Henry lever: accurate with cast swc in 357 case but not 38 spl. Why??

[Hairballusmaximus]

A friend of mine just picked up a Henry Golden Boy in 38/357. We shot only about 20 or so rounds through it 1st time out due to a mfg defect in the load ramp. Got it back and using 38 spl brass, it is shooting a group at about 50 yds that if your lucky would fit inside a 2 car garage door. However, using same 150 gn lswc and 357 mag brass it shoots just fine. Any ideas? I can only think that maybe it not driving the bullet straight in the lands being spaced back an 1/8 inch. But I really have no idea if that actually matters in this case. Any help and/or ideas would be great!

Hairball

 

[rcmodel]

Are both loads the same velocity & pressure?

I could see maybe a low-pressure .38 Special load isn't compatable with the rifling, whereas a high velocity .357 mag load is.

It could be the twist rate, or it could be the bullets are undersize and not bumping up to fit on the lower pressure .38 Special loads.

At any rate, it is not because the .38 Spl. case is shorter then the .357 chamber.

I shoot .44 Spl out of my .44 Mag Marlin carbine, and one shoots just as well as the other.

Same with .38 Spl in .357 Mag revolvers.

rc

 

[Tom S.]

Perhaps it's the fact that the 38 case is 1/8" shorter than the 357, meaning the bullet has further to travel before engaging the rifling. Since this area of the barrel is larger in diameter than the bullet, bullets may not be entering the rifling square each time.

 

[Hairballusmaximus]

They are two totally different loads.

357 was a sjhp 140 gn loaded at start load but still a 'magnum' load

38 was a lswc 150 gn loaded light for cowboy action out of a pistol.

We will try loading some lswc in the magnum at mag pressures and 38's with the sjhp at 38 special pressures and see what happens.

I screwed up when I posted that both loads were with the lswc bullets

Hairball