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Old 06-01-2011, 01:59 PM
2152hq 2152hq is offline
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I used a set a LEE 38S&W dies to load that caliber when I had a couple of Victory revolvers & a Baby Russian in it.

I did exchange the 38S&W expander for a 38Special expander from another die set.
That allowed for the brass to be sized, but then not expanded.
The brass mouth was still 'belled' by the process though to ease the seating of the lead bullets.

They accepted common 38special bullets of which I had plenty of and they shot fine.

The resized 38S&W brass holds the slightly smaller dia 38Spec bullets snuggly if not expanded.

If you try to use them after expanding with the included 38S&W diameter plug,,they'll drop right into the cases. You'll need .360dia bullets sold for the caliber then.
I didn't want to go to the added throuble/expense when I had boxes and cans full of plain old 38spec bullets around.
Not like I was invited to Camp Perry with the things. Just for fun shootin'.

Before I exchanged the expander plugs,,I used to just resize and then set all the cases on the anvil surface of the bench vise.
Then with a lathe center, quickly tapped each one lightly to bell the mouth. Takes about a minute and a half to bounce through 50 cases like that.

Accuracy at what I considered ranges that the Victory revolvers were intended for (up to 25yrds) was more than acceptable with the 38spec. dia bullets.
The B/Russian was tough just to see that sliver of a front sight!

IIRC I used RedDot powder for the loads. The bullets were 158 gr LSWC (plain base).
Seems as though I loaded some DEWC (not loaded flush w/the case mouth) and they worked out fine too.

You can do the same of course with standard 38Spec dies,,but the brass is really over worked. First being sized way down and then expanded out again when it's fired.
Brass life is very short that way and 38S&W brass wasn't that easy to get.

I forget if the 2 calibers use the same shell-holder,,but the LEE dies include one in the set anyway.

I think the LEE stock# of the 38S&W Sizer Die is the same as their Sizer in 38Super caliber. I had heard 38Super dies could be used to load the caliber but never did that.

I did load 9mm Browning Long on 38S&W dies and fire factory 9mmB/L in 38S&W cal Enfield revolvers,,,but now I'm really getting off the subject...
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