Picked up a fresh box of Remington R38S12 today...

[hotrod150]

I just recently started loading the Speer #4628 swaged lead 158 gr SWC-HP, in front of 4.5 gr W231 I figure it gives me somewhere between 800-850 fps out of a 2" barrel. I could go a little hotter, but since this is my everyday shootin' load as well as my carry load I prefer to keep the pressures below +P levels in my old Chiefs. I figure that soft, heavy bullet is gonna give me good penetration & hopefully at least some expansion at that velocity, so why push it?
This is my first time loading swaged bullets, I've loaded some JHP's but mainly loaded hardcast bullets before this. The dry all-over lube on these Speer bullets is really nice, like a solid lead 22 bullet. No messy waxy lube like most cast bullets, to clog up the seating die or make a buncha smoke when you shoot 'em.
Besides the Speers, Miday catalogs 158 gr Hornady lead SWC-HP's & Remington lead SWC's (not HP).

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Y'know... While we're on the subject of making an FBI load clone, I'm curious. What bullet would fit the bill? Speer's no. 4628? Or does Remington sell their own LHP bullet as a separate component?

I like the Hornady 158gr LSWC/HP bullet best for FBI clone ammo. The Speer bullets (Part #4628) are also good but I get just a little better accuracy from the Hornady bullets. I do like the crimp groove supplied on the Speer bullets though. I use HS-6 in my FBI replica ammo.

 

[blujax01]

Search You Tube for "Remington SJHP" and ample evidence can be seen that the $16/box (50) L38S2 .38 spl +P and $20/box (50) R357M1/2 .357 offer similar results to the "Self Defense Ammunition" being sold at 3x or 4x that price.

Additionally the scalloped SJHP bullet is available to us reloaders. It's easy to clone the ballistics and save even more.

 

[CoMF]

Geez, now I'm wishing I had the money to make the initial investment in loading equipment. Truth be told, I've always been intrigued by the idea of using a Speer #4628 to duplicate the Remington load. I figured with a proper roll crimp and a case cannelure just like Remington's, it'd be highly unlikely that those soft lead bullets would ever jump out under recoil.


Ah, well. I can dream... It ain't easy being working class and supporting a family of three.

 

[Cerberus62]

Search You Tube for "Remington SJHP" and ample evidence can be seen that the $16/box (50) L38S2 .38 spl +P and $20/box (50) R357M1/2 .357 offer similar results to the "Self Defense Ammunition" being sold at 3x or 4x that price.

Well, at least the Gander guy tried to educate me to add value and justify the price.

When I expressed my shock at the price, he took that for lack of knowledge, and said, "Well these are not just .38's, they are Plus P and they cost more to make" and on the .357's he just looked at me the way you do a four-year old and said, "Of course these are more expensive, they're Magnums, and oh, you do know they are hollowpoints, that's why they cost so much."

Additionally the scalloped SJHP bullet is available to us reloaders. It's easy to clone the ballistics and save even more.

At today's infalted prices I pay 4 cents per round for primers, 2 cents for powder and 4 cents for the lead bullet (even though my lead is free) and brass is once fired range pickups.

A box of 50 .38's is $5.00, really $3.00 for my lead bullet handloads.

Even adding $10.00/50 for a jacketed bullet I am loading .357's under $15.00 per 50.

I guess all that reloading equipment has paid for itself many, many times over...

 

[hotrod150]

Geez, now I'm wishing I had the money to make the initial investment in loading equipment.....

You don't have to break the bank or blow the mortgage money to start handloading. You don't need a Dillon RL- one million, I started handloading almost 30 years ago with a used RCBS Reloader Special single-stage press. Just tallied up my total production-- over 15,000 rifle & handgun cartridges loaded since then & have never seen the need to upgrade.
I've always used RCBS stuff, but when I started loading 38 spl I bought a set of Lee dies & they're OK. Both Midway & Cabela's offer Lee starter sets that have all you need to get going. You can buy one of those, a set of carbide dies, a tumbler, and a good loading manual and start handloading for your handgun(s) for under $250. Or piece a kit together: Lee C-style press $25, scale $25,powder measure & stand $25,dies & shell-holder $30, autoprime tool & shellholders $30, vibrator (aka tumbler) $50-- about all you need for under $200. Plenty of free loading data free on the internet. I would recommend a good how-to video, or better yet have a handloading buddy help you get off on the right foot.

 

[ddixie884]

The Speer swchp is a nice bullet. It has a crimp groove, an ample hp cavity, and a small concave base. I load it over 6.0gr Power Pistol. This is the published +P load in the Speer on line manual. I use it for a handloaded FBI load. I also keep a few boxes of the Remington factory load on hand. I trust both about as much as any .38spl.

 

[hotrod150]

FYI the Speer swaged lead SWC-HP's that I have here at home (p/n 4628) does not have a hollow base- it's perfectly flat.