Dirty Tar Like 38SP loads

[fourdollarbill]

I have a fantastic 38sp recipe to share but the dirt and tar like gunk that came off the gun after 100 rounds got all over my note pad and I can't read it.

Really, I'm looking for a cleaner recipe. I had just tried AA#5, CCI 500, with a copper plated 125 gr. I tried light and medium loads. I think they shot okay but after 100 rounds the range looked like the inside of a coal tipple and I could not find the target.

I guess I can get a heavier bullet and use an old recipe but my wife won't practice as much and she has one of the most dangerous jobs in the world (mall shopping) and must carry.

Hodgdon worked well before but I want to try something new.

 

[bullseye308]

Try about 4.0-4.2gr of Bullseye. That should clean it up.

 

[243winxb]

+1 for Bullseye for light to midrange loads.

 

[Walkalong]

Red Dot, 700X, American Select, Clays. All of those will burn clean at low pressure .38 loads. Bullseye, of course, is the reigning accuracy champ.

AA #5 works fine in .38 Spl, but not at real light levels. Use a 158 gr plated or jacketed bullet and use 85 to 90% or better of load data, and it will burn clean as well.

 

[fourdollarbill]

Thank you Walkalong, I was hoping to put the rest of the AA#5 to good use instead of disposing.

 

[The Bushmaster]

W-231 W-231. Walkalong...Repeat after me. W-231.

Fourdollarbill...Use up the rest of your AA #5 by loading near maximum loadings. When you have finished off the last of it, buy a pound of W-231 and start over. I doubt you will regret it. Not only will it burn clean at low pressures, but it will even work at the higher ranges and is a very accurate and versitile powder...

Every time I mess with Accurate Arms powders I have been dissatisfied with it's preformance. Especially AA #5. I'm now trying to burn up the last of some AA #7 that I ran some experiments with on .45 ACP. It kept fouling the chamber on the pistol and causing "failure to go to battery".

 

[jfh]

As The Bushmaster and Walkalong have said, AA#5 works best--cleanest--at near-max to max loads in 38 Special.

Unlike The Bushmaster, I still like AA#5, when loaded at the higher levels. We'll have to see what next year brings.

231 is a good powder for light-medium loads; particularly so in 38 Sp and in .45ACP, IMO--

Jim H.

 

[The Bushmaster]

W-231 works good in 9mm X 19 and short (2" -3") barreled .357 magnum. Not worth a darn in the longer barreled .357 magnums.

jfh...I had two problems with AA #5. One was that it would foul the ejector star on my .38 Specials (Mod 10s) enough that the star would not return completely after extraction. And it was very temperature sensitive. In that after a rise in temperature of 30* ambiant (from 60* in the morning to 90* in the afternoon) and the hotter my Cylinder on my Ruger .357 Magnum got the more I experienced sticky extraction and cratered primers...Accuracy remained very good though.

 

[fourdollarbill]

This info is better than the load books I bought. Thank you.

 

[Galil5.56]

IMO and experience, AA#5 is waaaaay too slow for the combo you are using. I read some folks that compare AA#5 to Unique, but for me AA#5 is much slower, and even WW231/HP38 I don't particularly like with cast/plated in the 125 grain weight, but do with 148 W/C's and 158 LSWC's.

So far in general familiarity shooting with 125 LRN bullets, I like Clays, Red Dot, and Bullseye. Next to try is 700x and Solo 1000. Shown are loads made up for actual chrono/accuracy testing of 4.1 grains Red Dot and 3.5 grains of Clays with my dual purpose (9mm/.38 Spc) Lee 125 RN bullet.

View attachment 89344

 

[243winxb]

copper plated 125 gr.

Could some of the dirty/tar be coming from a bullet that has broken or come apart, exposing pure lead to the barrel??


Copper Plated Bullet Limits
Quote:
What are the platted bullets limits?

Quote:
How do I load Berry's Preferred Plated Bullets?
Plated bullets occupy a position between cast bullets and jacketed bullets. They are soft lead, but have a hard outer shell on them. When loading plated bullets we have found best results using low- to mid-range jacketed data in the load manual. You must use data for a bullet that has the same weight and profile as the one you are loading. Do not exceed mid-range loads. Do not use magnum loads.

Quote:
We, at Rainier Ballistics, recommend using lead bullet load data when loading our bullets. There is no need for adjustment when using lead bullet load data. Our bullets are jacketed using an electroplating process and are softer than traditionally jacketed bullets; hence the recommendation to use lead bullet load data. If you only have access to traditionally jacketed load data, we recommend reducing maximum charge by 10%. A roll or taper crimp may be used with our bullets; do not over crimp

Info is from Berry's and Rainier websites

 

[Walkalong]

Plated bullets are not coming apart at .38 Spl pressures/velocities unless they have been damaged seating or horribly over crimped. I shoot plenty of them in .38 Spl and downloaded .357.

 

[fourdollarbill]

I did read Rainiers statement before loading. Also I shot a few into the dirt so I could see if my crimp was too tight and cutting the coating. My crimp is very light as I try to keep the brass for as long as I can . I'm pretty certain the bullet did not come apart. I'm going to try a new recipe. Also the barrel is cleaner than the cylinder and inner frame. The AA5 apparently is no good for light to medium loads anyway.

 

[243winxb]

unless they have been damaged seating or horribly over crimped.

Very true

 

[jfh]

The Bushmaster: I generally concur with your observations about #5, save for having yet found the temperature extremes issue (and that's because I have not shot it in temp swings beyond about 30F).

For the proverbial short-barrel revolver GDSB / and 38+P / CIP 'FBI loads', however, it does run cleaner, and it seems to work well with the 158-gr LSWC-HP Speers.

Nonetheless, I suspect True Blue is a preferred powder.

More after the analyses re-commence, shortly after the Holidays.

Jim H.

 

[Galil5.56]

My current Speer 158gr LSWC HP .38 Special loads are shot from a 3" barrel Model 60, using a Hodgdon +P rated charge weight of HS-6 (very similar performance to Silhouette) running a measured 825 fps. Next batch is going to be with Unique driven to an easy 870 fps, or better yet Power Pistol. PP drives these Speers to a measured 924 fps avg at sub max +P charges as listed in the newest Alliant manual. I did not notice an undue amount of flash, but they are plenty stout, accurate and pretty clean.