Finally got my .38's shooting right!
- Thread starter Ian
- Start date
Ian
Notorious member
Initial trim to new or 1F brass is mainly what I do. Using a good, steel resizing die that isn't any more "tight" than necessary seems to go a long way toward minimizing case growth. The whole reason I do the trim to .38/.357/.44/.45 Colt etc. brass is to get the roll crimp correct and uniform. It's not an accuracy thing, it's a necessary thing for me to get the ammunition assembled correctly. Maybe if you use a bullet with a humongous crimp groove, exact trim length matters less, but I insist on small crimp grooves and the case mouth being pushed firmly in contact with the slopey side of the groove. If that one thing didn't matter to me, I wouldn't bother trimming and monitoring case length because I don't shoot revolvers competitively or for extreme accuracy MOST of the time.
Speaking of rebukes, this IS NOT one for you guys who don't bother to trim revolver brass. I do and will because for my purposes I deem it necessary.
One step I didn't see mentioned, but I do even with my mixed range blazing brass, is to sort by neck tension. Sometimes I do this by the feel of bullet seating pressure when loading and other times by the feel of the expanding spud when batch-processing with a Lee Pro-1000 set up with only an expanding die. Targets will show the difference this type of sorting makes quite clearly.
I'll quit shooting .45 ACP long before I EVER bother to trim or chamfer a single piece of brass, and so far with a pile of cases that have literally been fired dozens of times I've never discarded a case due to length. The taper crimp is more tolerant of variances in case length and thickness than a roll crimp, obviously.
Speaking of rebukes, this IS NOT one for you guys who don't bother to trim revolver brass. I do and will because for my purposes I deem it necessary.
One step I didn't see mentioned, but I do even with my mixed range blazing brass, is to sort by neck tension. Sometimes I do this by the feel of bullet seating pressure when loading and other times by the feel of the expanding spud when batch-processing with a Lee Pro-1000 set up with only an expanding die. Targets will show the difference this type of sorting makes quite clearly.
I'll quit shooting .45 ACP long before I EVER bother to trim or chamfer a single piece of brass, and so far with a pile of cases that have literally been fired dozens of times I've never discarded a case due to length. The taper crimp is more tolerant of variances in case length and thickness than a roll crimp, obviously.
9
9.3X62AL
Guest
A "rebuke"? Hmmmm......in some places, truth needs to be administered in small doses and over extended time periods, lest the audience choke on its pithiness.
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
I even PM'd the Mod and explained my position being that case prep for a match is the same, regardless of the caliber. He disagreed, and I let the issue go, rather than make a scene. I also mentioned the idea of the word "match" not only meaning a contest, but also meaning "the same" in the context of ammunition uniformity. So much for philosophy. It's not like I got points or anything for stating my point.
I'm not disagreeing that trimming 38Spls wouldn't produce the best accuracy, but never felt the need to do other than use a selected lot of cases for a particular load. When I bought new Starline 357 cases in bulk, I did measure them prior to loading and segregated out the cases that were too long. Those were for use in my 1894c 357mag carbine, and I fully expected way more in the form of accuracy from a peep sighted carbine than I did from a revolver.
Yes.
We all do what we feel is right for our own shooting needs.
While I rarely trim handgun cases I certainly won't berate those who do. No different from those who chose to shoot low or high velocity with cast.
I will freely admit to being too lazy to trim cases. I detest the job and avoid it at all costs. Then again, I don't weigh sort bullets either.
fiver
Well-Known Member
I just get around the trim thing by simply taper crimping the light 38 loads.
I do however champher the case mouths.
oh airc titegroup was the replacement for this powder after it was discontinued and the same situations that titegroup fails in are the same pitfalls for this powder.
I do however champher the case mouths.
oh airc titegroup was the replacement for this powder after it was discontinued and the same situations that titegroup fails in are the same pitfalls for this powder.
Ian
Notorious member
Oh, that makes sense. I read the description for 473AA in Speer #11 and it mentioned 12 and 20-gauge and "limited handgun applications". Lots of data for .38 and .45 ACP, and looking at the big picture with the other powders listed and pressure/velocity it would appear that 473AA gets spooky near the top end of pressure in smaller-diameter cases. Sounds very familiar. I'm still trying to figure out how Titegroup was ever safe for use in shotguns where a whole bunch of it is stuck behind a big stack of lead BBS and compressed. You do that in a .40 Smith and Wesson and POOF---no fingers.
fiver
Well-Known Member
I have a 1 oz load worked up with titegroup in my 12ga shells.
it falls right between 700-x and red-dot in this roll but the pressure is high for the light load.
I'm pushing about 1150 fps with it and a pressure window in the 9000 psi area.
I can get the same thing with about 6500-7K with another powder and wad combination.
it's a good consistent load though, the kids even gave it a name [the poof load]
it falls right between 700-x and red-dot in this roll but the pressure is high for the light load.
I'm pushing about 1150 fps with it and a pressure window in the 9000 psi area.
I can get the same thing with about 6500-7K with another powder and wad combination.
it's a good consistent load though, the kids even gave it a name [the poof load]