new to 38/357 reloading, so the learning curve is still very steep for me. One think I had some difficulty with is making sure I flare the cases enough for the coated DEWC bullets. With my last batch I think I finally got the hang of it.

I have already loaded up 8 different headstamps with the load and will probably test it next weekend.

 

[Skinnedknuckles]

Skinnedknuckles, thanks for the information.

If my testing also shows that it is only the CBC brass that is sticking, then I will probably just use the CBC for my DEWC loads. I don't want to go much lower in teh charge since these bullets are the Brinell 18 hardness, so I prefer to stay up in the +P range with them.

When I worked up my load, my best grouping was actually using 5.0gr of Unique, but the it opened up at 5.1 and 5.2. That is basically why I decided on 4.9gr. My load at 4.7gr and 4.8gr also tested well, so if I have to back off my load a bit it would probably not impact accuracy that much.

I have become something of a brass snob, since I've been able to amass a fairly comfortable amount of the stuff in most of the calibers I load. I've had my best results with Winchester and Federal brass, with less success with Remington in certain calibers. I know that most commercial brass will work pretty well, but if I can take one more variable out of my reloading why not do it? Therefore, in most cases, I reload with those three headstamps (always segregated for a loading batch) and save the rest for trading or a rainy day. I was using the CBC brass because I was short of .38 Special brass at the time and wanted to try out the Universal powder.

 

[280shooter]

I had a problem cases sticking. .turned out.when cleaning the cylinder I left oil on the walls, ,,man them cases sure stuck tight. Drove me nuts..until I figured it out..
Che c k for lube or oil..

 

[vaalpens]

I had a problem cases sticking. .turned out.when cleaning the cylinder I left oil on the walls, ,,man them cases sure stuck tight. Drove me nuts..until I figured it out..
Che c k for lube or oil..

280shooter, thanks for the advice. I have just cleaned the SP101 before my next shoot and I do use a bit of oil. I will just verify again that I wiped off the oil before I add to my sticking problem. No need to compound the issue.

 

[vaalpens]

I have become something of a brass snob, since I've been able to amass a fairly comfortable amount of the stuff in most of the calibers I load. I've had my best results with Winchester and Federal brass, with less success with Remington in certain calibers. I know that most commercial brass will work pretty well, but if I can take one more variable out of my reloading why not do it? Therefore, in most cases, I reload with those three headstamps (always segregated for a loading batch) and save the rest for trading or a rainy day. I was using the CBC brass because I was short of .38 Special brass at the time and wanted to try out the Universal powder.

Skinnedknuckles, I think everybody that sorts by headstamp is something of a brass snob since we have our favorites. I found my self picking a specific headstamp when I do load workup vs creating plinking rounds.

For my 38spl and especially 357mag loads I cannot be a brass snob yet since I just have to load what I have. Hopefully one day I will have enough inventory to be as selective as with other cartridges. I have found that it seems there are more of a difference in feel when working with 38/357 cases, than my other pistol cartridges (9mm, 40s&w, 357sig).

 

[WestKentucky]

Next time out, mark your cylinder on which ones seem to be the stickiest. If it is 1 or 2 chambers (I bet it is) you should be able to polish those up and be good to go again. If it's all 6 then you need to back off a bit.

 

[vaalpens]

I did some testing of the same load with some different headstamps and saw the following results:

CBC new load: sticking
CBC old load: sticking
Federal: did not stick
Starline: did not stick
Speer - Nickel: did not stick
Winchester: did not stick
AP - Nickel: did not stick
PMC: did not stick
RP: did not stick

I measured the diameter of the loaded rounds before I shot them and found the CBC to be a little bit bigger. After the shoot, when I got home, I measured the diameters again, and it seems the diameter returned to about the same as when the rounds were loaded. Here are the diameters:

CBC 0.37950
Federal 0.37850
Starline 0.37850
Speer - Nickel 0.37850
Winchester 0.37800
AP - Nickel 0.37800
PMC 0.37800
RP 0.37650


I think my test results show that my load, although +P, only resulted in sticking CBC cases. So it is probably on the higher end of the +P load, but not to high.

I'm not sure what to make of why only the CBC cases are sticking, but it could be a combination of things. The case walls are just that little bit thicker, and maybe after the shot, the brass is not retracting back as quickly as the other brass.

For now I think I will just use the CBC brass for my pure 38special loads and see how they work out.

 

[TimSr]

Glad you posted the final results. My guess is that the CBC brass is thinner and/or softer which makes it mold to the chamber a lot tighter when pressurized by firing it.

 

[vaalpens]

Glad you posted the final results. My guess is that the CBC brass is thinner and/or softer which makes it mold to the chamber a lot tighter when pressurized by firing it.

TimSr, thanks for the input. Interesting that you say it is because the brass is thinner, where my guess was the brass is thicker. I know I am just guessing, so for now I will accept your explanation, since it also makes sense. I will try and measure the thickness of the brass, but I'm not sure if my caliper will be good enough.

 

[Hondo 60]

I have three .357 Mags.
A S&W Mod 65-2
A Ruger GP 100
& a Ruger SP101.

My usual .357 load is 16.0 gr of 2400 under a 125gr Hornady XTP.
No prob in the GP100 & Mod 65.
But they stick like heck in the SP101.
I have to tap the ejector with a small hammer.
I have several different headstamps - GFL, Win, Starline, RP - they all stick

So I'm guessing the SP101's chambers are a hair small.

 

[vaalpens]

I have three .357 Mags.
A S&W Mod 65-2
A Ruger GP 100
& a Ruger SP101.

My usual .357 load is 16.0 gr of 2400 under a 125gr Hornady XTP.
No prob in the GP100 & Mod 65.
But they stick like heck in the SP101.
I have to tap the ejector with a small hammer.
I have several different headstamps - GFL, Win, Starline, RP - they all stick

So I'm guessing the SP101's chambers are a hair small.

Hondo 60, thanks for the information. So it seems the issue could be a combination of things. The headstamp and then also maybe a chamber that is just that hair smaller. Did you measure the different chambers, and do you see any difference?