.356 lead bullets

[Cranky CJ]

Has anybody loaded the MO 125g lead cone bullets in 38 spcl?

My 38 spcl lead bullets from MO bullet measure .357 and the 9mm are .356. Is that enough to really make a difference and can you substitute them for 38 spcl.

Just wondering if anybody has done this.

 

[Schwing]

I have not loaded that brand but I commonly use 125 grain lrn rounds for .38 special. The biggest factor is the diameter of the bullet vs your barrel. At .356, I would be inclined to lean towards them not being suitable since you will probably get some leading and poor accuracy. If your barrel is .356 or even better .355, you would be able to get some good loads but chances are it will be .357 or .358.

 

[LiveLife]

I have loaded both .356" sized RN and .357" sized CN MBC bullets using Bullseye, Red Dot/Promo and W231/HP-38 for .38 Spl and shot out of .357 revolver.

They shot surprisingly better than expected at 7 yards using mid range loads (shot group around 2 inches from snub nose S&W).

 

[sexybeast]

Who's MO?

Shot tens of thousands of .356 9mm lead bullets. Who's MO?
You can go bigger by .001 or .002 thousanths and compensate the load but if you go smaller you will lead up your barrel quickly.
I know someone who shot lead .356 in his 38special revolver. Not very accurate and the barrel leaded up.

 

[LiveLife]

MO = Missouri Bullet Company = MBC

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I would think you would probably experience some leading in the barrel with .356 bullets.
You may not though. Shoot a few and see. It's not that hard to clean out if it does it a little bit.

 

[moonman16]

.356 will probably cause LEADING in a 38 Special or .357 Mag.

.358 is a better choice as the .356 is for 9 MM.

I have an OLD 38 Special that has .359 CYLINDER BORES, and

I use .359 and even .360 sized LEAD PROJECTILES in it.

 

[hartcreek]

I use .355 Lee 105s that I cast for practice loads in .38 S&W. and .38 Special and have had no leading issues for two deckades.

 

[d'Artagnan]

I use 125- and 147-grain .356 lead bullets in my 38 Special since I found my 9mm barrels leaded up with them. My 38 Special shoots them accurately and without leading.

 

[sexybeast]

I use 125- and 147-grain .356 lead bullets in my 38 Special since I found my 9mm barrels leaded up with them. My 38 Special shoots them accurately and without leading.

Now this does not make any sense. Please expand on this: load and gun?

 

[Old Fuff]

If you happen to be shooting an older pre-1970 Colt .38 Special or .38 S&W (caliber) revolver be aware that they had tight chamber throats (.358) and barrel groove diameters (.353" - .354") so .356" dia. lead bullets work just fine.

 

[Cranky CJ]

the gun(s) are a Security Six and a Police Service Six.

I only ask because my 9mm is broke and off to the manuf for a fix. I have lots and lots of .356 125g lead cone MBC bullets setting on the shelf.

I may as well load up a dozen or so and see how bad the leading gets on a dozen rounds. bad = forget it
not bad = use them.

thanks everybody.

 

[JRH6856]

125g MBC 9cone over 5.0g Bullseye is the most accurate load I have for my Security Six. 1.5"-2" groups at 25 yards. I use a 9mm Lee Factory Crimp die for a heavy taper crimp since there is no real shoulder for a roll crimp. No leading at all.

 

[floydster]

I use Lee 120 gr. TC powder coated, sized to .357 for my 38 Spls. very accurate in my GP100, Sec.Six, Speed Six and my Blackhawk, all these revolvers are .357 Mag.