38s&w 32-1

cotton

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long story short win rounds 145 grn rn go through 1 ,1.5 inch phone book rem 146 grain rounds that also fit my sp101 in 357 will go through same... but my hand loads without right equipt but I belive correct start charge of 3.2 unique will shoot 150 grn swc through 2 phone books same thick ... only fired one no problems but gona pull other three and re weigh ... any comments ????
 
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1. Chronographs are cheap, and well-worth the money.

2. If you're sticking to loads from the manual in that gun, you should be fine.

3.
my hand loads without right equipt but I belive correct start charge of 3.2 unique
- I'm not sure any of us can comment until you clarify this. What do you mean, "without the right equipment"? Are you saying that you're unsure that the load you quote is correct? Are you saying that you're not sure you loaded that load because you don't have the right equipment? Are you saying that you don't have the right equipment to confirm that your load is working correctly?

:confused:
 
ok used 357 die to neck size rem brass then used lee .5cc dipper and weighed charge of unique about 10 times after re zeroing crappy lee scales and consistantly got 3.0 to 3.2 grains on scale so then proceded to prime these 4 brass with lee universal hand loader and win std small pistol primers flared neck with little lee bullet looking thingy made for such and then after charging each brass with .5cc lee dipper of unique I then hand started a linotype sized .357 lubed with alox 150 grain cast swc and pressed in to crimp grove but didnt crimp still very good hold on bullet without crimp... anyway the one I fired seemed way to potent compared to the factory stuff ... Thanks for your reply and sorry for incomplete.
 
1 lee classic loader in .357 + 1 38S&W brass + .5cc lee dipper of unique @ 3.2 grain weight and add 1 win small primer = 1 loaded round that seemed too hot .
 
long story short win rounds 145 grn rn go through 1 ,1.5 inch phone book rem 146 grain rounds that also fit my sp101 in 357 will go through same... but my hand loads without right equipt but I belive correct start charge of 3.2 unique will shoot 150 grn swc through 2 phone books same thick ... only fired one no problems but gona pull other three and re weigh ... any comments ????




I understand that money is tight and all, but you need to invest in reloading gear. And get a reloading manual that lists the 38 S&W. Some don't.

38 S&W takes a .360 or .361 bullet. If you try to use 357 dies, your going to end up with undersized cases and bullets.

I have several 38 S&W's which I reload for. I get my bullets from Stonewall Bullets in La. The have 158gr sized to .360 which work great.

Goodf luck
 
I do not know about the Unique load because I use Bullseye for 38 S&W. However if you continue to reload using 357 dies you will drastically shorten you case life due to over sizing. I bought a used 38 Super set at a gun show cheap that I use for reloading 38 S&W. Actually I size and flair using 9 Makarov dies and use the 38 Super taper crimp die adjusted to a factory 38 S&W cartridge. Eventually I'll find an old 38 S&W die set but most online sources have been sold out for over a year now.
 
Easy, amigos - some folks don't have call to write much these days. :) A person could get out of practice - I've got a couple of friends who just put it down the way they think it.

despain, thanks for clarifying: I think that Calaveras Slim and walnutred sorta put their finger on it. Tough to try to "make do" with dies that aren't exactly right for the caliber - I'm not really bold enough to try that myself. I wonder if that's part of the issue . . .
 
3.2 grains of Unique with a 150 gr. bullet is warmer than a factory load but it is hardly a threat to a 32-1.

But for the reasons already mentioned; I would not recommend using .357 mag. dies to load this caliber. Due to the case being so undersized; the case is basically only supported at the back. This could cause symptoms that would make one believe the pressures are higher than they actually are.
 
FWIW Graf& sons has Lee carbide 38 S&W dies sets in stock for $31.25 delivered. I broke down and ordered a set while they are still available.
 
The Speer Reloading Manual #9 (1974) lists 3.4gr of Unique as the maximum charge (3.1 min.) for the .38 S&W with a 148gr wadcutter. They caution that this load should only be used in "modern revolvers", not older top breaks.

I suspect factory commercial loads are toned down a bit like the .45-70 and .45 Colt, but I have no data on that.
 
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