What bullet do you use in your Enfield 38 S&W Revolver?
- Thread starter Colin
- Start date
Hey Colin...best thing to do is to have a smith swage the barrel and the forcing cone. There is a bit of variance out there.
Jet hunter sells .362 200 grains. I have found they are closer to .363.
I will be getting a sizing die go get them closer to .360.
Jet hunter sells .362 200 grains. I have found they are closer to .363.
I will be getting a sizing die go get them closer to .360.
The above answers are all good. Jethunters bullets are excellent as well.
One thing not mentioned, is the exit mouth of the cylinder. Often the Victory model 38s will have a .356-.358 cylinder mouth. This means the bullets are getting swaged undersize to the bore before they even enter the forcing cone. This may or may not be an issue with your pistol.
It is an often overlooked problem though.
I'm curious. Was it a push through Lee die that was opened up or a H&I die for Lyman/ RCBS lubesizer. How much can a H&I die be opened up before bullet lube starts to leak around the center punch? I have the correct Lyman mould to cast 200 gr bullets. I have a S&W pre Victory model and a Webly and should shoot them both more.
It doesn't have to be that complicated.
For commercial bullets, the 148 gr HBWC is a good choice. You could also try the swaged 158 grain bullets from Hornady, and possibly Speer. The nice soft bullets will upset nicely in the throat and barrel.
I have also used with good success a variety of 130 grain cast RN bullets, usually unsized and lubricated in a pan or with Lee Liquid Alox. Also, the Lee 150 grain SWC, loaded out slightly to crimp in the top lube groove.
The point of impact will change with the different bullets, but if I am only playing at 15-20 yards, they will go reasonably close to the point of aim. I am not trying to punch out the x ring with these loads.
The light loads and light revolvers make these nice for teaching new shooters. At 7 yards or so these are all close to the target dot.
For commercial bullets, the 148 gr HBWC is a good choice. You could also try the swaged 158 grain bullets from Hornady, and possibly Speer. The nice soft bullets will upset nicely in the throat and barrel.
I have also used with good success a variety of 130 grain cast RN bullets, usually unsized and lubricated in a pan or with Lee Liquid Alox. Also, the Lee 150 grain SWC, loaded out slightly to crimp in the top lube groove.
The point of impact will change with the different bullets, but if I am only playing at 15-20 yards, they will go reasonably close to the point of aim. I am not trying to punch out the x ring with these loads.
The light loads and light revolvers make these nice for teaching new shooters. At 7 yards or so these are all close to the target dot.
fwiw, I use Oma Products .38 Super in my Victory model. I just grabbed 3 at random from the last box I bought from them, they each measure .356. They weighed in at 160.0, 160.1, and 160.5 grains. I've had good results at 25yds, using 2.2gr of W231.
They're located at 108 Mile BC, and are nice folks to deal with. http://www.omaproducts.com
They're located at 108 Mile BC, and are nice folks to deal with. http://www.omaproducts.com
.38 s&w.
Someone filed the front sight down on mine, so it shoots to point of aim with 125 RNFP. It is also quite accurate with them. More than wadcutters.
Slug the bore. The right size adds a bit to accuracy and takes a lot away from cleaning time.
Slug the bore. The right size adds a bit to accuracy and takes a lot away from cleaning time.
Also try FS Reloading, who are "just down the street" from Lee Precision. Rusty Wood out here in Mission shows S&W Short and Long Colt dies @ $47.00 (if this is the same as the .38 Enfield)
StuartI use my 9mm carbide die for the decap/resize step, and the (aluminum!) RCBS .38 S&W expander and seating dies for the next steps.
I bought a set of used .38 S&W dies from a CGN'er here, and found the sizer/expander die left large score marks on the brass. Someone pointed out the similarity between 9mm and .38 S&W, so I went that route.
