38 S&W Ammo

[deputydon]

Anyone here reload 38 S&W? I have a regulation police and having purchased some factory ammo for way too much $ need to load some. I have done some research and found that the bullets are .360 vs .357 for .38 special. Some say you can trim .38 spl cases and others say they will split in .38 S&W. I need some help from someone with experience. Will be very grateful for any tips.

-don

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

38 S&W has a tapered case, you will need dedicated dies as well as the correct brass (and shell holder). Buy some when you can, and keep your eyes open, new and fired cases turn up at shops and gun shows at reasonable prices from time to time. Also the British had a military round that uses the same case, with a heavier bullet. I have 500 S&W type brass from South Africa with no head stamp at all. These were for a heavy blank round that was used to launch mortar rounds. If you cast bullets, unsized but lubed 38 special bullets made of soft lead usually work well. Have fun and good luck, Ivan

 

[Alk8944]

DD,

. 38 S&W is just like loading any other revolver cartridge. While you can trim .38 Special cases and use them it isn't worth the trouble. However, while they may split on the first firing there isn't that much difference in diameter, and if you use the correct dies you aren't working the brass anymore after the first firing than if it was the correct item. If you use the Lee shellholder the same one works for both .38 S&W and .38 Special. Lee dies are completely adequate and far less expensive.

Buy bullets from Beartooth as they will size whatever diameter you want. Others may, but I now Beartooth Bullets does. they will even sell un-sized and un-lubed if you order them that way.

.38 S&W is not a tapered case, it is straight-rimmed just like most revolver cartridges. I wish I knew where people get these ideas! Obviously they have never loaded the cartridge.
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[GypsmJim]

I've been reloading it for 20 years now. Got the dies and brass from MidwayUSA. I use the same 158 gr. .358 bullets that I do for .38 spl and they work just fine.

 

[HKSmith]

Agree with everything ALK8944 said. Some other sources of .360-.361 sized bullets are Western Bullets, Matts Bullets, Missouri Bullets, and (as a special order) some of Penn Bullets .38 designs. I've had good results with the Lyman 200 grain 358430 design if you're interested in replicating the old .38 Super Police round. Western offers these sized .358 or .360. Matts offers 200 grain bullets sized .361 that replicate the old British military loads.

I also load a lot of swaged 148 grain hollow base wadcutters in this cartridge seated to a COL of 1.120 - this leaves about half the bullet protruding above the case mouth. Powder charges vary from very light for top break revolvers to standard for solid frames. The deep hollow base expands to fill the rifling and gets around the problem of needing oversize bullets.

 

[deputydon]

Thanks guys.

I had thought that I would use my .38/.357 dies. Guess that would have been a mistake. Will order some Lee dies. Am familiar with Missouri Bullets as a Kansas resident and will check pricing. I cast .38's so will try some unsized lubed swc first if they are not too long.

Any powder recommendations? I have BE, Unique, and other common stuff.

Thanks again. This little gun is neat to shoot with great accuracy and recoil is almost .22 like. Planning on enjoying it some more.

-don

 

[rwsmith]

No comment

No comment from me here because it was just in the last few months that I found out that a .38 S&W was NOT just a short .38 Special. I did shoot an S&W many years ago but never reloaded it.

 

[Ol'Pappy]

I have never loaded 38 S&W, but Speer #13 shows 38 S&W load data for both .357 jacketed and .358 lead bullets. It says: "The nominal bullet diameter for the 38 S&W is .360", so the bullets listed are actually undersized for this cartridge. However, in revolvers with deep rifling, accuracy us usually fairly good."
Anyway, might be something you want to try.

 

[Leslie Sapp]

Be sure and slug your barrel. I've heard S&W's run around .360. I know for a fact my 1926 vintage Colt Police Positive slugs at .3545. You'll have better results if you match your bullet to the true bore size.