Reloads For A 38/44 HD

delta-419 · #1 07-15-2009, 07:30 PM

I recently bought a prewar 38/44 HD made in the mid-1930s, shooter grade and thats what I plan to do with it. Its has a tight and smooth action and is in excellent mechanical condition. What loads can I cook up to take advantage of this massive frame. I am currently using Hodgdon HP-38 and Winchester 231 powders with 158gr LRN bullets loading at 3.7grs of powder (MAX) at 834 vel., however I suspect that the old gun was designed to go a bit faster. My question is; what were the origional loads and velocities?

haggis · #2 07-15-2009, 10:41 PM

This table is some work I did a few years ago with a 4" Heavy Duty using 2400 powder, standard primers, and 172 grain LSWC.

The 13 grain load started to show some pressure signs (slight primer flattening), so I didn't push any further.

Standard .38-44 loads from the '30s were 158 grain LSWC at about 1150 fps.

Buck

Skip Sackett · #3 07-16-2009, 07:05 PM

If it were me, I'd just use standard 38spl load in that old girl.

It would seem though that it was designed for stuff like "THE LOAD", but why push it?

Something just a little bit lighter would be in order I would think. Look up some of the data for SR7625 from the same era as the Speer #8. I think that should do you just fine.

Skip Sackett · #4 07-16-2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haggis

This table is some work I did a few years ago with a 4" Heavy Duty using 2400 powder, standard primers, and 172 grain LSWC.

The 13 grain load started to show some pressure signs (slight primer flattening), so I didn't push any further.

Standard .38-44 loads from the '30s were 158 grain LSWC at about 1150 fps.

Buck

Buck,
Your information is awesome. I have just one other test for you though. Take some of those loads, not the ones at the top, and load them with magnum primers. I'll hazard a guess the ES and SD come down quite a bit, at least that has been my experience with 2400.

I know the old sages don't say to use them with 2400 but, they didn't have chronographs either probably.

Just a thought!

delta-419 · #5 07-16-2009, 07:15 PM

Thanks fpr the info guys, this gives me a starting place and some limits. I won't stress out the old girl. Its too fine a machine to treat harshly.

ChuckS1 · #6 07-16-2009, 07:24 PM

I have to respectfully disagree. You have a fine gun and assuming it's otherwise safe to fire, as you said, then why not shoot the loads it was designed for? This is not "treating it too harshly". The gun doesn't know how old it is and I have no doubt that, unless you have some crazy double or triple charge, it'll hold up fine (again, assuming it's in the shape you said it is). Sorry for the rant, but my thought is that if you think you have to baby it, then it probably shouldn't be shot at all until you got it fixed. If you were talking about a J frame, I would agree, but not an N frame. My own Outdoorsman has held up fine with all of "The Load" rounds I've put through mine and I don't think I'm gonna shoot it loose in my lifetime.

Homie · #7 07-16-2009, 11:35 PM

Haggis,

Interesting load development numbers- nice work. Your 4" w/172s are faster then my 5" w/158s and 13.5 gr.

BTW, the original .38/44 load was a LRN.

Good shooting.

Vanilla Gorilla · #8 07-16-2009, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haggis

This table is some work I did a few years ago with a 4" Heavy Duty using 2400 powder, standard primers, and 172 grain LSWC.

The 13 grain load started to show some pressure signs (slight primer flattening), so I didn't push any further.

Standard .38-44 loads from the '30s were 158 grain LSWC at about 1150 fps.

Buck

haggis, have you tried The Load in that piece, and if so, what velocities were you getting?