MBC 158 Grain SWC Match .38 Special

[DMW1116]

Ok that sounds good. I knew you wanted 0.001” over but didn’t know how much was too much. The Whitetail #4 is supposed to be slightly bigger for Marlin micro groove barrels. I’ve used Acme 0.3095” bullets and they work fine but they don’t make bullets heavier than 150 grain. Hopefully these will be a little more accurate but the Acmes are already better than jacketed in that regard.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Ok that sounds good. I knew you wanted 0.001” over but didn’t know how much was too much. The Whitetail #4 is supposed to be slightly bigger for Marlin micro groove barrels. I’ve used Acme 0.3095” bullets and they work fine but they don’t make bullets heavier than 150 grain. Hopefully these will be a little more accurate but the Acmes are already better than jacketed in that regard.

It also depends on your application. If you’re not driving a bullet hard using a slow powder, 1-thousandth over groove is fine. Your bore in the Marlin is probably going to be large at .303-.305” anyway so going 2-thousandths over groove might actually be better.

 

[wcwhitey]

Some test loads with the new bullets. 4.0 Win244 158 Match .38 Special. 5.0 Win244 240 Grain Keith .44 Special. Both MBC bullets. Will see how they run tomorrow.

 

[wcwhitey]

Both loads shot well today. The 4.0 grain .38 Load was very accurate, clean and no sign of leading. I will work with this for a while. The .44 Special load could have been more accurate, it was acceptable but I have shot better. It was clean and lead free so that is good, recoil out of the 629 is soft. 5.2 grains is the next trial, there is room there. Neither loads were smokey at all.

 

[Alaskamike]

6.2 grains of Universal shoots those bullets pretty well from my Ruger Blackhawk.

That load is about 1.5 grains over the max load in Hodgdon data for .38 special +p. This would be a pretty dangerous load even in a revolver rated for +p.

Since you mention shooting them in a Blackhawk, I suspect that you used .357 brass and not .38 special brass. If that's the case, it would really be a good idea to make that clear.

 

[barnfrog]

That load is about 1.5 grains over the max load in Hodgdon data for .38 special +p. This would be a pretty dangerous load even in a revolver rated for +p.

Since you mention shooting them in a Blackhawk, I suspect that you used .357 brass and not .38 special brass. If that's the case, it would really be a good idea to make that clear.

An excellent point, and well taken.

 

[Riomouse911]

I like 4.5 gr Unique with a 158 gr coated SWC. ( I also got my MBC order yesterday; .358 Match SWC and 100 gr RNFP .32 bullets.)

I have used this recipe with both Blue Bullets and Eggleston bullets 158 gr SWC, both are like the MBC with no lube grooves.

Stay safe.

 

[wcwhitey]

I like 4.5 gr Unique with a 158 gr coated SWC. ( I also got my MBC order yesterday; .358 Match SWC and 100 gr RNFP .32 bullets.)

I have used this recipe with both Blue Bullets and Eggleston bullets 158 gr SWC, both are like the MBC with no lube grooves.

Stay safe.

Thanks, last pound of Unique thats why the new powders. My .38’s have been 4.7 or 5 Grains of Unique with a SWC or 2.7 grains of Bullseye for Wadcutters for 30+ years. A new age of discovery!

 

[Riomouse911]

Thanks, last pound of Unique thats why the new powders. My .38’s have been 4.7 or 5 Grains of Unique with a SWC or 2.7 grains of Bullseye for Wadcutters for 30+ years. A new age of discovery!

HP-38, AA #2 or Red Dot/Promo all work well for me in .38 Spl. I don’t load .38’s to the hilt, so creating and shooting nice mid to upper-mid level loads are where I spend my time.

Stay safe.

 

[Random 8]

This bullet was the most accurate in my .357 TC contender of any 158s I tested. I was running 4.2gr of HP-38 in .38 brass with a SB SR primer as the most accurate load tested. This may be a warmer load than you wish in a revolver for target shooting. It was quite stout in my 6" Taurus 66 but VERY accurate in that application also. I also worked with Autocomp, Unique, HS-6 and Red Dot but did not save my notes as the results were un-remarkable compared to the HP-38 load. My intention was working up an IHMSA silhouette load, but POI issues with my .357 barrel and 158s pushed me to 125 grain bullets. I still have the H 38 load bookmarked for a heavy revolver load though!

 

[wcwhitey]

45 Feet (15 Yards). double action S&W 629 3” Deluxe MBC Keith 240 Grain SWC Coated, 5.2 Grains of Winchester WinClean 244 , Remington .44 Special Brass, CCI LPP. Clean no lead, no smoke mild recoil. Ding, DIng, Ding we have a winner! I will take that all day. Only brought 20 rounds. Will load up a sizable sum and adjust the sights as needed.

Trigger keeps getting better! Those are 3” shoot and see stickers