JamesLovesJammie

Okay then, umm.... From now on, I'm going to go by "The Enchanting Wizard or Rhythm". Yeah. That sounds kinda cool at least.

Hey...I think I know some of those girls!

Thanks for all the quick replies! Actually, I would prefer a long, in depth post to anything else. I am by no means new to reloading, but there just isn't a lot of data out there for an outdated...call it obsolete cartridge. My "Cartridges of the World, 9th edition" has the .38 short and long colt in the same paragraph and the only listing is a factory load with 770 fps with a 150 lead bullet. Not very helpful. Sierra and Lee loading manuals don't even list it. Doug, I also started on shooters.com. That was the first gun forum that I began to frequent. I really miss that site. I have about 700 pages of information I printed out on topics that interested me at the time. I was in college, and paper and printing was free. I probably learned more from that site that I did in college! Bill, thanks for the info! I'll probably pick up some powder this weekend! Carmoney, I've been reading quite a few posts and I thank you for all the informative replies! You kept me from wasting money on a C&S extended firing pin! Thanks again! James

I've noticed that many people on here use .38 short colt rounds for competition. I've got a couple of questions. What I have noticed is that many people use 124 to 130 grain .355/.356 bullets. Why not use a 125 grain .357/.358 bullet instead? I've slugged my barrel and it comes out to .357, and I often use .358 cast bullets with great accuracy. Wouldn't a smaller 9mm class bullet have too much blowby to be very accurate? I wouldn't think a smaller lead bullet would slug up to the barrel, especially with a bevel base design. Am I even in the right ballpark here? Secondly, are the 9mm and .38 short colt roughly the same case capacity? Could 9mm data be used with the proper bullet if used in a .357 magnum since the 9mm and .357 are both 35,000 psi loads? Finally, are 9mm and .38 short colt the same length? Could I use a lee trimmer for a 9mm with a .38 special shell holder to trim .38 special brass into .38 short colt brass? I know .357 shouldn't be used because it is thicker toward the base than .38 special. Thanks for the help everyone! Sorry I have so many questions, but I am just getting into compeition and am lurking and reading as much as I can! James

Bill, Have you done any more testing? Have you tried a different firing pin, such as the Cylinder and Slide extended one?

Thanks for the replies, guys! I come from more of a target/long range/handgun hunting background. My current gun is a 8 3/8" 686-5 that I shoot quite well. I have had a PDP3 on it since 2001 that I just took off to start shooting ICORE. I realize that this gun in pretty long for this type of game, and I was looking at having a 5 or 6" barrel put on it. With a shorter barrel, I was thinking of getting thinner sights to help facilitate a more accurate hold. I have been shooting at a new range at 20 yards and have only been able to shoot around 4" groups offhand. When I shoot outdoors at 25 yards, I can cut them to 2.5-3". I have a hard time with the factory red ramp indoors. My gun doesn't have interchangable front sights. I am aware that different sights/barrel combos would put me in open, but so would a different barrel. Other things planned are a moonclip conversion, Nill grips, trigger job, forcing cone cut for cast bullets and set to .004". Anyone see any problems with any of these choices? I am totally open to opinions and options. Thanks again! I do appreciate all the comments so far! James

Any revolver guys out there using these with a trigger job?

I have never used/seen one in person, but I am considering getting an Aristocrat sight rib on a 686 for use in ICORE/IPSC. What do you guys think? Can a target get acquired quickly by them, or are they only better if long range is used, ie. Bullseye or PPC? Do they work well indoors and outdoors? We shoot matches both. I love the look of the sight and matching underlug! They just look sophisticated! Thanks for your help! James

Here's mine! I use it for hunting and target shooting. It does best with 180 grain Hornady XTP's in front of a stout charge of 2400.