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OP
armoredman
Member
LAGS, are those British Bulldogs available in 38SW and of good enough manufacture to fire with black powder handloads? I just think that is a nifty little pocket revolver.
Here's an odd one for the history buffs
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LAGS
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@ Armoredman
The loads I was shooting the other day were loaded with resized 9mm lead bullets with 1.8 gr of Bullseye.
But in the box was also loads that had 8.0 gr of fffg black powder.
I like the Black powder, but it is really dirty when you shoot it.
Forehand and Wadsworth did make the Bulldog for a while before the turn of the century in the .38 S&W as well as Webley and a couple others.
Sure looks like something Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson would carry ?
The loads I was shooting the other day were loaded with resized 9mm lead bullets with 1.8 gr of Bullseye.
But in the box was also loads that had 8.0 gr of fffg black powder.
I like the Black powder, but it is really dirty when you shoot it.
Forehand and Wadsworth did make the Bulldog for a while before the turn of the century in the .38 S&W as well as Webley and a couple others.
Sure looks like something Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson would carry ?
Ash
Member
There's always something new to discover from the early days of centerfire arms.
OP
OP
armoredman
Member
LAGS said:
Indubitably, my dear LAGS, indubitably.
LAGS
Member
@ Jaymo
The Mak .366 bullets are larger than Most 38 S&W bores.
The .358 bullets work just fine and you have a better selection.
Now , if you have a gun with a really worn bore, they might work better.
But I have found that if the bore is past .360, the barrel is usually really pitted, and you don't want to shoot a real tight bullet.
A Webly , Enfield or S&W Victory in good condition are the only ones I would shoot above Minimum loads in.
And these are not target revolvers, but accuracy can be quite good.
But that bullet would work in the old British .380 revolver caliber.
And that is not the same as the .380/200 or 38 S&W
The Mak .366 bullets are larger than Most 38 S&W bores.
The .358 bullets work just fine and you have a better selection.
Now , if you have a gun with a really worn bore, they might work better.
But I have found that if the bore is past .360, the barrel is usually really pitted, and you don't want to shoot a real tight bullet.
A Webly , Enfield or S&W Victory in good condition are the only ones I would shoot above Minimum loads in.
And these are not target revolvers, but accuracy can be quite good.
But that bullet would work in the old British .380 revolver caliber.
And that is not the same as the .380/200 or 38 S&W
Twmaster
Member
Not to nit-pick but I've found 358 pills to not work that well in .360" bores. (OK, at least not in my S&W 33's bore) If I could get a sizer in .360 I'd resize Makarov pills to work (I've got thousands of them...)
LAGS
Member
@ TWmaster
I am suprised that your M-33 is a .360 bore.
But you are correct that downsizing the .366 to .361 is your best option.
That model is a nice gun, and will even handle Jacketed Bullets where most of my .38 S&W's will not.
But my Victory does great with 158JHPs
For resizing my .355- 9mm bullets to .340, I just drilled a .340 hole in a peice of 1" plate steel and polished it a bit with a little starting champher on one side.
I pound the bullets thru with a wood dowel, and the come out just fine.
I had to do something, since they dont make the Lee Lube Sizer in .340, nor would I want to spend the money on a gun I seldom shoot.
I am suprised that your M-33 is a .360 bore.
But you are correct that downsizing the .366 to .361 is your best option.
That model is a nice gun, and will even handle Jacketed Bullets where most of my .38 S&W's will not.
But my Victory does great with 158JHPs
For resizing my .355- 9mm bullets to .340, I just drilled a .340 hole in a peice of 1" plate steel and polished it a bit with a little starting champher on one side.
I pound the bullets thru with a wood dowel, and the come out just fine.
I had to do something, since they dont make the Lee Lube Sizer in .340, nor would I want to spend the money on a gun I seldom shoot.
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Salmoneye
Member
I load 158gr TC sized to .358" over 2gr of Red Dot for my Albion Motors Enfield No2 Mk1**
Amazingly accurate...Factory ammo (Win & Rem) comes nowhere near...
Amazingly accurate...Factory ammo (Win & Rem) comes nowhere near...
Back to the .34 caliber.
FWIW, White & Munhall show two .34 caliber cartridges. They are the .340 Long with a .335" bullet (no other dimensions were available) and the .340 Revolver, with a bullet diameter of .337" to .342". But the case diameter is way too small for .38 S&W, being only .340"-.344" at the head.
I wonder if someone in the past could not get ammo and decided to ream the chambers to take .38 S&W, not knowing or caring about the barrel dimensions. The .38 S&W might actually work if it would fit and the gun would stand up to the pressure spike from swaging the bullet down to .340.
Jim
FWIW, White & Munhall show two .34 caliber cartridges. They are the .340 Long with a .335" bullet (no other dimensions were available) and the .340 Revolver, with a bullet diameter of .337" to .342". But the case diameter is way too small for .38 S&W, being only .340"-.344" at the head.
I wonder if someone in the past could not get ammo and decided to ream the chambers to take .38 S&W, not knowing or caring about the barrel dimensions. The .38 S&W might actually work if it would fit and the gun would stand up to the pressure spike from swaging the bullet down to .340.
Jim
See here for some info on F&C.
http://www.littlegun.be/arme belge/artisans identifies e f/a fagnus and clement gb.htm
Jim
http://www.littlegun.be/arme belge/artisans identifies e f/a fagnus and clement gb.htm
Jim
LAGS
Member
@ Jim K
I would rather keep Pre sizing my bullets and not try to fire a .358 bullet thru this gun.
I don't think I would like being called " Leftie "
I would rather keep Pre sizing my bullets and not try to fire a .358 bullet thru this gun.
I don't think I would like being called " Leftie "
Ash
Member
Besides, it's not like you'll be shooting it very often anyway.
Salmoneye
Member
In no way was my last post suggesting that the owner of this fine little gun fire a .358" bullet through it...
I agree that for the limited firing the OP sounds like he is planning, that he continue to size his boolits accordingly...
I agree that for the limited firing the OP sounds like he is planning, that he continue to size his boolits accordingly...
LAGS
Member
I love working on these old guns.
Not because they are a peice of history or going to be valuable at any point.
But to me they are a challange to get them working again, and to many way more time and effort then what they are worth.
But the skills I have built over the years, making the small parts, and actually getting the parts to work, even Reasomably well is a great sense of satisfaction.
The Skills I have learned, and improved, has allowed me to do work on many other guns that are of much better quality, and I am assured that I know how to fix them, and not screw them up.
I dont have a fancy machine shop, but I am practicing what I can do with my own two hands.
The ones that I can not get working in their original configuration, provide me with the materials to make a whole new gun and try different options and designs.
If I screw them up, what have I lost, they were Junk to start with.
Not because they are a peice of history or going to be valuable at any point.
But to me they are a challange to get them working again, and to many way more time and effort then what they are worth.
But the skills I have built over the years, making the small parts, and actually getting the parts to work, even Reasomably well is a great sense of satisfaction.
The Skills I have learned, and improved, has allowed me to do work on many other guns that are of much better quality, and I am assured that I know how to fix them, and not screw them up.
I dont have a fancy machine shop, but I am practicing what I can do with my own two hands.
The ones that I can not get working in their original configuration, provide me with the materials to make a whole new gun and try different options and designs.
If I screw them up, what have I lost, they were Junk to start with.
OP
OP
armoredman
Member
He does impressive work. I know that first hand.
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