Mak .363 dia bullets in .38 S&W

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Deaf Smith

New member
Guys,

I just got a Webly IV 3 inch pocket pistol in .38 S&W. It was made between 1949 and 1951.

I noticed Mak slugs are .363 diameter and .38 S&W are .361.

Hmmm you think I can handload XTP 95gr Mak JHPs on my revolver?

I have 400 of those slugs and it might be interesting to make ammo that way.

Deaf
 
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Magnum Wheel Man

New member
I shoot alot of 38 S&W... I don't have a Webley, but the Webley should be a good strong gun, but in reality was designed for lead bullets...

.002" over would probably be OK with lead bullets... with jacketed bullets I'm sure they could be used... but you'd have to cut back on the powder charges to keep pressures in the acceptable level... I'm sure there would not be a published load for those bullets... but I'd probably try them myself in a strong gun, if I had alot of them...
 
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triumph666

New member
lead slightly oversized might just foul your barrel but oversized "Jacketed" bullets might split it in a worst case scenario....Be careful
 
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gyvel

New member
I did a similar thread a while back on this same subject, only using a Smith & Wesson Victory Model in .38 S&W. The general concensus was that the 9x18 is of too high a pressure to be safely used in an older revolver, especially with the smaller bore diameter.
 
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darkgael

New member
Mak

I wouldn't.
What occurs to me, though, is that you could take cast bullets for the Makarov cartridge, buy an inexpensive sizing die from Lee Precision in .361/.362 (about $25-30) and swage the Mak bullets to the proper size. You'd have an inexpensive source of bullets for the Webley (of course, you could cast your own).
Pete
 
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Deaf Smith

New member
gyvel,

It's not to use Mak AMMO in the gun, just the .363 Diameter slugs and reload on the S&W case. One can always down the charge a bit if they are worried about the oversized bullet.

But really, first I need to slug the barrel and find out just what the size of the bore really is!

BTY.. here is what it looks like.

attachment.php


Deaf
 

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gyvel

New member
That's a cutie! I love W&S revolvers.

FWIW, I went through about 20 Victory barrels and found the largest bore diameter to be .361".

My original proposal was to "shave" the back of the cylinder in the same manner as .455 revolvers were converted to .45ACP, then use Makarov ammo with full moon clips. Upon comparing SAAMI pressure ratings, I realized it wasn't a wise idea.
 
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Magnum Wheel Man

New member
one issue you may run into, is chambering the cartridges with the larger diameter bullet bulge at the case mouth... one easy way to fix that is to remove the decapping stem, & run the case through your sizer die again... ( I've done that on cases that didn't chamber on some bigger diameter cast bullets before... in other chamberings )
 
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Magnum Wheel Man

New member
as mentioned, I load alot of 38 S&W... mostly for top break revolvers...

I use a .360 lead round ball ( ordered from Forefathers Casting on the cast bullet forum ) for testing new to me guns with pop gun loads...

then once tested I load using these ...

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=2046424229

at .359" they shoot good in all my revolvers... the lighter bullets allows me to load reasonably fast loads... I actually carry an old S&W single action top break spur trigger snubbie just for kicks some days ( in fact it's on my belt right now ) stuffed with 5 nickel 38 S&W cases each "full" of trailboss & the bullets in the link... energy level about the same as a normal .380
 
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woad_yurt

New member
How about .358" 148 gr hollow-based wadcutters? I use Speer's and they're very accurate in my .38 S&W revolvers (one's a Webley MK III, btw.) The hollow base expands enough to seal in the gas & grab the rifling. They make a way better hole than any round-nosed bullet could ever hope to.

PS Very cool gun you got there!
 
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Deaf Smith

New member
XTPs are Jacketed Hollow Points.

They are not "slugs".

Please quit repeating the misuse of terminology.
Click to expand...

Sorry FrankenMauser but a 'slug' can be many things including:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/slug

Noun 1. slug - a projectile that is fired from a gun

2. slug - a unit of mass equal to the mass that accelerates at 1 foot/sec/sec when acted upon by a force of 1 pound; approximately 14.5939 kilograms

3. slug - a counterfeit coin

4. slug - an idle slothful person
.
.
.
8. slug - (boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose"

Deaf
 
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FrankenMauser

New member
This is a forum for the intelligent discussion of firearms and related equipment and activities.

Just because a crappy free site on the internet has a very ambiguous definition for 'slug' does not mean it is the proper terminology.
 
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