Melt em or Load em?

Hello the Group,
I recently came in possession of one thousand 200gn lrn meant for the 38 S&W. They measure .361". I'm considering resizing to .357" and loading in 38spl casing. Since I didn't see any recent data on the 200gn LRN I'm thinking of starting at 2.5gn of Universal or maybe 3.3gns of Unique an working up from there. OR... Melting them down and turning them into something useful. These are not the old Police projectiles I remember. They are the same shape as the old 200gn 38 S&W.
Thoughts and suggestions?

You may be able to get a better trade as the larger diameter bullets are harder to come by for someone wanting to load for a .38 S&W. Commercial bullets or cast?/beagle

If you wish to load them in 38 Specials, Lyman used to make a 195 grain boolit, the 358-430 (mine cast closer to 205 grains--I never used Lyman No.2, just wheel weights). In their 45th Edition, they listed 2.0-2.7 grains of Bullseye, or 3.0-4.1 grains of Unique. The recommended accuracy load was 3.6 grains of Unique.

In the 357, they suggest 5.5 grains of Unique with the same boolit for accuracy @ 942 FPS. The heavy bullet "Super Police" loads have long since fallen from favor, due to relatively poor penetration on automobiles, but they're fun to play with.

I loaded them Hercules 2400 but don’t remember how much. They are slow but fun on steel targets!

If you do decide to resize those bullets it's recommended that cast bullets be around .001" above groove size. Sizing to .358 (at the smallest) would be better than .357" If you size the bullets too small you can get barrel leading.

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Originally Posted by 22plinker

Hello the Group,
I recently came in possession of one thousand 200gn lrn meant for the 38 S&W. They measure .361". I'm considering resizing to .357" and loading in 38spl casing. Since I didn't see any recent data on the 200gn LRN I'm thinking of starting at 2.5gn of Universal or maybe 3.3gns of Unique an working up from there. OR... Melting them down and turning them into something useful. These are not the old Police projectiles I remember. They are the same shape as the old 200gn 38 S&W.
Thoughts and suggestions?

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You have a lucky score of about 28 pounds of lead. You can go to the trouble of developing a load that, once they're gone, you won't ever use again, or you can slag them down to work in with your usual stuff.

Unless you have a pal with one of the sturdier .38SW's such as a WWII Webley, Enfield, K-frame Smith, or an Indian-market Ruger that was created with the 200 grain loads in mind, I'd suggest you just melt 'em.

If these are not lubed, you should lube them before trying to resize to maintain some of the lube grooves. I might even go as far as tumble lubing also after sizing.

Don't get into a rush sizing those. Drop one in a cylinder, and see how tight it is. You want them to fit the cylinder so you can push them through with a little pressure with a pencil. I suspect you will need .358-.359. I can imagine .357 diameter would result in serious leading, with little accuracy.

Don't waste such a great opportunity--
This is the perfect reason why you now 'need' to get an old Webley revolver.

I would melt them but then I dont shoot 38sp much, & prefer a good 158gr swc.

There is not a thing wrong with melting them down into something you can use. But if you do not need the alloy, you might prepare a dust free container and put them on a shelf. You have a thousand bullets, just waiting to be used as sized, or sized smaller if you wish. You can use that bullet weight in a lot of different applications and a sizer die is always cheaper than a new bullet mold if you later have a need for the heavy 38 cal bullet.

You are in a position to "try before you buy" and that can be a good position.

Rule #1 - Never squander a great excuse to buy a handgun you don't have .

1,000 cast boolits is the Perfect Excuse to buy a 38 S&W and loading dies !

You will need to size them down .004" to go from .361" to .357" and that may be too much down sizing .

Cast boolits have a long shelf life , don't eat any hay and don't require rent money ... And you just never know what the future will bring ... some one who needs 38 S&W boolits or a 38 S&W may drop into your lap and then you will need those boolits .

I had a set of 9mm Luger dies for 40+ years , just hung onto them ...
one day about 10 years ago my Daddy walks in and hands me a 1944 Walther P38 and says ..."here ...you take this , I don't need it any more ." and Wah-Lah ... I needed them 9mm Luger dies and there they were !
Don't be in a rush to get rid of anything bought and paid for ... it will keep and be cheaper than if you have to go out and buy New !

My 38 S&W is a S&W DA 38 S&W 4th model top break , it was my Grandfather's ...my mom gave it to me afier he passed ... you just never know what will come into your life or when .
Hang onto those boolits .


Gary

I would sell them. They have more value as bullets than the lead you will recover. Not worthwhile to find a load to use them up. Worst advice is to buy a gun that can use them unless you really want some oddball thing…and then you need to buy brass, mold, sizing die, and reloading dies to feed a new toy.

I would sell or trade them for 1000 proper 358 cast bullets on the for sale forum here. If you don't want to get a 38 S&W then there are plenty of 38 S&W shooters here that might want them.

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Originally Posted by dverna

I would sell them. They have more value as bullets than the lead you will recover. Not worthwhile to find a load to use them up. Worst advice is to buy a gun that can use them unless you really want some oddball thing…and then you need to buy brass, mold, sizing die, and reloading dies to feed a new toy.

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Yeah ... Isn't it Great how all that works ... and if you are a hoarding Pack-Rat like me ... you have all that stuff saved up and waiting for the day !

Pack-Rat :drinks: Hoarder ... we go hand in hand !

Gary

If you have to talk yourself into loading and shooting them, melt them down. Pour two pot fulls and turn them into something you want to load. That’s why we do what we do as casters.
Willie

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

Don't waste such a great opportunity--
This is the perfect reason why you now 'need' to get an old Webley revolver.

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+1.

@wakesupi @gwpercle
Well, I had already sized to .357 when I read all the other better options... In any case I loaded up three variations. Shot all from a Ruger Security Six 4":
1> 2.8gn Bullseye 10 rounds average 726fps no sign of leading
2> 3.3gn Unique 10 rounds average 739fps no leading
3> 3.3gn Universal 10 rounds 760fps and now seeing leading
SO,
I think gwpercle must have some serious connections in NC. Local gun/pawn had a very clean S&W Model 33-1 ( I think from the early 80"s) with two boxes of reloads. It followed me home where I disassembled the reloads for the brass. Some days the magic is with you and some days it's agin ya. Yesterday it was with me. If the mods allow it I've attached the pics. So now I have a life time supply of ammo for the little guy.
Thanks to the group for all the help. It's nice to pop into a group and not get smashed.
If the mods don't allow it yet I'll keep participating till I can upload photos. I think I did well and the gun is in great condition. I'm happy.
Attachment 324918

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Originally Posted by 22plinker

If the mods don't allow it

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Welcome to the site.
I'm sure you'll be made to feel more than welcome here.
You are a full member with the full allotment of storage space for pictures and Private Messages.
Probably the only restriction is the 30/30 rule for selling items in the Selln' & Swappn' section.
It's set up that way to try and keep as many scammers out as possible.
Want To Buy is open to all, but the selling part is for members over 30 days and over 30 meaninful posts.

Check out the Terms of Service (TOS) at the top of the page.
You'll see the site has basically no tolerance for problem children and general rudeness.

We're all looking forward to hanging out with ya here.
If you have any issues or questions, feel free to contact any of the moderators.
Most issues and problems are addressed and fixed within a hour or two.

You handled that well!

Willie T