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38 super bulge


Garmil

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Just worked up my major load for my new open gun.

9.4 gr aa#7

1.245 oal

124 pd jhp

170pf

Load feels great and the primers are still nice and round zero pressure signs. I am getting a considerable bulge above the case rim though. I'm using a lee undersized sizing die and the rounds fit easily in the chamber maybe a little loose. Would a standard sizing die possibly decrease the bulge with a tighter fit in the chamber?

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Hey! I think I know the upper you are shooting and noticed the same thing.

I met guy who was using a Tanfo Limited Elite 38 super in limited minor and his gun did the same thing so I think it is how Tanfo reams their chambers (or at least on these two guns). I'll say that was a reliable upper and never had any jams with it..it would run anything that made it into the chamber. I used a Dillon sizer and didn't worry about the U-die as with a U-die you can get hard rings if the brass is bulged. The Dillon has a nice lead in and worked well for me for that gun.

How did it work for you with the AA#7 load?

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If they feed and fire fine, then where in lies the problem?

Feeding and firing fine isn't the problem. Just worried that the bulge gets resized over and over and will get weak.

I guess I'll just see how it goes. I did resize a fired case and it didn't look too bad no real creases or lines left.

Load feels great so far only shot a few over the chrono so time will tell but I think it's going to work. Felt flat not too much recoil in to the hand, very loud though.

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Tanfoglio

I'm running a V12 in 38 and I'll get a little bit of a bulge also.

I'm able to get at least 13+ reloads out of a batch of cases before I start to to see a crack on a few.

If possible try and keep track of some cases, and see how many reloads you can get out of them before you find any problems. That's about all we can do.

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Really doesn't get weak unless you are ridiculous. Gotta let brass go on a regular basis.

What it might do is fail to chamber.

I grind the steel around the carbide ring on my die. So you get the deepest seating with just carbide exposed. Every mm counts.

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Really doesn't get weak unless you are ridiculous. Gotta let brass go on a regular basis.

What it might do is fail to chamber.

I grind the steel around the carbide ring on my die. So you get the deepest seating with just carbide exposed. Every mm counts.

Bill which dies are you using ? And are you just grinding them square across the bottom ?

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Dies that size the lowest are Lee and Hornady.

To me, a U die is something you get only if you need to get one.

I couldn't get major until about 10.0 gn of AA7.

N105 and 3N37 have been better for major, but you're getting great results with only 9.4gn AA7.

Maybe, if worried, you should go to .38 SC cases and you might be able to use a Lee Bulge Buster kit.

I find that the SC case work great in all my .38 Supers, with no adjustment to the extractor.

Edited by noylj
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Really doesn't get weak unless you are ridiculous. Gotta let brass go on a regular basis.

What it might do is fail to chamber.

I grind the steel around the carbide ring on my die. So you get the deepest seating with just carbide exposed. Every mm counts.

Bill which dies are you using ? And are you just grinding them square across the bottom ?

Dillon I think. Probably at least 20 yrs old. Yes expose the carbide ring even a little higher than "even" so you can seat as low as possible

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Is this helpful with the Lee die also?

I think the Lee die is fine the way it is.

On the Dillon, the outer ring extends down just a bit longer than the inside sizing ring.

I run Starline 38 SC brass, and my Dillon dies have worked great for me, sizing everything fine with no issues.

Possibly in the future I might take it down to the carbide sizing ring, as BSeevers did, and see if it makes any difference.

For now I don't want to mess with anything that's been working well for me.

Edited by gunnit
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My carbide ring cracked when I had the bottom of my Dillon die milled down. I may have had it touching the plate a little hard but still....

I know and trust Bseevers word but it didn't work for me. I use LEE standard and Udie when loading certain brass

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Might want to cast the chamber?!

I've never had to do that so can't be much help but doesn't seem like it should be that much over spec.

I've shot a lot of 38SC and never gotten any where close to those dimensions.

The Tanfo guys might be able to give you more info on how the open gun chambers are

I just got a limited (40S&W) and with the same loads I shoot in my Schumann bbl's in 2011.1911 guns

I'm getting the same size fired brass with in a .001. of those so the 40 reamers Tanfo is using are in spec.

I'd maybe go down on your loads and see if it's bulging with lower/low pressure loads

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