View Single Post
 
Old 03-25-2017, 12:58 AM
rwsmith's Avatar
rwsmith rwsmith is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: (outside) Charleston, SC
Posts: 30,918
Likes: 41,503
Liked 29,154 Times in 13,782 Posts
Default Yes, it is a spacer....

Quote:
Originally Posted by BZimm View Post
I want to set up and load 357 ammo, and I'm getting close. I am a newcomer to the reloading hobby, and so far I've been reloading 40 cal for my semiautos. I have a older S&W 28-2 that needs love too.

I bought a set of RCBS dies that can be apparently used for both 38 and 357 and the instructions are a bit vague. In the box is a washer/spacer that I think I understand, but there is also a cardboard-like "wafer" about 3/4" diameter and maybe 0.035 thickness that I do not. At first I thought it was an errant piece of packing material, but then I noticed it in a picture of another set of dies from RCBS. What is that thing for?

And then another question. I'm looking at buying 158 gn plated hollow points from Xtreme Bullets and I see that they have new brass on their website that they manufacture themselves. I'm hesitant to buy new brass, and especially from a relative newcomer in the industry. But....Does anyone have experience with this new 357 mag brass from Xtreme? The price is attractive, but with me in charge there are enough variables already. I don't want to trust my abilities yet and make that judgement on my own.

Thanks in advance for all your advice.

BZimm
Set your dies up to fit .38 special cases. When you want to do .357, just put it on top of the press and thread the die bottom through it. Notice that it lifts the die up enough to make the difference in length between the two calibers.

If Xtreme is anywhere as good with brass as they are with bullets, their shell cases should be fine. Starline brass is the preferred brand for many people.

I have no idea what the cardboard wafer is, but i know that I've never missed not having it.

Revolver cartridges, being rimmed and with many of them based on an old black powder cases, are a different animal from modern semi auto cases. One diffeence is the roll crimp used in revolver cartridges rather than the taper crimp on the semi autos

Being a newbie, make sure that you read a good " how to " section of a reloading manual.

Have fun and be safe.
__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Last edited by rwsmith; 03-25-2017 at 01:00 AM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 6 Users Like Post: