Question for Commercial Loaders

[Shooting Coach]

As a commercial loader, I just got a request to load a boatload of 38 S&W. Not SPL. but the 38 Short and Weak.

Being a small operation, I use a 1050 for heavy lifting and a pair of 650's for light loading chores.

Nothing doing, according to Dillon. Any ideas out there? I simply don't have the time to fight a half-fast kit cobbled together.

I can live with only loading new brass, like I have ever seen once-fired 38 S&W brass.

[Flexmoney]

Whadda mean..."nothing doing" ???

You can't get dies, change over kit, or what?

[Shooting Coach]

No conversion kits, no dies.

When I was very young, I had a Smith Combat Masterpiece in 38 S&W. Only one I have ever seen in 51 years of shooting.

I used a 9mm die set and 38 Spl shell holder to load it, but this was in the 1950's, and on a single stage.

[High Lord Gomer]

Lee lists a die set for it: http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/dies-pistol.html

Don't know about the 650, but for the 550 Dillon lists shell plate U and locator button 2.

After looking, that is the only caliber that uses the U shell plate.

[laportecharlie]

Years ago I had a S&W Victory in 38 S&W. I got rid of it because of the reloading problems.

Charlie

[dillon]

Depending greatly on what brand of brass you are using, on the 650 you can sometimes get away with the "A" shellplate, purple casefeed adapter for 40 S&W, #2 station one locator, #2 locator buttons, and the "F" powder funnel.

There simply is not enough demand for 38 S&W to justify production for the 650 and 1050 machines. Our biggest customer is the US Army, which uses .38 S&W blanks to power T&P rounds in 40mm.

You might need to tweak the cutouts in the shellplate to fit your brass-your milage may vary

[Shooting Coach]

Dillon has it on the money. I ordered the listed parts along with a Super 38 Dillon size die, a Lee 38 S&W die set (which had a 38 Super size die), and things run smooth as silk. Starline brass works great.

Thanks, Dillon.

[freakshow10mm]

Late to the party, but I load commercially as well. For oddball jobs like this I keep a Lee Classic Turret press on the bench. I load weird stuff like 256 Win Mag and oddball custom loads that I normally don't keep in catalog. A set of Lee shellholders is about $12 and I usually know someone that can borrow me the dies to crank out a couple hundred rounds.