links, please: .38 / .357 data for 2" barrels--

[jfh]

I'm about to start building some practice SD loads for my S&W 340 (Scandium, DAO, 1&7/8") and my 640 (SS, 2&1/8").

I'm an experienced gunner and an experienced reloader (but not in .38 / .357, mostly 10mm and .45ACP)--and I'm getting geared back up for another CCW.

So far, googling and searches haven't helped me located data for 2" barrels--anyone have any?

Jim H.

 

[The Bushmaster]

I use a S&W Mod 19 Combat Magnum with a 2 1/2" barrel for winter carry and have tried several different powders trying to reach at least 1100 fps and have found that W-231 and a 125 grain Remington SJHP will get 1120 fps average

I found that for my S&W that a maximum load of 8.0 to 8.1 grains was causing the fired cases to stick in the chambers. By dropping to 7.6 to 7.8 grains of W-231 I was OK and still had over 1100 fps.

As far as .38 Specials are concerned. I have 3 Mod 10s two with 4" barrels and one with 2" barrel. I still enjoy good preformance using W-231 and a 125 grain and 140 grain SJHP by Remington.

 

[CZ57]

One of the best powders around for this application is AA#7. You can get as much velocity as you're likely to want (more than you're likely to want from the 340 Sc) and it's slower burn rate and lower pressure for velocity produced will help you avoid sticky extraction. Low flash is another worthwhile aspect of #7. A load I use is the 11.0 grain start charge of AA#7 and the Remington 140 gr. SJHP. The slightly heavier weight will provide better penetration than a 125 for the type of velocity you'll get from a 2" barrel. You can adjust the charge as needed to produce a similar level of recoil produced by your factory carry load, or use a 125 if you prefer them.

http://www.accuratepowder.com/data/...738Cal(9.2mm)/357 Magnum pages 100 to 102.pdf

 

[jfh]

still sorting through the chaff,

so to speak. There's obviously lots of load info out there, but either the barrel length is unspecified, or it is from 6"-8" barrels in the bigger frames, of course. I think I'm finding some information over at handloads.com and S&WForums.com may have some as well.

Thanks, The Bushmaster and CZ57.

A little bit more information

I'm returning to 'active' shooting after a few years' absense. My thinking is that since I am going to carry again, with a revolver this time, I want to get good and practiced up. It's also been several years--about a decade--since I reloaded ammunition. I have all the gear, etc., I will need--including 231 and #7, primers, new and used brass galore, etc., etc. I need a new chronograph; batteries went bad in the old one. Any advice here?

For now, I think I'll be carrying Federal "Low Recoil" .38 / 110 gr in the 340, not hotter .357 loads--at least until I get thoroughly acclimated. The idea is to use the 640 for practice and acclimation, but I really don't want to use $1.00 per round loads for lots of practice.

For now, I am not concerned about 'load duplication' for POA or even velocity, but for a close approximation of "feel."

My old reloading really focused on production to feed 1911 .45 ACPs and 10mms; I expect to do the same for these guns. My inclination is to start with 231 for the powder; I'm looking around for bullets now. There are obviously some jacketed bullets in the 110 gr size, but how about cast bullets? Has anyone tried that 105gr Lee mold bullet? Anyone sell it?

As soon as I've gathered some specific load data, I'll have more specific questions to ask.

Finally, FWIW--the 'MaxFire' MK4 speedloader (flexible HD rubber, ring grip to slip over a finger, 'tear away' function) really looks slick to use with J-Frames. Nose the starting cartridge in, push a little further in, pull the loader off. Far and away better than more traditional speedloads, and less fumbling than Bianchi Speed Strips.

Anyone with more links or advice, please chime in.

TIA - Jim H.

 

[Slamfire]

Lots of 38 Special data: Only a few powders though

I have shot thousands upon thousands of 38 Special rounds using 3.5 grains of Bullseye with LSWC, JHP, LRN, LBBFPRN, etc. Point of aim between the bullets type is close enough that I cannot tell a difference between bullets. I truly think that my flinch causes more variation in impact than bullet configuration. Velocities are so similar it would take a statistical analysis, (perhaps Students T test?) to see if there is a velocity difference between a LSWC and a LRN of the same alloy.

I have shot that load in many revolvers, some I still own, some I do not. I have shot that load in 38 Snubbies, four inch barreled 38’s, and 357 Revolvers. It shoots very well. I have also tried a couple other powders, with 125 gr Bullets, all of which are below. And there are a few 148 LWC data in the mix along with factory rounds to give a reality check on my loads. This is real world data, not shot from pressure barrels.

The dumped charges are as similar as I can make them, given a Dillion progressive, there are variations due to which primers I used. Primer use is based on who was making the cheapest primer at the time of loading. Winchester has been the consistently low cost primer maker for a while, most loads are WSP.

I have never found a need to use the same case, so I am using brass that has been fired God Knows how many times and a rainbow of headstamps. All of which shoot fine.

I have shot other powders and other loads, but Bullseye is so constantly accurate and shoots to Point of Aim in the fixed sight revolvers, that I have standardized on that load and powder and see no reason to chase the “Powder de jour” . It also is close to the non +P factory ammunition I have shot in terms of velocity. So I consider this load equivalent to factory ammunition.



Colt Detective Special mfgr 1963

158 gr LRN 3.5 grs Bullseye thrown, CCI primers mixed cases 24-Jul-99 T = 100 F !

Average 751 fps
Standard Deviation 32 fps
Extreme Spread 90 fps
High 805
Low 715
Recorded shots 22

158 LRN 3.5 grs Bullseye WSP Mixed cases 8-Jan-06 T = 52 F
Ave Vel = 675.9
Std Dev = 18.6
ES 96.18
High 723.9
Low 627.7
N = 50

158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye WSP Mixed cases 8-Jan-06 T = 58 F
Ave Vel = 706.8
Std Dev = 15.55
ES 65.87
High 742.9
Low 677
N = 50


Colt Detective Special mfgr 1974

158gr LSWC 3.3 grs Bullseye CCI 500 primers, Dillon Loads 17-Oct-93 T = 65-70F
Ave Vel =682 fps
Std Dev =33
ES 96
High 733
Low 637
N = 6


Colt Cobra 2" barrel

158 gr LRN 3.5 grs Bullseye thrown, Fed 100 primers mixed cases
30-Jan-05 T = 42 F
Average 696.6
Std Dev 20.49
Extreme Spread 72.93
High 745.5
Low 672.6
13 recorded shots
shoots point of aim when properly held, otherwise goes left


S&W M637-2 2" barrel

125 Valiant BBRNFP 4.0 grs Bullseye Mixed cases WSP 9-Apr-06 T = 59 F
Ave Vel =760.4
Std Dev =27.33
ES 82.1
High 798.9
Low 716.8
N = 19
More or less Point of aim Surprising recoil

125 Valiant BBRNFP 4.5 grs Bullseye Mixed cases WSP 9-Apr-06 T = 64 F
Ave Vel = 842.7
Std Dev = 23.53
ES 69.47
High 881
Low 812
N = 22
Maybe a little low Windage centered


Taurus M85 B2UL 2" Barrel

158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye thrown, Mixed Brass WSP 11-Dec-04 T = 54 F
Ave Vel = 686.3 677.4
Std Dev = 13.63 14.07 shot little high
ES 58.48 78.41 and centered
High 718.8 725.7
Low 660.3 647.3
N = 30 64

158 LRN Master Factory Ammo 30-Dec-04 T = 56 F
Ave Vel =698.2
Std Dev =20.56
ES 105.8
High 753.5
Low 647.6
N = 50
shot 6" highcentered,until barrel leaded
158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye Mixed brass Fed 100 30-Dec-04 T = 56 F
Ave Vel =706.2
Std Dev =23.45
ES 81.94
High 748
Low 666.1
N = 48


S&W M638-3 Airweight Bodyguard

148 LWC Valiant 2.7 grs Bullseye thrown Mixed Brass WSP
18-Mar-07 T = 52 °F
Ave Vel = 611.6
Std Dev = 22.04
ES 75.92
High 648.1
Low 572.2
N = 25
little high

158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye Mixed brass WSP
18-Mar-07 T = 52 °F
Ave Vel = 611.1
Std Dev = 9.64
ES 28.05
High 626.3
Low 598.3
N = 32
4-6" High accurate


S&W M637-2 2" barrel

158 LRN 3.5 grs Bullseye WSP Mixed cases
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F
Ave Vel = 679
Std Dev = 16.48
ES 56.11
High 698.2
Low 642
N = 18

125 Valiant BBRNFP 4.0 grs Bullseye Lot BE 532 Mixed cases CCI 500
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F
Ave Vel = 763.9
Std Dev = 22
ES 78
High 806.5
Low 728.5
N = 15
Point aim OK

125 Valiant BBRNFP 4.5 grs Green Dot Lot 178 Mixed cases CCI 500
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F

Ave Vel = 813.2
Std Dev = 44.55
ES 176.5
High 903.3
Low 726.8
N = 24
poor accuracy @ 25 yds, v. accurate at 7 yards, POI, little leading

125 Valiant BBRNFP 5.0 grs Green Dot Lot 178 Mixed cases CCI 500
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F

Ave Vel = 867.3
Std Dev = 57.54
ES 178.1
High 966
Low 787.8
N = 21
Poor 25 yard accuracy, v.accurate at 7 yds, 1-2" above POI, more leading

125 JHP (W/W) 4.5 grs Green Dot Lot 178 Mixed cases CCI 500
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F

Ave Vel = 760.4
Std Dev = 68
ES 56
High 205.1
Low 885.4
N = 13
very accurate at 7 yards, POI, little leading

125 JHP (W/W) 5.0 grs Green Dot Lot 178 Mixed cases CCI 500
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F

Ave Vel = 808.9
Std Dev = 56.82
ES 95.46
High 914.2
Low 712.8
N = 20
25 yds accuracy OK, accurate POI @ 7 yds

 

[CZ57]

jfh: that's great! You can load with both powders and see how it works out for you. I think you'll find that with #7 you can get as much velocity from a 2" barrel as what you'll get from a factory 125 gr. load, and with much lower muzzleblast. The start loads for 125 & 140 gr. JHPs may be all you need. I've used a lot of powders with a similar burn rate, +/- a little, to investigate this. V-V 3N37 is a favorite also, but #7 will be very similar and cost you much less. And, you already have it!

 

[jfh]

more updating, and a few dumb questions for now.

On the gun side of things: The CT grips for the 340 arrived yesterday, and I promptly installed them. Clearly, lasers are THE way to go for SD carry guns, especially for someone like me, oriented to methodical aiming for target shooting and low-level club competition.

As I unpacked more of the reloading gear, I found I have an EXCELLENT powder selection--all of which is ten to fifteen years old. However, all was kept factory sealed, etc., etc. Relevant powders include Bullseye, #5, #7, 231 (about 4-6 lbs), and some others....

The presses--Lee turrets, Pro1000s, and an early Load Master, are all there and will disassembled and cleaned and tuned up.

I've located all relevant dies, even found the caliper. Haven't found the case gauges yet, but those are not too costly to order.

I haven't found the manuals yet--but I probably want to get at least one or two current ones. I've read enough now to know that newer manuals (my other ones are from the late Eighties and early Nineties) may well have been built off better pressure readings, but also suffer from CYA syndrome because of our litigatious climate.

Since I am not looking for firewall loads, and know good load building techniques, is there any reason to not use the old powder with the old manuals?

It should be mentioned that all this stuff has been stored in conditioned space--e.g., a dry and heated basement.


On to the questions for now--

1. Any GOOD reason to not use those old powders? What's a test to tell, etc., etc.

2. Primers I assume are no issue; I have WSP and WLP coming out of my ears.

3. I have various fired .38 and .357 (haven't inventoried that yet) plus new Starline. Do I need to worry about .38+P brass markings here as I work up to warmer loads?

4. For cast bullets, I am looking at Penn Bullets and at Beanie's. Penn I know, and they have an excellent current rep. Does anyone know anything about Beanie's--it appears he's been around quite a while, but suffers from low rankings in google, etc. Much cheaper than Penn--and since I will be working on lower loads to being with, I assume that even if his are not as hard, they would be OK to at least try?

5. On a older beam scale, should I worry about the balance edge corroding and throwing off measurements?

Any other flags or observations for now?

In closing, I will mention that I hope no one else will ever have to move from 7000 sq ft with two custom shops to 1700 space with one multi-purpose shop...

Jim H.

 

[CZ57]

I'll mention that mine is a 3" Ruger SP-101. In the conditions you describe, that powder should be fine. Test with start charges. Just my own opinion, but I feel that my personal tolerance to recoil is pretty high. I won't be testing it any time soon with anything I can't sit down and produce pretty good groups from a bench with. Then, I want to come as close as possible to achieving the same level of accuracy, handheld, and using a DA trigger in the way it was meant to be used. The way that is necessary if you're going to actually carry a short barreled magnum. The lower charge weight range of #7 in .357 Magnum will get me to a level of recoil that is within my personal threshold for a comfortable defense load with the 3" SP-101, and terminal velocity is high enough. This is why I mentioned the 140 gr. Rem. SJHP. Because velocity will be a good bit lower than it will be from a 4" revolver, that extra 15 grains of weight will transfer into penetration. If you can put them where they need to go, there won't be much of anything else to worry about.

I don't have any experience with the brands of cast bullets you mentioned, but so long as they're sized .358" and alloy is above 15 BHN, I'd feel pretty good about them.

The primers, I'd use them to test the powders that have been stored for the same duration. Not for any load that might be called upon in a SHTF situation.

The .38 Sp. brass should be fine and as most here can tell you, there isn't much, if any difference in .38 Sp. or .38 Sp. +P, other than the headstamp, so long as the original load was not a target round with a soft swaged wadcutter. Many feel that length is the only difference between .38 Sp. and .357 Magnum brass. In my experience, this may be correct as far as the casehead, but, the casewall of .38 Sp. brass is thinner as it nears the casemouth.

If your scale has been properly stored, I don't see a problem, but check weights would be a very good way to verify that. In absence of checkweights, use another scale to check the same chargeweights for comparison.

 

[jfh]

I got the basic order done tonight, from Midway. Am getting some JHP and SJHP bullets in 110, 125, and 140 gr. weights, and will order some Meister cast bullets tomorrow.

FWIW, I checked the Starline page and found that the .38 Special and .38+P brass is the same, except for the headstamp. So, I didn't order any brass--I have at least 1K of the Starline .38 Special headstamp that is NIB.

I even figured out why I was having a hard time finding a "no-go" cartridge gauge in .38 special, and I've quit worrying about that.

Now I just need to see how much .357 brass I have, and then go to work on the presses, I guess.

Thanks again, CZ57.

Jim H.

 

[Slamfire]

Old powder is just fine, even old 60's vintage primers, as long as they go bang. If the powder does not smell acrid, it is good.

Just this weekend I was shooting, in my 38 Special Airweight, estate sale Green Dot. I have no idea how old it is as the can and lot numbers predate the 80's. I think it is 70's powder, but it could be late 60's. Shot fine. Same situation with a can of Bullseye I got from the estate, loaded it up and it shot the same velocity as my other Bullseye lots.

I have used up Hercules powders that were in steel cans, stuff shot great.

You know a funny, I ran across a reference were Naval gun powder was stored under water. Slowed or prevented detoration.

 

[jfh]

best 2" barrel data I've found so far

comes out of Speer.

About 2002-2003, they apparently did some .38 / .38+P / .357 Magnum load and bullet workups specifically for 2" barrels. As a result, they actually have data files (PDF 1-page) with recommended loads for their Gold Dots--and they even specify some Gold Dots as "SB" / short barrel bullets.

See this link: http://www.speer-bullets.com/default.asp?s1=5&s2=15

It appears these workups will be added to the next edition.

How much of this is marketing, I don't know--but at least I've got some load data to start working on bullets weighing 110, 125, 135, 147, and 158 gr.

I'll build a table as soon as I shake this down some more, then see how they work up. Right now, my impression is that a 135 GDSB-HD bullet (which can be loaded as a firewall load in .357) loaded slower might not be a bad 'max load' for the lightweights.

more later--and if anyone has more 2" data, please add it to this thread.

Jim H.

 

[CZ57]

Couldn't log on yesterday, but you're very welcome, buddy!

 

[tasco 74]

i reload for my wife's 2" colt det spl.... i use 3.2 grs of bullseye under a 150 gr cast bullet..... the bullseye is quick so all burns in the short barreled revolver with no signs of over pressure at all............

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I had an older speer manual that has loads specifically for a snub .38. They got more horsepower from the slower powders, but at a cost of "teriffic muzzle flash". I gave that book to an old friend of mine. That book has to be 30 years old. I believe it was their no. 7. Speer wouldn't publish that data today as those loads were very hot. Having said that I have shot over a thousand treasury loads and the 147+P+ hydrashock from my vintage 640 with no ill effects whatsoever. Just don't shoot them from an airweight as you're gonna stretch the frame.

 

[jfh]

thanks for the resources and comments, guys--

I'm getting real close to loading--e.g., the bench is nearly ready to run.

I just bolted down one press tonight--Pro 1000, which I will revert to a turret setup until I make sure I have the hang of procedures again. I ended up ordering a new scale (Lee) and a cheap electronic scale, too. That stuff, and a few other goodies, are on their way. I found the reloading manuals and all my old notes as well--but did not find the scale! (Don't ever downsize from 7000 sq. ft. to 1700 sq ft; but that's another story.)

I see Lee has a new primer setup, and possibly a couple of other upgrades to the older gear--has anyone upgraded their older Lee Turrets and Pro 1000? I never was too impressed with the Pro 1000 primer package, but I got mine to work smoothly if I kept the tray and slot scrupulously clean, loaded with primers, and occasionally 'lubricated' with graphite.

The Meister Lead bullets arrived today, too--105 FP, 125 gr RNFP. I think the first loads I'll work up will for for the 105 LFP and the 110 JHP. The second set will be the 125 LFP and the 135 GDJHPSB.

The neat thing is, I found the PACT chronograph and printer. I haven't checked it out yet, but the batteries had NOT leaked.

So, once I get loaded up I will post loads here, results, and, god willing, chrono data as well.

The 640 will go into my gunsmith tomorrow for an action smoothing and possibly a new front sight. I'll take the CCW class next Saturday with the 340, and then switch guns when the 640 is ready. Meanwhile, I have intermittently been practicing reloading with dummy rounds and that speedloaders.com rubber speedloader. Without sticky extraction, my time is currently about six seconds for a full cylinder.

OK, more on the reloading information in a couple of days...it'd be neat if I could do the class with some 110 JHP reloads, rather than $100.00 worth of Federals.

Jim H.

 

[Happyshooter]

For warm loads from the pocket 38 I have been happy with Titegroup powder.

 

[jfh]

test fire, initial loads--

After debugging some press details--getting the aftermarket adjustable charge bar to work in the Autodisk powder measure--and re-doing die setups on the Pro 1000, that press is RTR. I've also set up the Turret Press as well, and got that one tuned up.

I'm still putting together a chart, but I did start the first test loads with Winchester 231--I loaded 5.0 gr. under the Meistner 105 LTC and set the LOA to 1.435, although I could not find a reference for such a load. Calls to both Hodgdon and Winchester yielded verbalized lawyer-speak that in essence said, "If we haven't published it, we won't comment."

However, reasonable extrapolation from various sources, based on 231 data for 110-gr. JHP bullets, does seem to start with a load of 4.6 gr. and go on up to 5.6 gr (max, +P). If you have any suggestions about how to tweak jacketed-bullet data for lead, please post.

I loaded 30 of these rounds and chose 10 of them that met the LOA EXACTLY. Those ten were test fired as two cylinders in the 340--i.e., the lightweight--and the first 4 were fired and the 5th removed to check LOA for bullet creep. There was none. Visual inspection of the rounds by one of my range buddies tonight yielded a comment--"that's a real healthy crimp--" and the knowledge that a crimp on a .38 Special should probably be about .004 less than the brass diameter.

These all fit into the .38 Special Max cartridge gauge with a little difficulty, and fit into the cylinder with no problem. Since I'd not loaded revolver rounds before, I was a bit anxious about that crimp. What I settled on was one that took six sharp raps on a concrete floor to undo with the bullet puller. The crimper, BTW, is that standard Lee seater-crimper that will do taper or roll crimps.

The loads operated fine, with a subjective impression that they were noticably softer that the Federal 110-gr. 38 Special defense load. They were noticably smokier, too. At defensive distances--7 yards, 10 yards--and rapid-fire / laser sighting, they appeared to be accurate and about to the Fed 110 POA. Look for more on accuracy with the chrono strings.

I'll now proceed with some development--5.0 to 5.6 gr--and get the chronometer going as well.

If you have had experience with this bullet or any lead 110-gr bullet in .38 Special, or any 2" barrel- .38/.357 load data, please add to this thread.

Jim H.

 

[joneb]

I have two .38 spl. my M-36 1 7/8" and a Taurus 85 ss 2" both require a slow 140gr or a 158gr to match POA and POI. For my 4" .357 I have had good results with AA#5 and W-231 using 140gr plated and 158gr JHP and small pistol primers.

 

[joneb]

I shot these with my S&W model 36 1 7/8" barrel off the tail gate of the pick up in SA, all targets were shot at 7yrds with 5 rounds.
The upper left are 125gr Accura plated flat points charged with 3.8gr of Bullseye and RP 1 1/2 with a COL of 1.415"
The lower left are 140gr Rainier plated FP with 3.5gr of Bullseye RP 1 1/2 and the COL is 1.430"
The group to the right was shot with Meister 158gr RNFP .357 dia and 4.2gr of IMR Trail Boss WSP the COL was determined by the crimp groove

I thought the 140 grain would have shot a bit higher, but I was pleased that the 125 gr came close to the point of aim.

For me this is what Working Up a Load is all about Sorry I don't have a chronograph.

 

[jfh]

ready to do some more test-firing.

Last Saturday I shot the range part of my MN CC class with the 340. This was basic shooting, with the instructors and rangemasters looking for very basic defensive shooting skills and general safety. So, I shot with 148 LWCs to use up the remainder of some old Black Hills remanufactured loads. I found the laser did fade / get lost in sunlight at ten yards, but basic rapid fire and reloads were no issue--just slow.

I'm picking up the 640 from the gunsmith this Saturday--he says he not only got the action smoothed out but also down to 7 lbs--and dropping off the 340 for its action job. At that time I'm going to do the function tests on both guns mentioned in the following paragraph.

For loading, I have now built up fifty of the 105/5.0 gr. loads for additional shooting (640 function). I have also built up twenty rounds of 125LRNFP with 4.6 gr, and another twenty rounds of 140LRNFPP (plated) with 4.3 grains for the function tests. I'll then load about fifty more of each to shoot in both guns. Sunday afternoon might be the first chrono day, but more likely early next week--our range is almost always quiet on Tues-Wed afternoons if the cops aren't using it.

One last observation--I chased down reloading data from twenty-year's worth of books--and found I could get data for 125 gr bullets--JHPs for sure, and LRNs / LRNFPs usually, for 231. What I was looking for was the CYA issues--i.e., just how much have those max loads been reduced?

The reductions didn't really show up--at least for .38 Special / .38 Special +P. In fact, the healthiest load for (nominal) 125 gr lead and 231 comes from the Lyman Pistol and Revolver / Third--the current one. However, barrel lengths are still all over the map in all resources. I still have to study this some more, but the initial chart shows no strong inverse correlations between age of manual and max loads.

I'm still setting up the data, so I'll hold from listing explicit loads until I have it in an easy-to-read layout.

jibjab, thank you for last post with the results of your bulleye loads.

Jim H.

 

[pinkymingeo]

I have a 360 which, like your 340, isn't made for plinking at squirrels. It's a CCW gun with, let's say, noticeable recoil. Tried a lot of combinations until I found one that I'm happy shooting 50-75 rounds per range session, but still has enough power for self-defense. 5.1 of Titegroup in a 357 case with 125 JSP gives 875fps. I use the JSP because I have a lot of faith in penetration and none in expansion. I only load 357 cases for 357 revolvers. When you roll your own, there's no point in using 38s, and you avoid buildups in the cylinder.

 

[jfh]

I picked up the 640, dropped off the 340

On Saturday from my gunsmith friend. We took time to test-fire the 4.6 gr /125 and the 4.3 gr / 140 gr reloads, but for function only--i.e., creep. They checked out OK, although the crimp on the 140LRNFPP (plated) bullets was still a bit heavy.

The 140s are the Rainier plated, with no cannelure. I checked their site, and they recommend a taper crimp--however, I am continuing to use a roll crimp; any advice?

The 640 now has a very-smooth 10-lb trigger, with a definite 'feel' at takeup--after some dry-firing, I find I can even stage the trigger easily. I also ordered a CT-305 (original / larger grip) to put on the 640. And, the Mika 340 holsters won't fit the 640 tightly, so two more Mikas were ordered for the
the 640--one pocket, one vest.

I'm building up the development loads of the 125 and 140 now--FWIW, those loads will be will be 4.3-4.7 gr of 231 under the 140, and 4.6-5.0 gr. under the 125; both LOAs will be 1.445.

Wednesday afternoon ought to be the day for the range, and maybe even some chrono tests out of the 640 / 2&1/8" barrel.

A pound of Titegroup is on its way, too.

thanks for your comments about POA, pinkymingeo. BTW, I've seen your sig at where, Handloads.com, maybe the S&W forum?

Jim H.

 

[jfh]

I found a resource for loads for 2.5" inch barrels.

I got tempted and signed up for a year's worth of LoadData.com.

This appears to be the current publisher's site for Handloader Magazines load development articles. I went into their database and found numerous .38, .38+P, and .357 articles.

At any rate, one of the older articles is for ammo reloading for ".357 Magnum Snub-gun Loads." The test firearm was a S&W Model 19 with a 2.5" barrel. The bullets used were Sierra JHCs, and some Hornadys.

These are ass-to-the-wall loads, however--one of the few quoted with a velocity is for a 110 gr. Sierra JHC over 10.5 gr. of Alliant-Unique--and that velocity is 1,361 fps. There's about 60 different recipes.

So, load development and testing continues for the lower-midrange loads in .38 Sp, .38SP+P, and .357 Magnum--

I'm finally picking up the 340 tomorrow, and will get to the range after that.

Jim H.