Hot .38 Special

[pairof44sp]

that’s what I really want to know… how much can a new factory Starline brass take! thanks bud!!

The only brass issue is the shorter case changing pressures and similar issues. As far as the brass itself, 5g Titegroup doesn’t bother it, and that’s a heck of a lot more than 4.5 unique.

I also highly do NOT recommend 5g Titegroup. It was an accident that worked out

 

[Mark_Mark]

The only brass issue is the shorter case changing pressures and similar issues. As far as the brass itself, 5g Titegroup doesn’t bother it, and that’s a heck of a lot more than 4.5 unique.

I also highly do NOT recommend 5g Titegroup. It was an accident that worked out

thanks for the accident report! what was the accident COL?

 

[pairof44sp]

thanks for the accident report! what was the accident COL?

It was a lesson in why it’s not good to shoot other peoples’ reloads.

A stranger at the range gave me a half box of 5.0 tg reloads and said “They’re a little hot, no big deal.”

Then he watched me, with a smirk, shoot the box out of a 642. I had to pretend like it wasn’t a big deal, but it was horrible.

When I got home I checked and 5.0tg was well above any published +p round I could find.

so COL was getting laughed at at the range

if I understand what col means

 

[pairof44sp]

It was a lesson in why it’s not good to shoot other peoples’ reloads.

A stranger at the range gave me a half box of 5.0 tg reloads and said “They’re a little hot, no big deal.”

Then he watched me, with a smirk, shoot the box out of a 642. I had to pretend like it wasn’t a big deal, but it was horrible.

When I got home I checked and 5.0tg was well above any published +p round I could find.

so COL was getting laughed at at the range

if I understand what col means

But not as bad as 7.2 Unique behind 200g lead in an 18-oz Charter 44 with a 1.5” barrel. That load had me wondering if shooting just wasn’t for me

 

[bluejay75]

thanks for the accident report! what was the accident COL?

Starline is tough brass. I have never split a 38 SPC or 357 mag case and I run them pretty hard.

WARNINGS ONLY BELOW. Well in that case…NO SPP OR SRP can take 6 grains of Unique and a 180 cast. The brass can take it but it pierced primers about every 10 shots or so, but only in rifles. This load turned my firing pin into a jagged shard and blew black soot in my face. Sad part this is probably the most accurate load I ever stumbled into. Shoots .3s and almost single holes from my rifles at 100 yards at around 1150 FPS. 2 inches or less offhand at 25 yards.

Over 12.5 of Lil gun will stick a case with a 180 cast bullet but the case will survive.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Starline is tough brass. I have never split a 38 SPC or 357 mag case and I run them pretty hard.

WARNINGS ONLY BELOW. Well in that case…NO SPP OR SRP can take 6 grains of Unique and a 180 cast. The brass can take it but it pierced primers about every 10 shots or so, but only in rifles. This load turned my firing pin into a jagged shard and blew black soot in my face. Sad part this is probably the most accurate load I ever stumbled into. Shoots .3s and almost single holes from my rifles at 100 yards at around 1150 FPS. 2 inches or less offhand at 25 yards.

Over 12.5 of Lil gun will stick a case with a 180 cast bullet but the case will survive.

that’s what you call a Wildcat round… Lets call it .38 Maximum

 

[Charlie98]

But not as bad as 7.2 Unique behind 200g lead in an 18-oz Charter 44 with a 1.5” barrel. That load had me wondering if shooting just wasn’t for me

I'll bet that was a handful!

Sad part this is probably the most accurate load I ever stumbled into.

Back Home, Years Ago, in the dawn of reloading (well... at least for me) my brother and I were handloading for his 6" .41MAG S&W 57. We were both convinced that the higher we went with Unique, the more accurate the load was. I think we wound up 1 full grain over any reasonable published maximum... convinced it was The Load. No, we didn't blow the pistol up... which, in hindsight, is kind of a surprise, but it is completely knocked out of time and desperately needs a trip back to the Mothership for a tune up. This was before I found... and more importantly comprehended... a powder burn rate chart, and realized there were powders that would fling that bullet even faster than Unique, without risk.

I developed a healthy respect for Unique during that time... mostly how forgiving it was, but also how flexible it can be.

 

[MacAR]

I have never split a 38 SPC or 357 mag case

I split one Saturday. Loaded a few 158 SJHP's into some GFL cases, using 9.3grs 2400. As I mentioned earlier, it's a healthy load. So, after 14 shots from my rifle, the case separated about .5" above the rim. Took a while to get it dug out of the rifle. After that little fiasco (second occurrence, I might add) I decided to cull my brass, and have relegated the GFL stuff for powderpuff loads. I think from now on I'll load the heavy stuff into some of my other, heavier cases. Don't know how much difference it'll make, but better safe than sorry.

Mac

 

[Mark_Mark]

I'll bet that was a handful!



Back Home, Years Ago, in the dawn of reloading (well... at least for me) my brother and I were handloading for his 6" .41MAG S&W 57. We were both convinced that the higher we went with Unique, the more accurate the load was. I think we wound up 1 full grain over any reasonable published maximum... convinced it was The Load. No, we didn't blow the pistol up... which, in hindsight, is kind of a surprise, but it is completely knocked out of time and desperately needs a trip back to the Mothership for a tune up. This was before I found... and more importantly comprehended... a powder burn rate chart, and realized there were powders that would fling that bullet even faster than Unique, without risk.

I developed a healthy respect for Unique during that time... mostly how forgiving it was, but also how flexible it can be.

.41 Mag, 180gn, slightly loaded down in a 6 shooter! NOW we talking

 

[Blue68f100]

GFL brass is scrap and I file it in the recycle bin. It has a bad reputation for many flaws, off center FP holes, No FP holes, besides splitting in 1-2 reloads. This is hand gun brass have not dealt with the rifle brass.

 

[Hondo 60]

Hottest??

Zero 125 gr SJHP with 2400.
Not gonna say how much 2400.
Suffice to say, I'll only fire them out of a 57 mag.

They're within published guides, but the data is pretty old.

 

[bluejay75]

I split one Saturday. Loaded a few 158 SJHP's into some GFL cases, using 9.3grs 2400. As I mentioned earlier, it's a healthy load. So, after 14 shots from my rifle, the case separated about .5" above the rim. Took a while to get it dug out of the rifle. After that little fiasco (second occurrence, I might add) I decided to cull my brass, and have relegated the GFL stuff for powderpuff loads. I think from now on I'll load the heavy stuff into some of my other, heavier cases. Don't know how much difference it'll make, but better safe than sorry.

Mac

I have never split a Starline 38 or 357 to be more clear. I have split a bunch of others. RP splits and bulges pretty easy.

 

[Charlie98]

GFL brass is scrap and I file it in the recycle bin.

I have never split a Starline 38 or 357 to be more clear. I have split a bunch of others. RP splits and bulges pretty easy.

It's interesting... everyone's particular experience with brass. I'm with F100... I file GFL brass immediately in the scrap bucket, along with quite a few other headstamps. I like being 'thrifty' when it comes to components, but I also like knowing what I'm working with, and limit most of my brass stash to just a few particular headstamps that have served me well over the years... RP, FC, PMC, WW, and Prvi, specifically, and LC in 5.56mm, but not in 7.62mm.

As I mentioned previously, I've had rather poor service out of some of my Starline brass... and I was not hotrodding it. Conversely, RP is some of my favorite brass... 90% of my .41 brass is RP, going on 25+ years old and upteen reloads. RP 9mm and .45 brass is my 1st choice as well, and much of my rifle stash is RP. I have picked up some Starline brass... the other 10% of my .41 brass is Starline, given to me by a friend when he quit the .41 business. Some of my lever-action brass is Starline... .30-30 and .45-70 in particular. So far, so good there... but we will see.

 

[Hondo 60]

Hmm I've never had a problem with GFL.
I probably load a dozen different calibers and have GFL brass in almost everyone.

For me RP is one that can get recycled.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I split one Saturday. Loaded a few 158 SJHP's into some GFL cases, using 9.3grs 2400. As I mentioned earlier, it's a healthy load. So, after 14 shots from my rifle, the case separated about .5" above the rim. Took a while to get it dug out of the rifle. After that little fiasco (second occurrence, I might add) I decided to cull my brass, and have relegated the GFL stuff for powderpuff loads. I think from now on I'll load the heavy stuff into some of my other, heavier cases. Don't know how much difference it'll make, but better safe than sorry.

Mac

If it has rear locking lugs. Reloading manuals recommend one reloading on got loads. I don't follow this recommendation. But I do watch for a ring. They show up around half a dozen reloads of h110 and a 180 gr cast.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Hmm I've never had a problem with GFL.
I probably load a dozen different calibers and have GFL brass in almost everyone.

For me RP is one that can get recycled.

Perfecta is the only brass I immediately scrap.
Even RP can be massaged into a functional case.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Perfecta is the only brass I immediately scrap.
Even RP can be massaged into a functional case.

I keep all brass!!

 

[MacAR]

If it has rear locking lugs.

It doesn't; it's an 1866, so toggle-link action. One reason I try not to push the envelope quite as much as I would in, say, a '92.

But I do watch for a ring.

Same here. I didn't see any evidence of one in the recent case, but I could've missed it too. Still, the GFL brass measures thinner than the other stuff and so I set it aside for other purposes.

Mac

 

[Mark_Mark]

It was a lesson in why it’s not good to shoot other peoples’ reloads.

A stranger at the range gave me a half box of 5.0 tg reloads and said “They’re a little hot, no big deal.”

Then he watched me, with a smirk, shoot the box out of a 642. I had to pretend like it wasn’t a big deal, but it was horrible.

When I got home I checked and 5.0tg was well above any published +p round I could find.

so COL was getting laughed at at the range

if I understand what col means

COL is correct according to Lyman! lol

 

[pairof44sp]

COL is correct according to Lyman! lol

Ha ha. Now I figured it out.

COL is always “seated up to the groove, wherever it be”

 

[merlynski]

I have never split a Starline 38 or 357 to be more clear. I have split a bunch of others. RP splits and bulges pretty easy.

The only .38Spl revolver brass I have seen split with a factory load (not a reload) is RP. In a low round count Ruger Blackhawk .357Mag. It split from the case mouth all the way back to where the brass thickened up near the head. That has left a bad taste in my mouth for RP brass. I recently loaded up a bunch of 40S&W in RP cases and it was definitely thinner wall brass than any other I dealt with.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Ha ha. Now I figured it out.

COL is always “seated up to the groove, wherever it be”

yes Cowboy! I always try to seat to the grooves. Why else would there be grooves ??

 

[TTv2]

But not as bad as 7.2 Unique behind 200g lead in an 18-oz Charter 44 with a 1.5” barrel. That load had me wondering if shooting just wasn’t for me

What did you expect, that it would feel like a .38? You probably were just a hair over 700 fps and that's not fast enough to do anything with a hollow point. I'm in the same boat with the Judge not giving me enough velocity, so I've been wanting to get some of the 157gr Inceptor ARX bullets to reload as they're not dependent on velocity.

Here's load data link.

https://www.inceptorammo.com/wp-con...2-157-45-Colt-157-Grains-ARX-UM1-Inceptor.pdf

 

[Palladan44]

I have a modern (ok, a 1986) 4" Ruger Police Service Six that was chambered in 38 special only.
I did my research and my homework, and determined the gun is as strong as its nearly identical .357 Magnum counterpart whom which this gun was made alongside.
For grins and giggles, I looked into the original 357 Magnum loads which were made in 38 spl.cases and dubbed for a short time the .38-44.
.38 specials originated during black powder days, which is why the cases are so big relative to their power, even to this day.
Anyways, I loaded some .38-44 using 158 gr Hard cast LSWC using basically a full case of 2400 in .38 spl cases. I have them in a box labeled "Ruger Only"
I'll do everything in my power to make sure they are never fired in somebody's S&W airweight. They bear about 88% of a full bored 357 Mag whallup.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I have a modern (ok, a 1986) 4" Ruger Police Service Six that was chambered in 38 special only.
I did my research and my homework, and determined the gun is as strong as its nearly identical .357 Magnum counterpart whom which this gun was made alongside.
For ***** and giggles, I looked into the original 357 Magnum loads which were made in 38 spl.cases and dubbed for a short time the .38-44.
.38 specials originated during black powder days, which is why the cases are so big relative to their power, even to this day.
Anyways, I loaded some .38-44 using 158 gr Hard cast LSWC using basically a full case of 2400 in .38 spl cases. I have them in a box labeled "Ruger Only"
I'll do everything in my power to make sure they are never fired in somebody's S&W airweight. They bear about 88% of a full bored 357 Mag whallup.

.38 a making a huge comeback! people are tired of the plastic wonder 9’s or already have too many (me).

Let’s have fun shooting again!