Can't get light loads to work in revolvers

[Harpo]

+1 on the Trail Boss. Even max loads of it are what I would call "light recoil", and it's very clean.

 

[plinky]

.38 Special, I see what you mean about jacketed bullets. I may have the perfect bullet for this. They are 300gr hardcast from D&J. They have 1 lube groove and a very long bearing surface. What do you think? I think I'll call NECO on Monday and get their kit.

I'll shoot the gun beforehand with various ammo (including the swaged HPs) so that I can quantify the results.

Ben Sheperd, yes I'm going to try some softer bullets and then fire lapping. After that I'll shoot all types of bullet again and hopefully see an improvement even with hard cast.

Thanks again to all

 

[.38 Special]

I've used all sort of cast bullets for fire lapping and haven't yet found any that don't work. I'm sure those 300 grainers will be fine.

Make sure to let us know how everything goes.

 

[peacemaker45]

For a source of soft cast stuff, try Patriot Casting, in Columbus, OH. PM me or something, if you can't dig up his number. I've got it around someplace, but can't lay my hand on just this second.

~~~Mat

 

[Slamfire]

Heck, most of my Unique dates from 1993, when I bought a whole bunch at $8.50 a pound. The stuff shoots just fine. I loaded up 1000 rounds for my M629 and the load was very accurate. My M629 has smaller than normal chamber mouths, something that was intentionally done for that series, the result of which is abnormally high velocities and pressures, and extraordinary accuracy. Since really accurate pistols are really interesting, I will keep it that way. I would have expected my 8.5 grains Unique to trundle out at 850 fps instead of 1000 fps.

S&W M629-4 5" Barrel



240 LSWC Commercial cast 8.5 grs Unique thrown, Midway Brass WLP
25-Nov-04 T = 58 °F
Ave Vel = 1023
Std Dev = 25
ES = 99
Low = 958
High = 1057
N = 30

 

[.38 Special]

What are your chamber mouth and bore diameters?

 

[243winxb]

The chamber throats are pretty consistant at .431 to .4312. Not sure if that bit of variation matters.

Perhaps more interesting, the barrel is .429 AVERAGE, but the actual groove measurements are .4285, .429 and .4295 across the three sets of grooves.

Seems ok.

Once the ball was in the muzzle, it passed with light fingertip pressure till it reached the forcing cone end where it took a bit of pressure to pop it out.

Looks like you found the problem, "forcing cone" or more likely just past the leed, the start of the rifling.

 

[plinky]

Slamfire1

Heck, most of my Unique dates from 1993, when I bought a whole bunch at $8.50 a pound. The stuff shoots just fine.

Mine may be a bit older. If I had stuck with it, maybe I would have found a good shooting load. In addition to burning dirty it was hard to run through my powder measure. It would get between the rotor and housing and bind it up. The gun in question at that time was a 7.5" blued Redhawk. It was a one inch shooter with ammo it liked but my "target loads" did 3-4". That said, a lot of people are making it work.

243winxb

Looks like you found the problem, "forcing cone" or more likely just past the leed, the start of the rifling.

What I'm thinking and hoping that fire lapping will iron out the tight spot.