The .38 Super is a great cartridge, but requires a bit of extra care in loading. It is fairly hot to start with, and is frequently loaded even hotter. It is sensitive to bullet seating depth, and can easily be loaded in such a manner that bullets can become deep seated during the chambering cycle of the pistol. I have one such case I keep on my reloading bench as a reminder: it has a great bulge near the base and the primer is expanded to about large pistol primer size. Luckily, the pistol did not come apart.
The key to avoiding this problem is an expander plug that is not too large. It should be well under bullet diameter, and the loaded rounds should have a definite hour glass shape. Pushing the loaded round nose first on the reloading bench as hard as you can by hand should result in no (zero; nada) bullet movement into the case.
Most of my loads used Winchester 540 and 571 powders. There are better choices today, so I won't quote loads, but you can get full .357 Magnum performance with this cartridge. It is a great medium game round, with proper bullets.
Take care now, ya hear?
The key to avoiding this problem is an expander plug that is not too large. It should be well under bullet diameter, and the loaded rounds should have a definite hour glass shape. Pushing the loaded round nose first on the reloading bench as hard as you can by hand should result in no (zero; nada) bullet movement into the case.
Most of my loads used Winchester 540 and 571 powders. There are better choices today, so I won't quote loads, but you can get full .357 Magnum performance with this cartridge. It is a great medium game round, with proper bullets.
Take care now, ya hear?
