Calling all 38 special and 357 mag loaders

1 3/4 turns. Nothing more. Well I guess I do have a redding taper crimp for 38 and profile crimp for 357.

I have witness marks, and a standard dummy load made up to adjust the seating die for my "standard" .38 and .357 loads.

I am lazy ! I started using only 357 brass years ago and quit with the 38 spl. Of course I only have a 357 , If I had a 38 that would be another story.

I need an "All of the Above." I have more than one set of dies for most calibers and use bits of each, or whole sets, depending on what I'm reloading, but I also adjust those dies back and forth as well. For example, I use Hornady's sizing and expander dies for .45ACP/AR but use Lee's powder through die after they're expanded to get powder into the cases and Lee's FCD for crimping. I also use bits of Lee's .455 Webley and Hornady's sets for .45ACP when making .455/.45 for my shaved Webley. I mix and match dies to do what I want and adjust as needed. Same for .44Spl/Mag, .38LC/Spl/.357Mag/Max, .32S&W/S&W Long/Colt New Police/H&R Magnum, etc. so I have .32ACP seating and FCD but use the .32S&W sizing die.

Way easier to have two turrets with a dedicated set of dies for each caliber IMO.

I load on a single stage so changes are the way of life. Honestly I believe it builds and maintains skill. A new person on a progressive doesn't utilize the skill set a lot so changes are a big deal. Some like the hornaday setup to prevent making changes. The only dies that are even locked are my rifle sizing dies. The rest are easy.

I basically never load 38 sp. , if I want lighter loads I just put them in 357 cases. I don't have any dedicated 38 sp revolvers so no reason to move things around.

Like @AJC1 , I load on a single stage. Minor adjustments are a way of life. I also agree that a lot of guys set their dies once and never adjust them which can be fine but it does help maintain skills when the dies are moved around a lot. I do use locking rings for the large adjustments and adjust as needed with the finer adjustments on the die.

I will make some 38 sp sometimes if I want to make ultra light loads for my carbine. It just makes them easy to identify .

1KPerDay said:

Way easier to have two turrets with a dedicated set of dies for each caliber IMO.

Click to expand...

My plan as well! Even though I do not load very many 38 specials anymore.
A turret for everything and everything in a turret!

Rule3 said:

My plan as well! Even though I do not load very many 38 specials anymore.
A turret for everything and everything in a turret!

Click to expand...

I've seen this played to its logical conclusion where people have a dillon for each cartridge and leave them set for one caliber. That may even be reasonable for some high volume competitive families.

I have one for each, on separate tool heads.

I still have to adjust my seating and crimping dies when changing bullets, change powder measure for different loads. The only thing I gain is not having to change the sizing die. But very quick to swap out.

I do rifle on a single stage (except.223) so I doubt there is a loss of skill. Actually, adjusting and measuring doesn’t seem like a skill to me, more of a task.

I load .38LC, Special, .357Magnum and Maximum using the same dies but it's a mix from different sets and even different manufacturers' combined into a set. Some of my dies are really , REALLY old and some are brand new. I have handguns that only shoot .38LC and carbines that shoot anything from LC-through-Max. All on a little single-stage Partner press and a Lee APP dedicated to decapping duty.

Ran one set for a long time. Then got a deal on a set of dies so - why not run 2.

I made a spacer ring to sit between the press and die when I load 357. I use the same bullet for both. So I set the dies to 38 so.

I use a Lee carbide sizer for both. I have separate dedicated 38 and 357 expanders. I have a couple different seating dies for various bullets - SWC, spire point, RN and adjust the various dies as needed when switching between 38 and 357.

I have Hornady Custom .38 taper dies. I don't have a problem going either way. Mostly load .38s and on occasion some .357 .

1911JAS said:

I made a spacer ring to sit between the press and die when I load 357. I use the same bullet for both. So I set the dies to 38 so.

Click to expand...

My rcbs set came with a ring but I load so many different bullets that's not useful. Now that I'm casting it may find it's way to my press because i won't have to load what's available.

I also have a spacer ring that I used to use. I also made several setup rounds. Over time I have purchased several older die sets and have set up the expanders and seaters to match rounds I load. I reload on a couple single stage presses so resetting dies happens often. YMMV

I use one set and use a spacer ring. I also trim my brass for consistency of crimp and the spacer works perfectly. I also make a dummy for each load and case length, and leave it in the seat die in the box so I know what it's set for.

I most often load the rcbs 38-150-SWC in both.

I agree that setting your dies up is a skill and doing so regularly maintains that skill. I am able to seat and crimp in the same step with the above rcbs bullet.

I voted "two dies" but the truth is that I have a Dillon dedicated just to .38 Special. I still load .357 on a single stage, though. I enjoy the process, and frankly, shooting 50 rounds of .357 is enough for one day, as far as I am concerned.

Especially when you get to the Lock 'n Load or Dillion tool head, you're done with adjusting die settings. I had 3 sets, one each for .38spl, .357mag and .357Max.

Others have already said it above. For years I used the same dies and adjusted them when switching between 38 & 357. It became frustrating so I eventually bought another turret and picked up a used set of dies. Now I treat them like I would 9 mm or 45 acp - totally different calibers to load for. Ease of use vs more money and more frustration.

YMMV

I have 2 turrets set up, 1 for each.

BTW, 38Spl and 357 Mag are 2 different cartridges.

Not 2 different calibers. They are the same caliber.

One sizing die because duha.
2 seaters, one for 357mag and one for 38spl then only move them the minimum amount for different bullets.