tiger49931 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Ok so i see alot of talk on here about 38 sc, 38 super, 38 colt ,38 spl etc what are you shooting and at what power factor is needed for USPSA . (125K yes?) Im just getting ready to order brass and moonclips i decided what kind of brass and what style moon clips but i am holding out on the caliber til after a little consensuses here. So what are you all shooting 38 short colt , 38 special, 38 long colt , 357 mag. and at what power factor. I just dont want to buy 1000 38 special and find out i should have gone with 38 short colt because its the new "IT" cartridge for uspsa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hearthco clips .38SC brass 160RN Bayou, BBI or SNS bullets Load to 135 PF Call it a day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Just got my setup the way I like it early this year with the same gun, a S&W 627 PC 5 inch. Here is my load: Case: 38 Short Colt, Starline Primer: Federal Small Pistol Bullet: 160gr RN IbejiHeads (Sized 0.358) OAL: 1.190 inch Powder: Titegroup 3.3gr Ave Velocity: 881fps Power Factor: 139 ETA: I am a cheapskate and running Revolver Supply 0.025" thick moonclips Edited July 30, 2014 by mcb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger49931 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 ya been hearing alot about short colt brass but when i found loaded short colt they were all 90 grain so i was a little confused. but short colt brass and 160 gr is what i have been hearing the most so far both here and on other forums. starline brass is what im ordering . what are you guys getting for accuracy ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 38 short colt 160 Bayou, f100, Clays, 1.170 oal, taper .370 845f/s 135 PF. Very accurate load in my gun, shoots soft and no smoke. With this load the velocities get erratic at lower power factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Accuracy seems to vary from gun to gun, but I suspect it's over crimping that causes a lot of folks problems. My 686-0 shoots pretty well even with X-Treme 147 plated. You can think of .38SC as just a 9mm only with a rim on it. And you are loading .357 or .358 bullets that are a bit heavier. These are with 160 Bayou loaded up to about 138PF with e3. I'm sure the 2 high flyers were me. 12 round group at about 28 yards: Edited July 30, 2014 by Shadowrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No.343 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I bought SC, LC and SP brass when I first got my 627. SC brass works great for me. If I could only buy one kind of brass I think it would be LC. We have some great reviews of SC here in the forum, but I have heard first hand accounts from folks I trust who had problems with SC brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatJones Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 In a 5" 627PC: Remington 38 special brass 158 grain LRN from Colorado Cast Bullets Federal small pistol match primers Whatever powder I can currently get. Right now I'm using 4.5 grains of Unique. I use a traditional roll crimp from RCBS dies. It makes 134 power factor and holds X ring at 25 with room to spare. My moon clips are made by a local machinist and appear to be TK copies. They are sized for Remington brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWP Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) 38 Short Colt, extremely similar to 9mm load data. Most guys are using heavy bullets, 142 grains and up, with a fast powder. Round nose is a huge plus, and the heavier the better for reloads. 132-136pf seems common. Starline brass with Hearthco clips fitted to starline brass, and some guys are using TKs clips too. Factory short colt is a pretty light load, our 627s and modern brass can take a little more pressure than early guns designed around short colt were. Edited July 30, 2014 by MWP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 PC 627 38 Super 147 gr. Black Bullets Intl 4.0 gr. N-320 Nickel Plated Starline Brass Moon Clips custom made for Starline brass 135 PF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 38 Short Colt, extremely similar to 9mm load data. Most guys are using heavy bullets, 142 grains and up, with a fast powder. Round nose is a huge plus, and the heavier the better for reloads. 132-136pf seems common. Starline brass with Hearthco clips fitted to starline brass, and some guys are using TKs clips too. Factory short colt is a pretty light load, our 627s and modern brass can take a little more pressure than early guns designed around short colt were. I chrono'ed some Remington Factory 38 Short Colt in my 627. 125gr RN lead, made a whopping 77PF (616fps). They would not even go through the front of and old rusty 55 gallon drum. Pretty funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Just got my setup the way I like it early this year with the same gun, a S&W 627 PC 5 inch. Here is my load:Case: 38 Short Colt, StarlinePrimer: Federal Small PistolBullet: 160gr RN IbejiHeads (Sized 0.358)OAL: 1.190 inchPowder: Titegroup 3.3grAve Velocity: 881fpsPower Factor: 139ETA: I am a cheapskate and running Revolver Supply 0.025" thick moonclips Is there a definable difference going with .358's vs. .357's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Just got my setup the way I like it early this year with the same gun, a S&W 627 PC 5 inch. Here is my load:Case: 38 Short Colt, StarlinePrimer: Federal Small PistolBullet: 160gr RN IbejiHeads (Sized 0.358)OAL: 1.190 inchPowder: Titegroup 3.3grAve Velocity: 881fpsPower Factor: 139ETA: I am a cheapskate and running Revolver Supply 0.025" thick moonclips Is there a definable difference going with .358's vs. .357's? Not much difference that I could tell but I have not really shot it over a rest as distance. The first batch of the 160gr RN were their 38 Super 0.357 and they seem to shoot as good as the next batch I ordered when they added 0.358 sizing. Certainly didn't shoot worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art mc Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Heavier bullets going slower, better recoil, no leading and great accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFO Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 .38 Short Colt 160gr Bayou Bullet Federal Primers Alliant ClayDot 2.8gr = 806fps 129pf - preferred load for ICORE (120pf min) 2.9gr = 848fps 136pf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I load all my short colts hot enough that they make 134ish PF out of my slowest gun (which happens to be my 6.5" 27-7, oddly enough). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger49931 Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Hearthco clips .38SC brass 160RN Bayou, BBI or SNS bullets Load to 135 PF Call it a day... SC IS SHORT COLT NOT SUPER COMP YES? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelGunHunter Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 38 short colt using 4.3 grains of Win 231 and Montana gold 142 grain bullets at 1.140 inches making 132 PF at the lowest velocity in the group. or 38 short colt with bayou 160's using 3.0 grains of N310 at 1.170 only making 129 PF. From my experience I personally would not recommend N310 for 38 short colt it is too fast for the heavier bullets I use to even make 130 PF without pressure issues. Also, when developing a loadd for short colt start low and work up with a chronograph. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWP Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Yes, short colt, not super comp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Hearthco clips .38SC brass 160RN Bayou, BBI or SNS bullets Load to 135 PF Call it a day... SC IS SHORT COLT NOT SUPER COMP YES? Yes, .38 Short Colt it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
varminter22 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 M627 .38 Short Colt (Starline) 147 Xtreme or 142 Mont Gold Fed small pistol 3.3 gr Tite Group OAL: ~ 1.080" PF: 127 (as I recall) I probably should increase the powder charge a bit as PF127 doesn't provide much comfort factor at a USPSA chrono stage. But plenty good for ICORE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Freeman Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I was shooting Short Colt with 142 Montana Golds. I finished up my 627 career shooting 38 Medium Colt (Long Colt trimmed to 38 Super length) with 142 Montana Golds and 147 Extremes. I had really good luck with Titegroup loaded to about a 135 pf. Best advice I can give is to get Starline brass, HearthCo moonclips made for Starline, and a BMT moonclip loader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger49931 Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 got the BMT coming and ill get the hearthco but for now and practice i got the TK clips .025 starline brass and imma find the 160's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Just a heads up - Starline has 38 Short Colt brass in stock now (they were out for a few months). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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