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I've seen conversion cylinders for .36 cal c&b revolvers in .38 Colt (or Long Colt if you will). I know the .38 Colt uses a hollow-base heeled bullet that can be hard to find and finicky to reload, or so I've been told.
I recall running into someone at my range shooting one of these and I keep thinking he told me a roundball could be loaded in the case instead of the hollow-base heeled bullet for plinking purposes.
Am I mis-remembering or confusing this with plinking loads for other calibers? If I am remembering correctly, I would imagine I'd be looking at a .375" roundball?
What about in a .38 Special chambered conversion or Open-Top? Same thing?
Am I crazy (another topic actually... ) or are these ideas feasible?
Thanks!
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
If it is a true conversion, .375" RB would be correct except, it is too big for the case. The cap-n-balls used the .375" RB and the heeled bullet was that diameter ahead of the heel (well, roughly so) hence the .38 caliber designation. Later the .38 Long Colt had an inside lubricated bullet of .358" diameter and was lengthened to make the .38 S&W Special then again to make the .357 Magnum and then again to make the .360 DW and then again to make the .357 Maximum (or .38 Extra Long a ways back before the .357 Magnum depending on which time-line you want to follow). Confused?
I think you're probably going to have to use a .350" RB to fit inside the case and it will "rattle" down the bore. If I'm wrong, I hope somebody who knows will say so. However, logic says I'm right.
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
awp101 wrote:I've seen conversion cylinders for .36 cal c&b revolvers in .38 Colt (or Long Colt if you will). I know the .38 Colt uses a hollow-base heeled bullet that can be hard to find and finicky to reload, or so I've been told.
I recall running into someone at my range shooting one of these and I keep thinking he told me a roundball could be loaded in the case instead of the hollow-base heeled bullet for plinking purposes.
Am I mis-remembering or confusing this with plinking loads for other calibers? If I am remembering correctly, I would imagine I'd be looking at a .375" roundball?
What about in a .38 Special chambered conversion or Open-Top? Same thing?
Am I crazy (another topic actually... ) or are these ideas feasible?
Thanks!
That's the hard way to do it. Just use swaged hollow-base wadcutters. They will bump up and shoot just fine.
I didn't even want to do that so these two are relined to 357.
Thanks, I suspected I had my recollections crosswired!
NKJ, can I get the hollow base wadcutters already swaged or is it a DIY proposition? (I really should know the answer to that but I'm blanking out... ) I'm thinking about one of the .36 cal Remington 1858s from Taylor's and Co with the .38 Special conversion cylinder as well if that makes a difference.
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
The modern made replicas, like the 1872 Open Top and the Conversions, that are chambered in the 38 long colt all use the modern version of the round, which uses a standard 38 special .357 bullet. Ten-X and others load this round for CAS. I have used it in my Open Tops with a 158 grain bullet. Nice round, actually.
If you are going to use it in a converted capper, save yourself the aggravation, and have the bore relined to .357 by Nate!
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a Vet! COMNAVFORV, Vietnam 68-70
NRA Life, SASS Life, Banjo picking done cheap!
I tend to answer the question asked so, I didn't mention the HBWCs. glad Steve brought it up. Hornady makes them and you can get them from MidwayUSA, Natchez, Graf, and probably your local shop (although they might have to order them). You don't want to reline the bore IF you are going to switch back and forth between percussion and cartridge cylinders. If you reline the bore to .358, then the percussion cylinder will still be .375" ball and not suitable for the relined barrel.
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Hobie wrote:I tend to answer the question asked so, I didn't mention the HBWCs. glad Steve brought it up. Hornady makes them and you can get them from MidwayUSA, Natchez, Graf, and probably your local shop (although they might have to order them). You don't want to reline the bore IF you are going to switch back and forth between percussion and cartridge cylinders. If you reline the bore to .358, then the percussion cylinder will still be .375" ball and not suitable for the relined barrel.
Yep, Hornady makes a great soft lead swadged HBWC. I have an 8" switch barrel Dan wesson I use for years for a 50yd plate game we played here. 38'spec cases loaded with 2.8 grs. of bullseye and they would chew a half/dollar size hole at 50 yds if I did my part.
I use those two conversions above for CAS, shooting way too many rounds for a special load like the HBWC's. Mostly Black powder so I don't know just how well those would work. no grease grooves. That's why I relined to 357.
Well, Nate beat me to it, but yes, I will second the Hornady HB wad cutters. I've loaded them and shot em in my old Colt 1901 with good results. Even mild loads (preferable for this old revolver) will obturate the very thin skirts on these bullets. And they don't lead the bore either.
I use these with all of my older revolvers - 32 S&W, 38 S&W in particular.
You should be able to find 148 grain Hollow Based Wadcutters at any place that sells reloading supplies. I've generally used Hornady bullets, but Speer and others also make them.
Unless you feel you just HAVE to convert the revolver you have, why not just buy a Cimmaron Arms Mason-Richards conversion of the Navy Colt already chambered for .38 Special? At least you have a six-gun with a real rear sight rather than just a notch in the hammer nose.
FWIW, I have a Cimmarron Mason-Richards .38 SPL on the shelf over my computer as I type.
Doc Hudson, OOF, IOFA, CSA, F&AM, SCV, NRA LIFE MEMBER, IDJRS #002, IDCT, King of Typoists
Doc Hudson wrote:Unless you feel you just HAVE to convert the revolver you have, why not just buy a Cimmaron Arms Mason-Richards conversion of the Navy Colt already chambered for .38 Special? At least you have a six-gun with a real rear sight rather than just a notch in the hammer nose.
Something like that may very well end up in the safe some day. In the meantime, I just enjoy have both methods of fire available in the same frame. I find them enjoyable.
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
The original bullewts for the .38 Long or Short Colt were not a hollowbase. The hollowbase came later when they changed the bullet diameter and needed to use a hollowbase to get a good seal. As Steve said a full wadcutter will work and seal the bore fine. You can also buy the correct heeled solid base bullets from GAD reloading supply. I cast mine from a old Ideal tong tool which drops the correct sloid base heeled bullets.
GAD sells reloaded ammo, or just the bullets. http://www.gadcustomcartridges.com/
marlinman93 wrote:The original bullewts for the .38 Long or Short Colt were not a hollowbase. The hollowbase came later when they changed the bullet diameter and needed to use a hollowbase to get a good seal. As Steve said a full wadcutter will work and seal the bore fine. You can also buy the correct heeled solid base bullets from GAD reloading supply. I cast mine from a old Ideal tong tool which drops the correct sloid base heeled bullets.
GAD sells reloaded ammo, or just the bullets. http://www.gadcustomcartridges.com/
Gads, good info. I have several old odd cal bulldogs I had thought about swaging some round ball down to heel bullets. But these folks have just what I need.
Nate Kiowa Jones wrote:
Gads, good info. I have several old odd cal bulldogs I had thought about swaging some round ball down to heel bullets. But these folks have just what I need.
Nice grouping!
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
) or are these ideas feasible?
) I'm thinking about one of the .36 cal Remington 1858s from Taylor's and Co with the .38 Special conversion cylinder as well if that makes a difference.
