38 super bullet diameter

[milesahead60]

I recently purchased the new Kimber in 38 super but can't seem to verify what bullet diameter I should use for reloading.  My manuals list this caliber from .355-.357.  Has 38 super really become standardized at .355 in all modern guns?  Or are we looking at slugging the barrel to be sure?

[kbear38S]

.355s or .356s will work. .356s use a tenth or two less powder but there's a wider variety of bullets available in .355s which is what I'm shooting now. I'd stay away from .357s except maybe in lead.

[Tree Rat]

How do you like that Kimber? Stainless Target?

Tree Rat.

[Hawkster]

       

        I use .355's in my .38 super. Only jacketed bullets personally.

[milesahead60]

I've ordered the Stainless Target as well but it is back ordered 4 weeks at the distributor.  This is the Pro Carry HD, all stainless, 4 inch bull barrel.  I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.  I'll let you know how it is when I can get a wider selection of ammo.  All the dealer had was +P loads at this point.

I plan to use both guns for IDPA and maybe shoot minor limited 10 IPSC.

[BSeevers]

I like .355 any brand/weight stays close to zero.

.356 impact 3 inches to right and low

[Kyle Norris]

All the factory 38 Super loads you'll find will be stamped +P. This is the result of a desperate(and probably in vain) attempt to keep these rounds out of guns chambered in 38 Auto, which uses a case almost identical in outside dimensions, but is loaded to MUCH lower pressures. The result of firing a Super in a 38 auto is less than pleasant to say the least...

[Philip Dedmon]

I have 3 38 Super pistols. Two of them have Wilson barrerls and the third has a Caspian (Storm Lake). All of them like .355 diameter bullets.

[para man]

I have a .38 super..

Beleive it or not it shoots .357

It has a clark barrel and shoots them very well

[Duane Thomas]

Lead bullets are typically sized .001" over the jacketed equivalent. Thus .355" in jacketed and .356" for lead would be correct. .357" is intended for .38/.357 revolvers and it's generally accepted raises pressures way too much to fire safely in 9mm/.38 Super chambered autos.

(Edited by Duane Thomas at 5:43 pm on April 24, 2002)

[para man]

Duane,

I myself have never fired the .357 trough my super..

I have just recently purchased the gun..The man I got it from shoot .357 through it all the time with no problems.

Although I will probably replace the barrel and shoot .355 or .356 just to be safe...

[Duane Thomas]

Probably not necessary to replace the barrel! Frankly if I were the previous owner I'd have been more worried about blowing a casing through excess pressure inside the cartridge with this practice than anything else (trying to force an oversized bullet down the bore raises pressures immensely), especially with a high intensity number like the .38 Super. Just go .355" for jacketed and .356" for lead, and load within the manual and you should be okay.

(Edited by Duane Thomas at 4:50 pm on April 29, 2002)

[gm iprod]

I totally agree with Duane, use .355 Jacketed or .356 Lead. But slug your barrel in cas there is a problem.

I have an OLD!! CZ75 that has a .357" barrel. So i have to use .357" Lead. Works fine for an old piece.

[Clark]

Fat bullets in small bores does not cause an increase in peak pressure.

This is not intuative, until you think in the time domain. The increased pressure spike to swage a bullet into a smaller bore may be 8,000 psi, but if this does not occur concurrently with the peak chamber pressure, the peak pressure does not change.

This phenomeina of large bullets working in a small bore without pressure spikes is documanted in P.O. Ackley 1966 "Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders Vol 2" chapter 7

"additional pressure tests":

"..30 cal barrel pressure barrel was fitted to the test gun, but the neck and throat was enlarged to accept the 8mm bullet, with the bore remaining the standard 30 caliber. A Remington factory 30-06 cartridge with the 150 gr bullet had been tested and previously gave 57,300 psi, for a velocity of 3030 fps. The the bullets were pulled from two more

Remingtom 150 grain cartridges and were replaced with 8mm 150 grain bullets. To everyone's surprise, although the velocity was rather erratic, these loads averaged 2901

fps, with a pressure of 40,700 psi."

I have personally tested this:

8mm bullets in 303 Brit

.458 bullets in .410

.429 bullets in 10.6mm

.358" LSWC in 38 Supercomp

[para man]

Thank You

[cukrus]

Clark, right on!  Something else to consider is the concept of "nominal" i.e. so-called, bullet diameter.  A nominal .357" jacketed bullet usually mics .356" but any particular batch may mic from .355" to .357" in my limited experience.  Cast bullets from the same mold will vary enough in size due to changes in alloy composition and casting  temperature to be evident when sizing and lubing let alone with a mic.  I don't notice any difference or worry about this when shooting, but I will tend to load the smaller bullets for the 9mm's and the larger bullets in the .38 Supers and appropriate revolvers.  By the way, my S&W Model 52 (.38 Special) slugs smaller than my .38 Supers.

The pressure needed to swage a lead bullet through a tight barrel is way less than "8,000 pounds", less than 5% of that, or you'd have a hard time slugging a barrel.

(Edited by cukrus at 11:09 am on April 30, 2002)