B/P 38 special in 1866.

[Will Sellit]

I have been thinking about getting a 1866 in 44/40 however one in 38 special has been offered at a good price.

My question is how well does  B/P 38 special rounds work in a 1866?

I will wait for the 44/40 if the 38 special loads cause problems such as blow baclk and fouling.

Thanks for your help.

[Mako]

Will,
It works great!  Get yourself some SnakeBite Grease Wagons from Springfield Slim

http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/Accessory%20page.htm

They weigh 160gr (158gr by some accounts) and are long, so they fill that lifter up, which is what you want. Fill the case with 3F to allow a minimum of 1/16" of compression and then crimp that bullet hard.  I try for 1/8th" compression.  I use the Lee Factory crimp die (Lees only for crimping, Dillon for everything else) which keeps that case smooth and ready to chamber even with a very hard crimp.

It will go a match without pulling a snake through the barrel and be accurate at the end of 50 rounds.

I found the longer bullet is the best.  I have 4 '66s one s a 20" .38 and it shoots well, makes smoke and makes the steel ring.  I have a .44-40 as well, but the .38 does well as long as you crimp it hard and load it full.  If you load it soft you may get some blow back.  Not to worry though, a full case is a pleasure to shoot and most people will probably think you're shooting a larger caliber.

I have shot it a couple of times this month since I have a surplus of small pistol primers.

Regards,
Mako

[Cuts Crooked]

Ya know.....I never hear much about BP fouling with the 38s. Ain't got a 66, but my 92 in .357 don't foul the action when loaded with BP 38 Specials.

[Jefro]

They work great, 38 Snakebite loaded full of 3f makes plenty of fire and smoke, with less fouling. If you decide not to get the 66 shot me a line, but I think you'll like it. Good Luck.

Jefro

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

 I agree with the Snakebite recommendation, however I don`t have that mould.  I use the RCBS 38-140-CM, and it works great over 18 to 19 gr of FFFg.  The RCBS CM bullet still feeds well, but you can see that it has to push the next round back a bit when the carrier rises.

[Will Sellit]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Great information.
The gentleman with the 38 1866 is on vacation the next few days so it will probably be the end of the week before I get something finalized.

Again, thanks for your help.

[Carolina Lead Foot]

I had the pleasure of shooting with Jefro again on the 4th.  The 38 he shoots with 3f does sound and smokes like a much larger caliber.  My hat off to him in that regard.

Foot of Lead

[Pony Racer]

I have shot a 1873 carbine in 38 for some years now and have been shooting BP for about 5 years now.

1.3cc 3F BP or APP and a 158 grain bullet do very well.  Have not noticed lots of blowback but I also crimp down pretty good on my rounds.

Makes lots of smoke and fire and makes a crisp ding when it hits that steel as long as I do my part aiming.

As Mako explained I have about same set up but use the dillon crimping die vice the lee.

In a two day match I do swab the barrel and lifter down but do not do a complete cleaning and never have an issue with accuracy or operation.

PR

[Jefro]

I had the pleasure of shooting with Jefro again on the 4th.  The 38 he shoots with 3f does sound and smokes like a much larger caliber.  My hat off to him in that regard.

Foot of Lead

Always fun to shoot with you and your full house loads Lead Foot. Yep those 38s loaded with 20gr of 3f  Schuetzen make alota smoke and fire. See ya next month.

Jefro

[Skinny Preacher 66418]

I think you should go with 44/40 or 38/40. With them you will have no blowback. I have a Uberti 73 in 38 wcf and all the mess stays in the barrel.

How if you want the cheaper ammo...38 sql wins hands down.