Unless you live in a cave without internet you've seen on THR that I've been picking your brains regarding 38 S&W cartridges. Well I finally got a few loaded up before I found a fatal flaw in my loading bench (I won't go into my lack of an engineering background). So I went up in the mountains yesterday afternoon and tried 'em out.
I had 5 Winchester factory loaded 145gr rounds left so I loaded 3 of them and two of my BP cartridges loaded with 10gr 3f Goex and 146gr FN bullets in the first cylinder. The smokeless rounds are less than impressive to say the least, you get a loud pop and a little jump but that's about it. I don't have any idea what they're loaded with but I'd imagine that they are light to cut down on the liability of somebody shooting them out of a top-break, like me.
The BP rounds surprised me though. Given that all I've heard this gun do is pop-pop-pop. When I dropped the hammer on the first BP cartridge I got a "BANG" and a decent amount of recoil. I was shooting at 7 yards duelist using double action and managed to put the dozen or so rounds that I loaded in a 6" to 8" group. Some of you probably think I need more practice, but I was happy to hit the board with a DA and a 4" barrel.
Clean-up was great!! This little thing is a breeze to clean after BP. Not much in the way of blow-back on the cylinder or frame, they apparently made them a little tighter a hundred plus years ago. A little Ballistol Moose Milk on a bore brush, rinse with hot water, patch dry and straight Ballistol on a patch and yer done!!
I think the next project will be to tone down the powder charge just a tad to may be 9.5 or 9 grains 3f. The Black Dawge .358's with SPG in two grooves fit well within the OAL limits but there is a crimp groove that I can't quite get seated far enough to catch with 10gr of powder. Since I'm a rooky at this, any advice or opinions will be taken graciously regarding bullet seating etc.
Rumor has it that Oyeboten might be out wandering around with his Chrono this weekend and a similarly loaded cartridge or two. It would be great to see some fps numbers on these little loads. I'd love to own a Chronograph but it's one of those things that I can't justify quite yet.
I had 5 Winchester factory loaded 145gr rounds left so I loaded 3 of them and two of my BP cartridges loaded with 10gr 3f Goex and 146gr FN bullets in the first cylinder. The smokeless rounds are less than impressive to say the least, you get a loud pop and a little jump but that's about it. I don't have any idea what they're loaded with but I'd imagine that they are light to cut down on the liability of somebody shooting them out of a top-break, like me.
The BP rounds surprised me though. Given that all I've heard this gun do is pop-pop-pop. When I dropped the hammer on the first BP cartridge I got a "BANG" and a decent amount of recoil. I was shooting at 7 yards duelist using double action and managed to put the dozen or so rounds that I loaded in a 6" to 8" group. Some of you probably think I need more practice, but I was happy to hit the board with a DA and a 4" barrel.
Clean-up was great!! This little thing is a breeze to clean after BP. Not much in the way of blow-back on the cylinder or frame, they apparently made them a little tighter a hundred plus years ago. A little Ballistol Moose Milk on a bore brush, rinse with hot water, patch dry and straight Ballistol on a patch and yer done!!
I think the next project will be to tone down the powder charge just a tad to may be 9.5 or 9 grains 3f. The Black Dawge .358's with SPG in two grooves fit well within the OAL limits but there is a crimp groove that I can't quite get seated far enough to catch with 10gr of powder. Since I'm a rooky at this, any advice or opinions will be taken graciously regarding bullet seating etc.
Rumor has it that Oyeboten might be out wandering around with his Chrono this weekend and a similarly loaded cartridge or two. It would be great to see some fps numbers on these little loads. I'd love to own a Chronograph but it's one of those things that I can't justify quite yet.
