gauging wear on 38 spl brass

[thanatopsis]

During my last trip to the range I noticed some of my 38 spl reloads were not sitting all the way in the cylinder. They were a sitting a hair or two further out of the cylinder than they should and made it so the action would start to drag and bindup a little. This is the first time this has happend and im wondering if this is an issue of separation of the brass or if i am doing something else wrong in my reloading techniques.

 

[squarles67]

Hard to say without more info but if you're roll crimping you may be getting a little too much. What bullet? What kind of action?

I don't throw 38 spl brass away until the neck splits

 

[beatledog7]

The cases might be either a bit too long or a bit too large in diameter near the mouth to fully go into battery. Have you measured their dimensions to see if they are actually in spec?

Are they loaded with slightly oversized lead bullets? That can cause diameter issues if your cylinder is tight.

A third possibility is that you have slightly split case mouths or case bodies (both of which are sometimes not immediately obvious), again causing the diameter to be slightly too big.

It could also be primers that are not fully seated.

I suggest you measure the offending rounds and compare to rounds that do chamber and to the SAMMI spec. Also, inspect your cases to see if they have in fact split and your primers for full seating, just below flush.

DO NOT attempt to reseat primers in loaded rounds.

 

[thanatopsis]

Im using a lee 3 die set so it does the seat and crimp in one go.

I'm using a S&W model 10 in double action, if i pull the hammer back just enough to rotate the cylinder once or twice it gets smother but is still sticky.

im using 3.8 grain of win 231, with small magnum primers with a 125 grain plated bullets if that help you any.

 

[Walkalong]

Cylinders getting cruddy? That is a real light load.

 

[floydster]

Like beatledog7 sugggested, check for a high primer, it doesn't take much.
The cyl. would REALLY have to be cruddy for the round to not seat fully in the cyl., but it could be a possibilty.
Wnenever I encountered this prob, it has always been a slightly high primer, and I shoot a ton of 38spl. and .357 mag.
Smokeyloads

 

[MGRAY]

I had problems with high primers on my Winchester once fired. Needed to clean the pockets before prime, but that was not a problem after they had been reloaded a few times.

 

[thanatopsis]

Thanks for the tips guys and I am probably just going to budget in more time in my case prep time to clean primer pockets post ultrasonic cleaning, because I know the gun was relatively clean as I had just spent 10 minutes cleaning it before heading out to the range.

 

[Walkalong]

some of my 38 spl reloads were not sitting all the way in the cylinder. They were a sitting a hair or two further out of the cylinder than they should

Primers don't cause this.

Bulged brass does. Dirty cylinders do. A bulged crimp might, dunno.

 

[JohnM]

Do your rounds drop into your cylinder with a click, all the way to the rim?
If they don't it sounds like you might have your seat/crimp die set too tight and you're swelling the case when you crimp.
Or really dirty cylinders.

 

[jim8115]

what is the OAL?

 

[BP44]

With that light of a load I'm guessing it runs a little dirty, I would think if you ruled out the other folks ideas you might have residue under the star that's causing the issue.

 

[thanatopsis]

I seated some bullets and the initial drop in produced the problem but then taking them out and putting them back in it could not be replicated, I know more wrinkles to the problem.

and the oal is very consistent at 1.53 inch with a variation of .004 inches

 

[JohnM]

I like to seat and then crimp in a second step, but anyway; I had a Lee die set that didn't resize 39SPL enough.
You ought to mike a factory load and then one of yours.
You're using .358 bullets?

 

[thanatopsis]

nope I am suing .357 size bullets from Berrys http://berrysmfg.com/product-i14484-c13-g8-b0-p0-.38_Cal_125gr_FP.aspx


when I bought my die set the 4 die deluxe lee set was sold out but the regular 3 die set was available so that's what i got.

 

[jcwit]

Have you measured any of the bullets for diameter?

 

[thanatopsis]

although its a bit perilous for me to make assumption on a topic i came on here asking for help after doing the major measurements between the rounds that i have loaded that sit right and those that do not is with in .001 inches of each other so my only guess on whats wring is that there is a slight bulged or slightly an oval at some point.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I'm thinking a dirty chamber, or a little bit of crud under the extractor star.

Sounds almost classic. They won't "drop in", but will seat all the way if you "nudge them in" with your thumb.

 

[FROGO207]

I have some 38 SPL brass that is so worn that you can't read the headstamp on it anymore. Also some plated that the plating is worn off so much the only place it is left is in the headstamp itself. So the stuff still sizes and drops in with a plunk when loaded and this particular batch has been loaded more than 1000 times I would estimate. I will have trouble inserting them sometimes and a 45 caliber brass brush twisted around a couple times in each cylinder will solve the problem for the rest of that range trip. 300 rounds +/- expended usually.

 

[mdi]

You can't tell what to do without knowing what is out of spec. Get a micrometer and measure a sized case. Measure a finished case. Where is it too big?...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm thinking a dirty chamber, or a little bit of crud under the extractor star.

Sounds almost classic. They won't "drop in", but will seat all the way if you "nudge them in" with your thumb.

Those were my thoughts too while reading this thread. That is the most likely culprit.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Some people never trim their brass.
Some people have problems, then wonder why.

Case preparation is everything.

 

[cfullgraf]

Back in the early eighties when I got started in reloading, I started resizing 357 Mag/38 Spl cases with a steel die. Carbide dies became reasonably priced so I got one. The carbide die would not size the cases as close to the rim as the steel die so over time, 357 Magnum cases would develop a small bulge at the base of the case that would prevent chambering.

Running the cases through the steel die would remove the bulge.

I never had issues with 38 Special cases, but I generally would load light target loads in them. The 357 magnum cases got the hot stuff.

I have not loaded hot 357 Magnum ammunition in a long time so I do not know if my current dies still do the same thing. The dies were replaced when I got a progressive. I have only loaded 38 Special recently.

Anyway, something for the OP to look at. It may not be his problem.

 

[243winxb]

Bulged brass in the web area. My RCBS carbide die is not set to size all the way, so i get some drag on chambering. Or a bulged crimp, like Walkalong has said.

 

[JohnM]

The OP said he was using the Lee set, which is carbide, I don't think they make a steel set any more.
I have the same set, it leaves a slightly over sized case at the base. Usable but with tight chambers in a cylinder, tough to get the rounds seated in all the way.
I went back to using an older RCBS steel set, big difference in how the cases are resized. Some people don't like them because they require lubing, but that doesn't bother me.