Has there ever been a "wadcutter only" revolver?

[tbob38]

A little off the subject but I'd like to know what you folks think about using "Trail Boss" powder in .38 Special cases with 148 grain wadcutter bullets for Bullseye shooting. I'm wondering if the powder is too "bulky" for the .38 Special case (in terms of getting enough powder into the case to generate sufficient velocity).

The 38 Special has a pretty big case, was originally black powder, I believe.

 

[mcb]

Well, Hodgdon lists data for Trail Boss under HBWC in 38 special...

Yeah Trail Boss was created for 45 Colt and 38 Special for light Cowboy action loads. I really like the powder. Been using it for my 38 Special IDPA ammunition.

 

[Plastikosmd]

I have one of Fred’s guns, 38wc only. Maybe my favorite revolver

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend has a Schmidt short cylinder PPC gun. Problem is, it is pretty well worn out after 150,000 wadcutters, Mr Schmidt is deceased and nobody else works on the type to overhaul it. He is getting by with his Strahan gun which he was able to get overhauled.

 

[HighRoadRover]

Great thread. I never thought about a .38 Special revolver built just for wadcutters.

The .38 Special 148 grain wadcutter can be a pleasant round to shoot, and accurate. I've loaded Speer 148 grain wadcutters with good success, using 2.2 grains of Trail Boss. They are .358 in diameter rather than .357 inches, and are made of soft lead with some dry lubricant on them. I take the point that optimizing a revolver for their use only wouldn't be practical for competition today, but I can tell you they make a mighty fine round for practicing with the lighter J frame revolvers.

Hodgdon data: Trail Boss 1.160" COL Start 2.0 grains gives 625 fps at 15,100 PSI Max 2.3 grains gives 675 fps at 15,700 PSI.

Source: http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

 

[brewer12345]

Great thread. I never thought about a .38 Special revolver built just for wadcutters.

The .38 Special 148 grain wadcutter can be a pleasant round to shoot, and accurate. I've loaded Speer 148 grain wadcutters with good success, using 2.2 grains of Trail Boss. They are .358 in diameter rather than .357 inches, and are made of soft lead with some dry lubricant on them. I take the point that optimizing a revolver for their use only wouldn't be practical for competition today, but I can tell you they make a mighty fine round for practicing with the lighter J frame revolvers.

Hodgdon data: Trail Boss 1.160" COL Start 2.0 grains gives 625 fps at 15,100 PSI Max 2.3 grains gives 675 fps at 15,700 PSI.

Source: http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

I recently tried out a variety of loads for a lightweight 38 snub using 148 grain Hornady HBWCs and I also found 2.2 grains of Trail Boss to be really excellent. That will be my go to load for this bullet from now on.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I thought you could ream a 38/200 victory model smith and Wesson into being a 38 special wad cutter only. Didn’t Tinker do this?

 

[mcb]

I thought you could ream a 38/200 victory model smith and Wesson into being a 38 special wad cutter only. Didn’t Tinker do this?

Accuracy would probably not be there unless you going to use .361 diameter wad cutters. The 38/200 and 38 S&W are nominally .361 diameter bullets where 38 Special is nominally .357.

 

[DWFan]

A wadcutter only revolver is fairly easy to build although it won't be a .38 Special. For a .357 caliber, simply thru-bore the cylinder and use .357 Maximum brass. Recess the forcing cone a bit so the bullet gets up to speed before hitting the rifling and you're done. For a .40 caliber, you can use resized .30-30 brass. For a .44 caliber, use .445 SuperMag brass. For a .45 caliber, use .460 S&W Magnum brass.
You won't be able to use regular ammo with such a setup though.

 

[Plastikosmd]

My 2 favorite wc only

 

[Blkhrt13]

Accuracy would probably not be there unless you going to use .361 diameter wad cutters. The 38/200 and 38 S&W are nominally .361 diameter bullets where 38 Special is nominally .357.

With mostly soft lead bullets and a hollow base don’t you think it would match out to the bore. We are only talking .004

 

[natman]

With mostly soft lead bullets and a hollow base don’t you think it would match out to the bore. We are only talking .004

The larger problem with converting a 38/200 (38 S&W) revolver to 38 Special is that the 38/200 is larger at the base and 38 Special cases will balloon out if fired in a converted cylinder. Not worth the trouble.

 

[Blkhrt13]

The larger problem with converting a 38/200 (38 S&W) revolver to 38 Special is that the 38/200 is larger at the base and 38 Special cases will balloon out if fired in a converted cylinder. Not worth the trouble.

Never did the math. I have a 38/200 Revolver but it was my grandfathers and I wouldn’t mess with it.

 

[Jim Watson]

It's not what you do you YOUR .38/200, it is what exporters did to thousands of BSRs to get them to sell on the Colonial surplus market for $29.95. $39.95 if sawn off to a "snubnose" (with loss of barrel latch lug) and nickel plated.