38super reloading data

[captn-tin]

OK to use loading data for 124gr fmj with 124gr jhp for 38 super? Thanks in advance.....Bill

[sghart]

Yes. Your COAL will be slightly different but you probably know that.

I love 38 Super. I have a Rock Island 1911 in that caliber.

I love shooting it. I would shoot it more often but I don't have a lot of Super brass. Ha!

[IVC]

As always, start low and look for pressure signs. Also, check Enos forum, you'll find everything you need for any specific bullet weight, type and powder.

[kcstott]

As always, start low and look for pressure signs. Also, check Enos forum, you'll find everything you need for any specific bullet weight, type and powder.

Pressure signs?? in a 35KPSI hand gun load? Are they using some kind of ultra soft brass?
Cartridge brass don't start to move till it sees upwards of 70KPSI

[IVC]

Pressure signs?? in a 35KPSI hand gun load? Are they using some kind of ultra soft brass?
Cartridge brass don't start to move till it sees upwards of 70KPSI

You'll see pressure signs around the primer. Flattened primers and/or cratering under the firing pin.

[ar15barrels]

OK to use loading data for 124gr fmj with 124gr jhp for 38 super? Thanks in advance.....Bill

As a general rule, if you have the same case capacity and the same bullet weight, you can interchange the data.

However, different bullets of the same weight will have different LENGTHS so you likely can not seat them to the same OAL.

In order to have the same case capacity, you need to seat them to the same DEPTH within the case.
That means that the bullet which is longer than it's differently constructed but same weight brother would be seated to a longer OAL so that the base of each bullet would be the same depth into the case.

[ar15barrels]

Pressure signs?? in a 35KPSI hand gun load?
Are they using some kind of ultra soft brass?

Do you not know how to read primers?

[kcstott]

Do you not know how to read primers?

Yeah and even my hottest loads in non magnum pistol cartridges do not produce the classic flattened or semi flattened nor a cratered primer as a rifle cartridge would.

[Sandspider500]

same weight bullet with different shape

[ar15barrels]

Yeah and even my hottest loads in non magnum pistol cartridges do not produce the classic flattened or semi flattened nor a cratered primer as a rifle cartridge would.

You must use CCI instead of Federal pistol primers.

CCI are hardest.
Winchester and Remington in the middle.
Federal are softest.

The softer they are, the easier they are to read.

[kcstott]

You must use CCI instead of Federal pistol primers.

CCI are hardest.
Winchester and Remington in the middle.
Federal are softest.

The softer they are, the easier they are to read.

I have all of those, Plus Agila. I load my ammo on the hot side unless I'm loading for my daughter. I do load the majority of my pistol ammo with my current stock pile of CCI and Winchester. Old stock first.

[Sailormilan2]

same weight bullet with different shape

https://web.archive.org/web/20170616014828/http://38super.net/Pages/Bullet%20Design%20and%20Feeding%20Reliability.html

http://www.k8nd.com/documents/hl38sup.pdf

[IVC]

I have all of those, Plus Agila. I load my ammo on the hot side unless I'm loading for my daughter. I do load the majority of my pistol ammo with my current stock pile of CCI and Winchester. Old stock first.

If you load them hotter, it's even more important to test with some softer primers, even if you end up loading most of your ammo with harder stuff.

Pressure signs on primers are to let you know what's happening in the chamber. They are not dangerous by themselves. Even blown primers aren't a big deal, except that they can cause malfunctions and will erode your breechface over time if you make it a habit to blow them. But it's what they *tell you* that is important and that can cause a catastrophic failure in the chamber or barrel.

[kcstott]

If you load them hotter, it's even more important to test with some softer primers, even if you end up loading most of your ammo with harder stuff.

Pressure signs on primers are to let you know what's happening in the chamber. They are not dangerous by themselves. Even blown primers aren't a big deal, except that they can cause malfunctions and will erode your breechface over time if you make it a habit to blow them. But it's what they *tell you* that is important and that can cause a catastrophic failure in the chamber or barrel.

Sorry but I just load and go. I've never seen a single hint of pressure with any primer other than ammo fired from a 9mm glock with a rectangle firing pin.
I don't own any magnums Well I do have a 357 but that don't count. and again brass don't flow at 90% of the handgun pressures out there. If I was loading for a 44 mag 454 Casull, 460S&W or a 500 S&W sure I'd be looking at pressure signs. But I'm sorry in my 9mm, 38 spc, 357 mag, 45 acp, and 45 colt I don't see anything that would concern me. But I also don't push my loads to stupid levels either. All my loads are near max and some are +p.

[IVC]

and again brass don't flow at 90% of the handgun pressures out there. If I was loading for a 44 mag 454 Casull, 460S&W or a 500 S&W sure I'd be looking at pressure signs.

You're looking at pressure signs to *confirm* you're at the "handgun pressure."

If you know that you're at the correct load, you don't have to look, you fire it like you fire factory ammo. The question is how would you know that you're within the correct pressure range? Load data from the manufacturer, which will list similar bullet and *their* test barrel? Bullet molds and shapes change, barrels have different bore diameters, chambers are cut differently and will have different bullet jump, some will even push bullets slightly in if they're too tight.

It's exactly the same reasoning to check for pressure signs in 500 S&W Magnum as it is to check it in a 9mm - you're confirming the load is correct, not that the load is powerful. In fact, it's much easier to over-charge or even double-charge a 9mm with faster powders.