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  1. .38 Special

    Do I really NEED one?

    I am completely bonkers for the .45 Colt. From a practical standpoint, if you have a single-action Ruger chambered for the cartridge, you have just about everything a revolver man could need. Are you a practical man? I guess I'm not; if I didn't have a Bisley flattop in .44 Special, I'd start...
  2. .38 Special

    Used Price Check: Uberti 1860 44-40 $899

    For most folks, I'd say the price is about right. For @Mark_Mark I'd recommend holding out until an engraved one shows up for a hundred bucks. The .44-40, for what it is worth, is an annoying cartridge to handload.
  3. .38 Special

    Alliant 2400 in .357 Mag

    Eliminating the graphite - and increasing your crimp, if it's not already pretty firm - may net you a slight increase. Other than that, though, I think you may have to be satisfied with what you've got: it's not out of the ordinary. If you really want to max out your velocity, you'll need to...
  4. .38 Special

    Appendix carry.

    At 6'1", my ideal weight is 170 pounds, but I never get below 180 anymore. Even that little bit of a spare tire is enough to make appendix really unpleasant for me. I honestly don't get how it could be comfortable for anyone, but I'll take your word for it. ;)
  5. .38 Special

    Alliant 2400 in .357 Mag

    I have very little experience with the round in rifles so can't comment about it. Your velocities with a 4" barrel are about what I would expect. What led you to believe they should be higher? I don't see any need to decrease powder charges, unless you are noting pressure signs. It looks to me...
  6. .38 Special

    Appendix carry.

    I've tried it, and between the comfort issue and the morale issue, I just truly don't get it. For one, the gun butt digs into my gut, no matter how fit I am. It's just so physically uncomfortable that I really don't understand how anyone can tolerate it. And for two, the gun is pretty much...
  7. .38 Special

    Light Triggers for Light Rifles

    I'm beginning to suspect that triggers matter less to mediocre shooters - or put another way, it takes a pretty good shooter to be able to take full advantage of really nice triggers. On a handgun, I'm a total trigger snob. On a rifle, just give me a crisp 3.5 pound pull and I'm happy. I've...
  8. .38 Special

    How do you carry a sidearm while hunting?

    I'm another who simply carries his CCW gun - usually in the same way; strong side IWB or OWB, depending on the gun and the clothing. Of course, folks who carry things like .380 autos will worry that they don't have enough horsepower for the task. I consider that a clue... :neener:
  9. .38 Special

    Wadcutters tumbling?

    Wadcutters aren't very stable. Especially with light loads, tumbling is to be expected beyond some distance. For example, I used to shoot Hornady HBWCs in front of 2.7 grains of Bullseye out of a 6" PPC gun, and holes would just start going oval at 50 yards. By 75, they were full-on keyholes...
  10. .38 Special

    How to initially choose a powder when starting out?

    Some cartridges have developed a reputation with particular powders, and in those cases, that powder often will be the one with which I start. These days, though, availability has become the gold standard. We are to the point where when I see a powder offered for a fair price, I buy it and then...
  11. .38 Special

    Bore snake

    I like them and have been using them for decades. I do occasionally get one that seems very tight. With use, those ones tend to get a bit easier. I do like to spray some WD-40 or Ballistol onto them, for cleaning effect and to ease the pull-through.
  12. .38 Special

    So, You Want To Start Casting…?

    That's a good point, but that's why I recommend a 6-holer. I actually think an aluminum "gang mold" might be the best of all, in that it's big enough to be fairly stable, but light enough to manage - I once had an 8-pot iron mould that actually gave me tennis elbow! - and of course, such molds...
  13. .38 Special

    So, You Want To Start Casting…?

    Oh, and just a note about the tinsel fairy: it's both simple, and massively overstated. The entire trouble arises from getting water underneath the surface of the molten lead. The water will turn instantaneously to steam, expand explosively, and blow molten lead around. This is obviously a bad...
  14. .38 Special

    So, You Want To Start Casting…?

    Pretty much everything above can result in disagreement, of course. Everyone has their own ways, and a lot of them work. I will, though, vouch for everything I've written: I sometimes still do things exactly that way, and it still works as well as ever.
  15. .38 Special

    So, You Want To Start Casting…?

    As to sizing, all you need is an RCBS sizer, a nose plug matching your bullet shape, and a box of the softest lube you can find. Measure the throats in your revolver and buy a sizing die .001" larger, and run them all through. That's all there is to it. Obviously you'll need to read the...
  16. .38 Special

    So, You Want To Start Casting…?

    There is a lot of information out there, and that can be a problem. Especially as you get to the "graduate level" stuff, like some of Fryxell's (and a lot of Veral's!) it can seem overwhelming. It doesn't have to be that complex. Were I starting today... I'd buy a 20 pound Lee pot with a...
  17. .38 Special

    Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter vs Redhawk?

    I agree with @CraigC almost perfectly. The first thing I do is get rid of the stock Blackhawk grips. As for the Redhawk, I like most things about it, but not the grip shape. Where the single action grips allow the gun to roll in the hand (too much, for me - I prefer Bisley grips for serious...
  18. .38 Special

    Taurus 445 44spl

    The titanium version would make a very good carry gun, but the standard version is too heavy, at least for my belt. For uses other than CCW, that 2.5" barrel is a real handicap with very little benefit. I'd pass, myself.
  19. .38 Special

    44mag or 10mm for Wilderness Defense?

    Very generally speaking, I would choose the .44 Magnum. Partly because I am more comfortable with revolvers, and partly because I put faith in horsepower. Now, I do sometimes carry a Glock 29 in the wilderness - especially in the desert, where there aren't any big predators, but there sure can...
  20. .38 Special

    An interesting way to prevent loading lever drop...

    I've had a roughly 50 percent success rate with filing the latch. I probably am not completely competent at it - but I do have a professionally 'smithed Walker which will drop the lever any time the load exceeds 50 grains... The approach shown in the OP looks foolproof, and should be a simple...
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