Titegroup/.38 Special problem

[House]

I have messed up, but at least I caught it.
I loaded some 148grain DEWC into mixed .38 brass, DEWC and 4 grains of Titegroup.
3.3 grains is the book max.
I wasn't paying attention when I looked up my load in my load record book, just glanced and had a frain bart and just missed it.
I was logging the finished load back into my load record book, then I noticed it (after I had loaded the box).

OK is this too hot for a DEWC? I know the pressures are different with them and things can change fast due to the reduced case capacity from the bullet seating depth. I'm not new to reloading but I am new to pistol cartridge reloading and this it a "DUH" moment for me. I try to keep good records and this is how I caught up with my mistake.

Any opinions? OK to shoot? Pull all 50??

That I am an idiot? I already cast a vote on that one.

PLEASE BE KIND I AM FRAGILE!!??!!??

BTW were slated for practice in a 686-3. But not if they're going to cause any problems. They're pulled out of line and deep stashed until I figure out what to do with them.

 

[B1GB1RD]

First, you haven't done anything any re-loader hasn't done , as you put it " fain barting" he he he , you can shoot them as they are ok by experience but you have pushed it to the absolute max, I load mine at 3.5 and have no issues out of my 66, just clean well at the end. Just my 2 cents from experience, good luck and happy re-loading ....Robert

 

[House]

In this instance, it points out the ability of good records to help in more ways than accuracy duplication.

Also, to reload only after checking data at least TWICE. Something I ALWAYS do and DID NOT this time out.
Sometimes, overconfidence can be a humbling experience.

 

[House]

OK....I dared it......!!!!

It is stout, but recoil was very average, and primers/brass look OK. No hard extraction. I weigh each charge, so I am not afraid of any heavies sneaking in.

Thanks again guys.

 

[RidgwayCO]

Using a COL of 1.150" (for a 148gr DEWC loaded flush with the case mouth), QuickLOAD predicts a pressure of 28,500 psi with your 4.0gr of Titegroup. If you were shooting them in a .38 Special revolver, or if they were 148gr HBWCs, I'd say "No way!". But since they'll be fired out of an L-frame .357 Magnum revolver, they might be ok. If you decide to try it, I'd definitely suggest firing them one-at-a-time for the first several rounds, checking the barrel between rounds for any obstructions or excessive leading.

By the way, QuickLOAD also predicts that your 3.3gr load of Titegroup is a +P round (19,600 psi). Just thought you'd want to know.

 

[House]

Was not aware that the 3.3 load was +P. It is straight off of the Hodgdon site. I have no problems with, just was not aware.

Have fired some more, and still so far no problem. Have tried one of every mixed brass in the lot, all looks OK. These will just be my backyard range trigger time loads till used up. Accurate too....go figure....

Once again, I called them "stout", but that is probably a little overboard. They are definitely hotter than the 3.3 load, but no where near my hot .357 loads. They are not flush, out @1/8", crimped in first groove of DEWC.

I DO NOT NOR WILL I EVER RECOMMEND this load to anyone, it is not published, something that I am particular about. No "YMMV", as this is not published.

They sure do ring the plate though......

AND I have learned a very valuable lesson, one that I THOUGHT I knew. oops.............

 

[Skip Sackett]

Just one exception!

Using a COL of 1.150" (for a 148gr DEWC loaded flush with the case mouth), QuickLOAD predicts a pressure of 28,500 psi with your 4.0gr of Titegroup. If you were shooting them in a .38 Special revolver, or if they were 148gr HBWCs, I'd say "No way!". But since they'll be fired out of an L-frame .357 Magnum revolver, they might be ok. If you decide to try it, I'd definitely suggest firing them one-at-a-time for the first several rounds, checking the barrel between rounds for any obstructions or excessive leading.

By the way, QuickLOAD also predicts that your 3.3gr load of Titegroup is a +P round (19,600 psi). Just thought you'd want to know.

I concur with one caveat. Make sure you unload the firearm before you look down the barrel. If you forget you may not get a second chance at that mistake!

 

[RidgwayCO]

Thanks Skip, good catch. I should have said "load and fire one-at-a-time".

Also House, QuickLOAD computes that loading your DEWCs out an eighth of an inch (to 1.275" COL) will reduce pressure to a little less than 20,000 psi, which would make your load "just" a +P! It's amazing what a small little change like that can make in pressure...

Finally, QuickLOAD is just software written by fallible humans, not the divinely-inspired Gospel. I simply use it as another tool to help produce safe loads (absent an accurate pressure-measuring system).

 

[cjw3]

Double checking is a good habit. I was present at our local range last summer when a man had a Springfield XD .45 KB. I saw him a couple of weeks later and he had determined that his load was supposed to be 4 grains of whatever he was using, so he set his scale to the right of the balance beam at 4 grains. Fine, except that he failed to notice that the weight on the 5-grain increment side of the balance was not on 0; it had been bumped, or whatever, to land on the first notch (5 grains). So, he wound up with a 9 grain load and a scattered pistol.

There was another mishap at the same range earlier in the year when a Blackhawk came unglued and blew a chunk of the cylinder into a bystanders upper arm, severing the brachial artery and nearly causing the victim to bleed to death. I never heard the details about the load in use, but catastrophic failure of a Blackhawk must have been SOME high pressure.

I also have "periodic lapses of attention", but try my utmost to minimize them while reloading.

 

[House]

I have reloaded for rifles and shotguns for a while. So pistols were new to me. I did a lot of reading and research (R&R) before I got started. I am aware of how pressure sensitive wadcutters are to deating depth due to this R&R.
Yes it is amazing. 1/8 inch is about right. As stated, I can tell they are hotter than my regular wad cutter load, but not on the crazy insane side, no where my .357 loads. I am loading a very hard alloy bullet that I have been told (by what I consider a competent source) can be pushed pretty hard and won't lead the bore. Just have to keep an eye on that one.
I have also been very deligent on my .45 ACP loadings as the seating depth is so critical with pressure to them.
That much powder load difference in a rifle isn't that major of an obstical unless you're REALLY pushing maximum, which I don't, more concerned with accuracy.
But pistols......not so much scared of them, but I definitely respect what can and can't be done. And I know this is/was a bad "no-no".

I appreciate all the input. A well versed and cooperative site is one of the key components any modern shooter can have as a resource too.

And I learned a very valuable lesson........ This was a definite frain bart that I am glad I caught. I have had load records stressed so many times, and the process really worked this time.