380 Rook Brass

[bearhunter]

I'm looking for some 380 Rook brass or 380 Long Colt.

I don't want collectible cartridges or cases.

I want to shoot this stuff.

I now have a great mold, and am capable of making cases from 38 Special. However, I would like to have cases with proper headstamps.

I've been cruising the internet to find a manufacturer of obsolete cases, such as Graff, Fiocci and Bertram. Doesn't appear to be enough demand for them to tool up??

Anyone know where this brass may be available??

Thanx

 

[mbogo3]

Is .38 Long Colt the same ? https://www.rustywood.ca/shop/starline-brass-cases/

 

[bearhunter]

Is .38 Long Colt the same ? https://www.rustywood.ca/shop/starline-brass-cases/

Thanks, I'll contact them.

The books and internet say the 380 Rook and 380 colt long or long colt are almost identical. Might need to thin the rim.

Thanx again

 

[Ganderite]

I have been using fired 38Spl cases. Don't need sizing.

 

[bearhunter]

I have been using fired 38Spl cases. Don't need sizing.

That's likely the route I'm going to take.

A friend gave me a couple of antique rounds, with Berdan primers for comparison purposes, as well as some 380 Long Colt. The only difference between them is length.

The chambers in my pistol won't accept even sized down 38 special unless it's sized in a 9x19 die.

This is the first Webley I've seen that doesn't have the cylinders reamed all the way through. There's actually a shoulder in the cylinder chambers. The pistol has a .378 bore. It's a Webley's No2, 380 CF.

I had one before and the cylinder was bored all the way through.

Always something unusual comes up with these lovely old antique pieces.

That's what's so much fun about getting them running again.

This pistol is around 95% condition on the outside and pristine on the inside.

 

[bearhunter]

Just resurrecting this thread for informational purposes. I was emailed a few questions from a few others with the same issue I was having sizing brass.

First, my original question couldn't really be answered in a manner that would be right. My fault, so thanx for the replies.

I'll try to keep this short.

It seems that the 380 Rook cartridge and the 380 Webley are slightly different. They appear to be identical but not quite.

Ganderite mentions that he uses fired 38 spl cases. Those work in the 380 Rook chamber in the rifle a friend owns, not in my pistol or apparently some other "WEBLY No2" revolvers. It appears some of them have very tight chambers.

At first glance, I thought my cylinder's chambers had shoulders machined into them. It turned out to be a build up of hard lube and powder. (embarrassing) Thankfully no pitting or etching.

My first attempt, after softening and cleaning out the fouling in the cylinders was to try 38 S&W cases, sized down in a proper die. Wouldn't fit. So tried a 9x19 die, still to big. Finally sized them down in a 380acp die and they fit very nicely, as well as being the proper length for the cast bullets my mold throws. (thanx jethunter)

Only one propblem with the 38 S&W cases I have on hand. The rims are to thick to allow the cylinder to rotate without binding.

OK, back to 38 spl cases. It's much easier to trim the 38 spl cases than it is to trim the rims of the 38 S&W. I have a nifty little holder that chucks up in my lathe. Only takes a few seconds to trim the 38 spl cases to 38 S&W length. All of the different makes of 38 spl cases I have on hand have rims that are thin enough to easily allow the cylinder to rotate. Perfect.

Just for those wondering, factory loaded 38 S&W rounds will not fit all the way into the chambers of my revolver.

So the recipe seems to be, trim 38 spl cases to 38 S&W length, size in a 380 acp die all the way to the rim, cast appropriate 125 grain, outside lubed, .380 diameter, heeled bullets, load 4.0 grains of Unique (safe) or 10 grains FFFG BP, insert the .955 diameter heel and crimp the bullet into place.

I'm going to load up both BP and smokeless tomorrow, after casting a couple of hundred bullets.

Looking forward to see how this 125 year old little revolver does out to 15 yards.

 

[outdoorsman-1995]

I'm reloading for a Webley No 4 Pyrse revolver I acquired recently using original length .38 special brass with hollow base wadcutters seated and crimped flush or slightly past flush over 2.8 gr of bullseye. 3.0gr max gives better rifling engagement and what I consider safe. I found some reloading data today and your post. Mine seems to like .375 cast heeled bullets and they have a .358 section for insertion into the cases. I also just found out like you said for the crimp because mine won't fit in the cylinder without it that you can use the sizing die with the recapping pin and assembly removed from a .38 special / .357 mag sizing die to compress the bell back in. My other though was ordering the .357 lee collet crimp die and holding the bullet on upside down from the top to manually set and crimp the round in the press with .38 S&W brass and the heeled bullets. For the heeled bullets I also need to trim either brass. Hope that all helps!

High wood casting in High River has the .375 heeled bullets and was nice enough to send me a sample. They have shot the best along side the pure lead and soft lead hollow base .38/.357 wadcutter they sell. The lubed WC shot horrifically worse than the non lubed ones. I also have excellent results using the campro .38/.357 hollow base WC's. Pictures in the red box and on my bench are old WC's I got off ####### from an older fella. They shoot extremely well too. The hollow base and slightly higher charge weight being the key to that success.