Before I proceed...

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MrDontPlay

New member
This is my first day reloading. I'm loading up some hornady 158gr JHP 38s. I'm to the bullet seating step and my brass length was right and my OAL is right but the bullet isn't down to the "ribbed" part where I thought it should be. Also I have a lee 3 die set that has no crimp die. It gave instructions for crimping with the seating die but I didn't really understand them. Does this look normal?

3ec8a758.jpg
 
E

Edward429451

Moderator
Looks like it needs bumped deeper to me. Seat it to the middle of the cannelure. To crimp you remove the seating stem or have it so far up that it no longer contacts the bullet, then raise the ram with a cartridge on it all the way up and then screw the die down until you meet the case and this is the point where you go 1/4 turn or less until you like your crimp. Usually 1/4 turn does it for me.
 
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Jim243

New member
Yes that looks normal, but it is a 357 Mag case not a 38 Spl. So you may have some problems.

Jim
 
D

dacaur

New member
if it was a .357 mag case and his OAL was right for a .38 special the bullet would be seated 1/8" too DEEP, so i would say its safe to assume that the guy can read a headstamp...

That said, WHAT bullet is the OAL length right for? because a hollowpoint gets seated to a shorter OAL than a roundnose bullet, so if you are not looking at load data for that EXACT bullet, it might not be right. If I cant find data for the exact bullet i'm using, i find one that looks the same... you cant substitute RN data for a HP bullet of vice-versa...
 
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Jim243

New member
COL should be 1.450 Hornady 158 grain XTP - did you trim the case? Case trim lenght should have been 1.145

Jim
 
M

m&p45acp10+1

New member
Do they chamber in the cylinder of your gun? If so then seating to the canulure in the bullet will not hurt the round, though a heavier crimp may not be needed if you are not loading at maximum.

The good part is that .38 Spcl is one of the easiest rounds to reload. It is also one of the most versatile as far as bullet shapes, weights, and styles.
 
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Tim R

New member
OAL's can be adjusted a little. Unless you are using the exact same bullet your data is using there might be a need for some variation. The bullet appears it needs to be seated a little deeper and the case mouth at the cannelure. I like putting the case towards the upper line of the cannelure so when it's crimped it ends up in the middle of the cannelure.

There is always a little confusion by new reloaders how much crimp to add. 38 Spl is not a heavy recoiling round. I doubt you will suffer any bullet movement due to recoil. I would add just enough crimp to take the bell out and ever so slightly bend the case mouth to the cannelure.
 
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MrDontPlay

New member
My book said 1.480 for the OAL. The brass was also in spec. Won't seating the bullet farther increase pressure? I'm running 4.8gn of unique.
 
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m&p45acp10+1

New member
As long as you are not running a near to max load, seating a few thousandths of an inch deeper in a .38 Spcl. case should not cause an unsafe spike in pressure.

Personaly I woul not worry about the cannulure. If they chamber, and shoot to Point Of Aim I would stick with what is working.
 
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jimbob86

Moderator
That there is either THE longest .38Spec case or the narrowest thumb on an adult human male I have ever seen.

Pics can be deceiving, I know..... but I have tiny hands, and my thumbs don't cover just half a .38 special case......
 
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S

ScottRiqui

New member
Does the large amount of "unused" space inside a .38 Special case render it less susceptible to pressure spikes from varying the bullet depth compared to some other calibers? When I'm loading 148 gr DEWC, some of my recipes suggest an OAL of 1.18", while others say to seat the bullet flush with the case mouth (1.155") It doesn't seem to make much of a difference either way in terms of accuracy or felt recoil.
 
A

Archie

New member
I peeked.

I have Hornady 8th Edition before me as I type.

For .38 Special, the Hornady 35750 HP-XTP is seated to the crimping groove. The Hornady book shows a C.O.L. of 1.450".

However, this book also shows 4.8 grains of Unique as the maximum charge for normal range pressure (i.e., non '+p') loads. Starting with a high end load is normally not recommended. You can probably get away with it without much danger, but it's not recommended.

To answer your question, yes, seating the bullet deeper will reduce the burning chamber volume and therefore increase chamber pressure. However, since Hornady designed this bullet for use in both .38 Special and .357 Magnum, AND publish loads for this bullet in both calibers AND publish no special instructions about not seating to the cannelure in either round, I wouldn't sweat that OAL thing. (Hornady does publish special instructions about other bullets in the .357 Magnum; so they do that sort of thing when they see fit.)

I believe in crimping revolver rounds as part of the loading process. I have Lee Factory Crimp dies for most of my revolver rounds. It does take up a separate step in the process, but I think it worthwhile. A good crimp does two things for a revolver round; it holds the bullet in place when the revolver recoils - which may or may not be a serious matter - and a good crimp holds the bullet in place when combustion starts and gives a more uniform and cleaner burn to the powder. At least, that's how it seems in my experience.

At the very least, one must remove enough belling to allow easy chambering of the round.

I would suggest you load a few more of this combination WITH A STARTING LOAD of Unique and make sure they fire without incident prior to shooting up these heavier loads.
 
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dacaur

New member
according to hornadys reloading manual #8, 1.450" is the correct OAL for that bullet (#35750) in .38 special. thats why its important to get the info on the exact bullet from the MFG......
 
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ScottRiqui

New member
Reading a bunch of different loading manuals always reminds me of the joke "A man with two wristwatches can never really know what time it is."

What's particularly frustrating is when the starting loads from one book are above the "do not exceed" loads from another book. That always leaves me with a "what the hell do I do now?" feeling.
 
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