.38 Super load questions

EddieCoyle

EddieCoyle

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I'm getting a 1911 in .38 Super next week.

Do these use the same bullets as the 9mm? (Please say yes, I have a ton of 124gr FMJ).

What are your favorite loads?
 
Ive bought 100 38 super bullets recently thinking they were 38 special/357. If you are interested they are yours. They are larger than 9mm by a thousandth.
 
In general, SAAMI specs the .38 Super slug at 0.356, while most bullet manufacturers spec 9mm slugs at 0.355. Consider them equal.

Starting at about 5.5 gr., you might want to work up to a load of 6.0 or 6.1 gr. Unique pushing a 130 gr. FMJ. (CCI SP and mixed brass.) Presuming your barrel is designed to headspace on the mouth (versus the useless "semi-rim"), and presuming you're careful about trimming cases loaded for the first time, I believe you will find this a reliable and accurate load.
 
I use 125 JHP Zero bullets for my .38 super loads. I won't give you my load because it is WAY too hot for a regular .38 super gun. I'm running major pressure loads to make a 165+ power factor. The .38 super is a great round and you'll love the gun I'm sure. However, the super bullet is a .356 so I would recommend buying .38 super bullet heads.

Pete
 
.355 for 9mm, .356 for 38 super, it really comes down to what's your barrel truly spec'd out at. I've used .355s and .356s interchangeably for years. I dont think you'll ever notice a difference.
 
.357!!! You will get a ton of fouling w/ .355 bullets and your accuracy will be real bad. I like my bullets tight. I use .358 for SWC in .357 mag. .357 for jacketed.
Your handgun is made for accuracy. Don't waste it. jp
 
jpattersonnh said:
.357!!! You will get a ton of fouling w/ .355 bullets and your accuracy will be real bad. I like my bullets tight. I use .358 for SWC in .357 mag. .357 for jacketed.
Your handgun is made for accuracy. Don't waste it. jp
Click to expand...

Is this your experience? Is there a benefit that I will get from firing a .357" bullet in a .38 Super?

My experience has been that a bullet will obdurate at least a couple of thousandths. For example, I can fire a .358" diameter bullet in a .38 S&W (.360" bore) with little fouling or accuracy loss. Of course, it's a revolver.

Is an autoloader like the .38 Super different?

EDIT: Just for the record, I'm inclined to go with the advice from post #6. I mean, look at the guy's name!
 
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I use a hard cast 125g LRN .355 over 4.2g of Clays. It shoots clean, I hit what I want to and have not had any trouble. I shoot .355 in my Super's and have never had trouble hitting what I'm shooting at. Use the Lyman and Hodgdon book for loads and use right at the max.
 
I would be curious to see if it makes any difference between the two. I know SR are made with a thicker cup to handle higher pressure but I've been meaning to look into whether they really produce different chrono results. I've run my 9major (9x19 to 165-175pf, they call it .355*Super) with both SP and SR without anything visibly noticable between the two, of course it is a compressed load and might not be comparable to other loads.
 
EddieCoyle said:
How much should I download if I use small rifle primers instead of small pistol primers?
Click to expand...

Not sure that you would need to. However, my .38 Super loads were always SR primed and I've worked up loads using the newer poly-coated bullets since switching to SR primers, so I can't really help you much there.

I do not believe it is like going from a standard to a magnum primer,FWIW.
 
I'll have to try both and chrono the results. It would be nice to have to keep only one type of small primer.

I think I'll try it in the lightest small pistol cartridge that I load - 3.0 grs of Bullseye under a 148 gr .38 Special wadcutter.
 
I loaded and ran 25 rounds each of CCI small rifle and CCI small pistol-primed .38 Special, 148gr plated DEWCs, over 3.0 grains of Bullseye. The average velocity of the small rifle primed rounds was 4 fps faster than the small pistol primed rounds. In other words, with this powder, bullet, and caliber combination, there was no difference.
 
Bullseye in a Super - Yikes!!!

HS6 is a good powder. Others have use IMR7625 and IMR4756 with success. If you want to go exitic$$ VV3N38 is pretty nice.

I use Small Rifle primers exclusively for 40 S&W and Super loading.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
Bullseye in a Super - Yikes!!!

HS6 is a good powder. Others have use IMR7625 and IMR4756 with success. If you want to go exitic$$ VV3N38 is pretty nice.

I use Small Rifle primers exclusively for 40 S&W and Super loading.
Click to expand...


NO! I didn't use Bullseye in a Super. I used it in a .38 Special to test the sp/sr primer thing.

I've got lots of Blue Dot and Lil' Gun lying around so when I load for the Super I'll start with those.
 
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EddieCoyle said:
NO! I didn't use Bullseye in a Super. I used it in a .38 Special to test the sp/sr primer thing.

I've got lots of Blue Dot and Lil' Gun lying around so when I load for the Super I'll start with those.
Click to expand...

I caught the "Special" - I thought the double-ended wadcutters made that clear.

Anyway, 3N38 and even N350 are too slow for a standard .38 Super; those are race gun propellants. I'd look at N310 for an exotic powder.
 
My chrono-ing was interrupted today (by a guy shooting an AK that thought my 9mm was too loud... made my day) before I had a chance to test the number of rounds I wanted to. The WSP avg was 1351fps and the few WSR I was able to fire had an avg of 1373fps, one was a flyer at 1393fps though. If I shot a bunch they would have been close.
 
You might want to pick up a couple of cases. Ted tells me primers are going up - AGAIN.

He had NO SR primers at all and I took his last case of LP.
 

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