.38 Special squibs

I have measured on 12 and the powder weight is fine I pulled the bullets as I said and the powder weight is fine.
It's gotta be either the magnum primers of which I have several thousand or the gun.
Driving me nuts.
 
griaguns said:
I have measured on 12 and the powder weight is fine I pulled the bullets as I said and the powder weight is fine.
It's gotta be either the magnum primers of which I have several thousand or the gun.
Driving me nuts.
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In what ways could the gun cause it? I’m not reallly clear on that... I’d think that light primer strikes would be bang/no bang, it sqiibs.
 
griaguns said:
Why only every 4 or 5 rnds then on consecutive loads then ok for 4 or 5rds.Same primers in every load
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I would try loading up 12 of the same primers, powder and bullets and see how they go. From there change the primer with everything else the same, then swap out for a different powder, then bullet.
 
I’m new to reloading, so this is a question, not a comment. Is 4.4 grains of unique not a very light load for .38 spl? I use 4.6 in my 9mm’s which is still .2 below the recommended minimum.
 
4.4 is not a light load. Should give around 900 fps with a 158.

The Magnum primer might be too hard for the hammer blow.

make 12 more rounds exactly as before.

make 12 rounds with a standard primer, and shoot these first. If they work well, it is probably a primer ignition issue.

On the front of the grip is a screw that bears on the hammer spring. Turn it in 1 full rev. Now shoot the 12 with the magnum primer. If they go bang, you know it was an ignition issue caused by a light hit on a hard primer. (Your ignition problem is now solved. Shoot all the mag primer ammo.)
 
Good call and idea on the strain screw for the hammer spring Ganderite, you must have had more coffee than the rest of us this morning.

Nothing worse than having a few loose screws and not knowing it. :evil:
 
DAgunlvr said:
I’m new to reloading, so this is a question, not a comment. Is 4.4 grains of unique not a very light load for .38 spl? I use 4.6 in my 9mm’s which is still .2 below the recommended minimum.
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Couldn't find Unique loads but Hodgdon Universal is right beside it on the burn chart (Unique is faster) and only calls for 4.0-4.5 max for 158 grn bullet.
 
I don’t believe for a minute that the magnum primers are the issue as I use them all the time. You either have a issue with that Dillon powder measure or with those primers. Go get some different primers and try them and also buy some new 38 special and try them and see if they go bang every time. Otherwise it’s just guessing and speculation.
 
Why are people using mag primers that are more expensive when non mags do not require, some mag primers will have pressure spikes with some powders?
 
This is indeed really baffling.... Aside from using mag. primers (not needed for .38 Spl.), everything seems OK: Primer strikes appear normal; he's pulled bullets and found powder charges correct...

"Lots of case tension before crimping." How much crimp is being applied? Could too much crimp be causing inconsistent ignition? Target loads in a .38 Special should only need a pretty light crimp.

I can't see how the revolver could be at fault, but trying your loads in another revolver would rule that out for sure.

This is suspicious: "Why only every 4 or 5 rnds then on consecutive loads then ok for 4 or 5rds" What could cause this inconsistency?
Now this seems unlikely, but what's the possibility of defective or contaminated powder? Gria, do you have another powder you could try, such as Bullseye or W231?
 
I load thousands of 38spl to shoot from my 3 rifles and 2 handguns in this caliber. I had this exact issue with my Dillon press, turns out it wasn't just me, or that I wasn't "doing it properly". I switched the exact same components to a Pro1000 and guess what, problem solved. Comparing the two rounds after, the dillon was seating the primer 'flush' but it needs to go in just a touch more. Try hand priming a few casings and see if it helps, if not, try a different gun.
 
A flimsy Lee press out-performing the prestigious Big Blue? Say it ain't so! (I use a Lee press myself, however.)

griaguns said:
I tried to hand seat them further and no movement, I'm leaning towards the primers being magnum although they work perfect in my 9mm...
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But you never know; perhaps hand-seating them outside the Dillon might be worth trying. Gria, do you have any standard primers to try?

View attachment 156300
 
FWIW, an interesting Shooting Times article on primers by a fellow who worked for CCI.

This bit corresponds with bigedp51's comments in Post #7:

...Boxer primers leave the factory with the anvil higher than it would be when seated in a cartridge case. Seating so anvil legs touch the bottom of the pocket lets the anvil tip penetrate into the pellet of mix. The nearly universal recommendation of having the primer cup bottom 0.003 to 0.005 inch below flush with the case head exists to set the proper amount of priming mix between the cup and the anvil tip.

This critical distance is known as the bridge thickness. Establishing the optimum thickness through proper seating means the primer meets sensitivity specifications but does not create chemical instability. However, failing to set the bridge thickness through proper seating depth is the number one cause of primer failures to fire. The bridge thickness is too great with a high primer, even one whose anvil legs touch the bottom of the pocket.
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And further to RocketSurgery's posta above (#36), I found this in an article on GunsAmerica.com:

If you are having any trouble with your priming “machines” whether it’s a hand tool, progressive reloading press, or something else, try a different brand of primers. As a very real example, my particular Hornady Lock-n-Load progressive press really doesn’t like Winchester primers. Winchester primers are just fine, and I use them without hesitation. They just don’t get along with that particular press, and they get jammed up more frequently than I would like. CCI primers work like a champ in that primer feed mechanism. My calipers aren’t precise enough to pick up any diameter variance, so I assume the differences are related to the shape profile or maybe the nature of the metal on the primer cup. Just be aware that like anything else, there may be small differences from brand to brand. If you’re having trouble, try another brand before throwing in the towel.
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OK- insomnia over for the night. Need to get some sleep :)
 
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