British S&W 38/200

[delta-419]

I dug my S&W 38/200 out of the safe for a look after all these years and remembered that it shot a .361 cast bullet. I have been shooting and reloading 38 special and got the bug to reload for this old war horse. I have plenty of .358 cast bullets and a fair amount of brass but no .361 bullets. There does not seem to be any supply of this size bullet on the market. I would also like to know the war time load for the FMJ ammo. Your suggestions on where to find these components is appreciated along with your load data experience.

 

[mtgianni]

I would remeasure things with a good micrometer and make sure of them. If that is correct you may need jacketed 180 grain bullets.

 

[tops]

I use 158 gr. SWC that I use in .38 Spec. and .357M.
3 grs. of Unique for 783FPS with a 5 in. barrel.
It shoots through both sides of a tin can and kills them dead. Larry

 

[Biggfoot44]

Matts Bullets offers a variety of bullets specific to .38S&W , with multiple sizing options .

 

[Skyhunter]

Matts Bullets has multiple options for other bullets/calibers as well. I've used them for .41's, .44's, and .45's as well.
Good bullets and good folks to deal with.

WYT-P
Skyhunter

 

[delta-419]

.361 Bullets

Thanks guys for the referral to Matts Bullets. They had the long nose 38/200s in the .361 Diameter that I was looking for to create the WWII load for my old British war horse. Cast bullets (200 count) will be here in a couple of days. I will also try some loads with the .358 that I have. Will provide a range report when I can get them out.

 

[M1A]

I have been using 158g .358 for years in my Webley MkIII and Enfield No2 Mk1. They work fine. W231 and Titegroup. I weigh each load instead of drop. I measured some different factory .38 S&W. .357 and .358.

 

[raljr1]

I shared some of these with jimmyj and he said they worked well. Not a match for the military load.

.38 S&W SWC-FB 125 gr. per 500

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I loaded 146 SWC/HP (Lee single cavity mold) and 158 RN, both sized .357" for my 1896 Lemon Squeezer (Safety Hammerless) Last summer and they worked fine in the S&W along with The 4 H&R's and 3 Iver Johnsons. I use data from Lyman #45. I have a like new 1921 Regulation Police, but haven't fired it yet.

Ivan

 

[Me239]

If you start casting your own, my .358 molds almost always came out as .362 from the mold. A cheap two mold set and melter could make exactly what you need.