need a little help putting together some .38 s&w ammo

[the kid]

so I've been looking for the correct mould to cast the bullets, standard size for this caliber is .360, but my chamber throats are measuring at 3.64, about right for makarov, but i need about a 148-158 grain bullet and all the moulds ive seen in this size are for makarovs which use a 90-100 grain bullet, so what should i do here? I'm totally new to reloading and casting bullets and am somewhat lost, should i use a makarov mould or just get a .38-.357 mould and hope it casts over size enough to use without a sizing die?

if someone has one of those ideal tong type tools stashed away somewhere that they aren't using which compleate and has the dies and the mould for this cartridge, perhaps they would be willing to sell it to me, please let me know.

[bob308]

i use a 358429 bullet unsized in my s&w victory model it works very well.

where are you located?

[deltaenterprizes]

Over on the "Cast Boolit" site there is a member named "Beagle" that has come up with an idea of using aluminum tape on the face of a mold to increase the cast diameter a few thousandths, this is called "Beagling a mold" The bullets or "boolits" as they are affectionately referred to on the site, come out slightly out of round but should work to get you started.
Check out the site, plenty of interesting info.

[the kid]

I don't think that beagling technique is a very good option unless the bullets were to be swaged after casting.

What would be the pros and cons of using the liter makarov bullets in this cartridge, if I ever had to use it for self defense which would be better?

I'm in Anaheim CA btw, you?

[38_Cal]

What make and model revolver do you have? If it's a swing out cylinder S&W K frame (not a top break) or a Webley, you might consider looking for a Lyman #358430 bullet mould in 195 gr., to duplicate the British military loading that was designed to give the same stopping power as the .455 Webley. If it's a light pocket pistol, like the top break S&W design, the Makarov bullet will do ok if you keep in mind the relatively weak gun design.

David

[the kid]

It's an iver Johnson 2nd model safety automatic hammer gun (DA/SA top break) so not the strongest pistol but it's tight and was probably a dresser or a night stand gun for many years, I got a good deal on it, I never had any hope of putting anything as hot as the .38-200 through it, but like to get as much knock down power out of it that I safely can

[Frank46]

Well the origional bullet weight for this cartridge was 200 grains. Just for the heck of it try accuratemolds.com and see if they make a mold for this bullet. A lot of the guys over at the castboolits site rave about accurate molds. They are that good. The commercial stuff available today I think is a 148 grain round nosed bullet. The 200grain bullet was the old british loading during some of their wars. Frank

[Clark]

My grandfather was in the Alaskan Gold rush, and all we have a an old yellow newspaper and an Iver Johnson hammerless 38S&W.

I bought a number of IJ break tops over the last 15 years, and have the Bill Goforth book.

I was shooting some book loads in an old IJ that were "38 Super +P" 158 gr JHP 7.9 gr Blue Dot, and the latch stretched, making the revolver's action loose.

I told my father I stretched the latch with too much pressure.
My father, who was chief engineer over 150 engineers and draftsmen for 40 years of designing guns and vehicles, snapped at me, "It was not pressure that stretched the latch, it was barrel friction and half the recoil on the mass of the barrel!!!"

That took a day for me to get my mind around.
But with low friction soft cast bullets or balls and low powder charges, I have not stretched any latches since.

This guy sells the right bullet



Lyman #35864
150 gr.
Item# 35864
$10.00

Product Description

Lyman #35864, .358" diameter, 150 gr. RN, 100 bullets per box. Bullets are lubed and sized.

Correct bullet for .38 S&W.

http://www.westernbullet.com/ly3150gr.html

[38_Cal]

Unless you are already set up to cast bullets, it sounds like your find with Western is the best way to go. The price is right, too!

David

[the kid]

I do already have pretty much everything I need to cast my own, including the lead, I just need the correct mould, I was considering this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-38-357-1...077990891#shId

Im still looking, I might get a lyman mould as I have a handle for one already this one looks like it would be good: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lyman-38-357...#ht_1839wt_702

If I can find a Lyman #35864 mould I've read that it was designed to cast bullets for this cartridge, and also that it is a rare one which is no longer made.