Liking the j frame

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted by hatt
Originally Posted by Red91
Would your light .357 loads be on par with .38+P?

You can load .357 to any sensible lower power level you want. The joys of reloading. You can do it with pretty much any cartridge. I don't shoot many max effort .45-70. Most of mine are pleasant to shoot. 350 grain cast at 1500-1600.


I used to load a super nice little target load for .38, it was like 2.2 grains of WST under a standard 148g LSWC. It was like shooting a .22 in a K frame S&W, and it was accurate. Very nice, and cheap!

for a power load, a few years back I settled on the standard ".38 High- Velocity" load that Remington (I think?) developed for the S&W N-frame .38s. I found a sweet deal on a late '40s S&W .38/.44 "Heavy Duty" model - the gun Elmer Keith used to develop the .357. I learned the original factory loading was (not looking at the specs now) 11.0 (maybe 11.5) grains of 2400, under a 148gr. I load those with LSWC and they are a nice split between a very hot .38 and a hard-hitting .357.

It got into that as I had a girlfriend i rode horses with was very recoil sensitive (had carpal tunnel). I looked for the best round I could give her in a solid frame, since if things went wrong it was her gun that was going to save me.

So I had a vested interest in this. The old ".38 High Velocity" loads are really nice if you are in a modern .38 or a an older N-Frame .38 like the Heavy Duty or Outdoorsman.

Oh yeah, loading your own is fun!

 

[Red91]

What do you think of the Lee reloading kits that sell on Amazon for about $30? I ask because I have about 30 pieces of spent brass, and will probably end up with close to a hundred in a few weeks. I've been thinking about trying to load a few myself and see how it goes, without spending money on a full press and all that. Reviews are mixed, with most being favorable. I understand these are much slower than having a kit with a press, but I figure if I try loading and don't like it, then I didn't lose too much money this way.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted by Red91
What do you think of the Lee reloading kits that sell on Amazon for about $30? I ask because I have about 30 pieces of spent brass, and will probably end up with close to a hundred in a few weeks. I've been thinking about trying to load a few myself and see how it goes, without spending money on a full press and all that. Reviews are mixed, with most being favorable. I understand these are much slower than having a kit with a press, but I figure if I try loading and don't like it, then I didn't lose too much money this way.

They make serviceable ammo however I've never used one. Check out some youtube videos.

 

[bunnspecial]

The Lee loaders are functional, but they are slow and I've never particularly liked the amount of hammering that they require.

If you want to get started on the cheap, I'd suggest at a minimum a Lee hand press and a set of dies. The hand press has its own limitations, but is-to me-a much better option than the stand-alone Lee loader. A press+set of dies should be doable for $50-60. To that I'd add a basic reloading scale(Lee makes a serviceable one that's about $20, although I consider the old RCBS 502 or 505 a much better option that's fairly affordable used) as the single scoop that comes in the Lee die sets is rather limiting. For your own sanity, I'd suggest some sort of hand priming tool also.

All of that is around $100, but everything there can continue to be used if you decide you like reloading and want to buy a better press/other higher end equipment.

My current set-up is a RCBS Rock Chucker Super for most reloading tasks, a second small RCBS "Partner" press for some light tasks and when I want to have two different dies set up at the same time, a whole pile of dies for every caliber I shoot-mostly Lee but some RCBS, Hornady, and Redding mixed in-an RCBS 502 scale, a Lee Auto-Disk powder measure, a Lee hand priming tool, and a bunch of other infrequently used odds and ends that none the less are extremely useful when I do need them. Reloading can be quite a fun hobby in and of itself.

 

[Red91]

Thanks guys, I'll check it out.

 

[rrretiree7]

I have always been a fan of the Snubby .38. I have had an S and W Model 36, and 642. I have had three Taurus Ultra Lites
and they have all been reliable and fun to shoot. A lot of people like a small auto, and that is fine. For close in work
I never feel undergunned with a .38 Special

 

[4WD]

Got my wife the S&W and Hornady .38+P
Fits in the hidden compartment behind the navigation screen

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by Red91
What do you think of the Lee reloading kits that sell on Amazon for about $30? I ask because I have about 30 pieces of spent brass, and will probably end up with close to a hundred in a few weeks. I've been thinking about trying to load a few myself and see how it goes, without spending money on a full press and all that. Reviews are mixed, with most being favorable. I understand these are much slower than having a kit with a press, but I figure if I try loading and don't like it, then I didn't lose too much money this way.

I started reloading on a Lee Loader 50 years ago. (.30-30 & 12 Ga.). I still have them. They are a good, (albeit slow), inexpensive way to introduce yourself to the process of reloading. I went with them because I was young, and living in an apartment at the time, and had nowhere to set up any type of a loading bench.

The Lee Loaders I bought taught me the process, and got me interested to the point where after I purchased my first house, the first thing I did was set up a reloading bench, and bought several presses that I still reload on today, 5 decades later.

If you have the ability to set up a bench and a good single stage press, (like an RCBS Rockchucker), go for it. But for the little amount you'll spend on a Lee Loader, you won't be out much if you either don't like it, or else move on to something bigger, better, and faster. They are a well made tool that doesn't cost a lot, and serves a purpose.

 

[billt460]

One thing I forgot to mention is that Lee Loaders only neck size the brass. They do not full length resize bottlenecked rifle brass. This means it's important you only fire ammunition you load in them in the same gun. Otherwise you might experience chambering difficulties in a different firearm, depending on how the chamber was cut.

 

[Red91]

You mean only reuse brass I've shot in my 36, and only shoot the reloads in my 36, correct? That won't be an issue if thats the case.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by Red91
You mean only reuse brass I've shot in my 36, and only shoot the reloads in my 36, correct? That won't be an issue if thats the case.

Basically, yes. It will assure the most problem free reloads. Most of the time with straight walled pistol cartridges you can get away with mixing rounds loaded in a Lee Loader.

But where you really have to watch is with high pressure, bottlenecked rifle rounds. As I mentioned, the Lee Loader only neck sizes. It does not full length resize like most loading dies do in a press. That is why resizing lubricant is used in those type of reloading operations. You can get away without it using a Lee Loader, because you are not reworking the brass that much.

 

[Red91]

Thanks for the information. The reading I've done shows 38 special to be incredibly popular for reloading. I don't have many places to shoot; if I did I'd shoot every weekend and would go ahead and buy the loader to try it out.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted by Red91
Thanks for the information. The reading I've done shows 38 special to be incredibly popular for reloading. I don't have many places to shoot; if I did I'd shoot every weekend and would go ahead and buy the loader to try it out.


38 Special has to e one of the easiest if not the easiest cartridges out there to reload(the only ones that I might put a big higher are large straight wall low pressure pistol cases like 44 Special and 45 Colt). The brass is large enough to be easy to handle, and also tends to be thin enough that working it doesn't take a lot of effort, and it's low enough pressure in the first place that the brass doesn't need a huge amount of resizing. In something like a Rock Chucker, you probably won't notice the difference in resizing effort between it and 9mm(thick, high pressure) or 44 Magnum(large, high pressure) but this can be a big deal with a Lee loader or a smaller press.

In general, revolver rounds are somewhat less finicky than semi-autos too. Most semi-autos headspace on the neck, which means that both case length and crimp are essential for accuracy and reliable feeding. Revolvers usually headspace on the rim, which means that the brass length isn't AS important(it should be for repeatability) and you don't have to worry about feeding reliably.

Also, 38 special brass lasts forever. I have some wadcutter brass(distinctive for its thinner wall and double cannelure around the middle) that has been resized so much that the nickel plating has worn off all but the head. I occasionally have one split, but for the most part it keeps going.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted by bunnspecial

38 Special has to e one of the easiest if not the easiest cartridges out there to reload(the only ones that I might put a big higher are large straight wall low pressure pistol cases like 44 Special and 45 Colt). The brass is large enough to be easy to handle, and also tends to be thin enough that working it doesn't take a lot of effort, and it's low enough pressure in the first place that the brass doesn't need a huge amount of resizing. In something like a Rock Chucker, you probably won't notice the difference in resizing effort between it and 9mm(thick, high pressure) or 44 Magnum(large, high pressure) but this can be a big deal with a Lee loader or a smaller press.


This is a lot of good perspective that those of us who know this, failed to articulate. Exactly on spot.

If you are interested in reloading, starting with .38 Special or other low pressure rounds like .45acp is perfect. You can play with non-critical pressure, well-designed brass, well-known powders, well-known projectiles, etc. Once you get it down, you can venture out to other more demanding cartridges.

I don't know what the low end of reloading equipment can do today. Not a snide comment - I grew up with single stage RCBS gear before Jimmy Carter was president. But I have to say, multi-stage presses like Dillon make doing volume so much easier, and less tedious. I was leary of them until the mid-90s when I was shooting enough (NYC even!) to warrant the progressive press, and found it to be just as good, in fact better. Depends upon volume and time, but it's a great system...

 

[Toros]

I'm missing two if my revolvers in this pic. My 4" pre lock 686 and a Rossi 4" 851. My 2nd issue Detective Special is my old off duty gun. As much as I love it and owe it, I almost always carry the Taurus 85 UL.

 

[Red91]

Nice revolvers. I really like the grip on the Taurus; is it rosewood?

 

[Toros]

Originally Posted by Red91
Nice revolvers. I really like the grip on the Taurus; is it rosewood?

On the stainless M85, yes.

 

[Oro_O]

I also did a family pic once, my fave wheel guns:

Not all that I liked, but that at one point in time really hit the spot. An early 19 2.5", a very early 686 with Texas Ranger Grips, and a 3.5" 27. The 3.5" 27 is a deeply satisfying gun.

 

[Red91]

Nice Smith's. Am I the only one that finds holding and operating a revolver satisfying? Not necessarily talking about shooting, but swinging the cylinder out, loading and unloading, etc.

 

[jstert]

Originally Posted by Red91
Am I the only one that finds holding and operating a revolver satisfying? Not necessarily talking about shooting, but swinging the cylinder out, loading and unloading, etc.


yes indeed. get in the habit of using the combat method: transfer revolver to weak hand after releasing cylinder and use strong hand palm to rap the opened cylinder.

if you really want to get hooked on revolvers try a ruger blackhawk single action revolver. i am actually recoil averse but with pachmayr grips a blackhawk in 357/38/9 is great fun, 45lc/acp great honking gobs of fun. a reloader will be your best buddy.

in fact i use pachmayr grips, and 38 wadcutters, on all my snubbies.