Hollow base RN bullet for conversions ??

[Ailean Mac an Daroch]

Is anyone making a round nosed, hollow based bullet to fit the .36 conversions? 

As you probably know, there is a large group of  shooters who have taken to using the conversion cylinders in their percussion BP pistols as it makes life a lot easier.  I am one of them.  However there seems to be no one making a bullet for the host of .36 caliber pistols being converted.  This is a hole in the market which could be easily and, I believe, very profitably filled.  Not all of us want to go and have our barrels relined to .357

The problem is that the barrels of the .36 percussion pistols are usually .375 diameter, while the .38 long colt bullets used in the conversions are .357.  To correct for this disparity, a hollow base can be used which bumps up the diameter on firing - much the same as the old Minie balls.

So plain old HBWC's can be fired (and are!) but the rules want a round nosed bullet, not a wadcutter, or at least something seated above the case rim.

I believe that a 100 to 125 grain round nosed, hollow based bullet for this use would sell very well if cast of soft lead and marketed for this niche.  The lubrication could be normal smokeless powder lube as most of the current black powder substitutes used can abide with that very well. 

A scan of internet sites showed me that there is no competition in this area currently, but the popularity of the R&D conversion cylinders is such that even large supply companies like MIdway.com sell out of them regularly.  Did I miss someone who IS making such a bullet???

I know I would surely be a customer!

Any info on this appreciated.

Ailean

[TAkaho kid]

Yup there is a market,

I use a 240 grain Hollow base cast from a NEI mold for my 45 S&W  Its a great bullet. However, as for mass production they need to be swaged due to the hollow base. (nose pours don't lend themselfs well to mass casting methods) The other alternative is use a heeled, outside lubed bullet as where the originals. These could be cast in mass. It would be great if someone actually started producing cast or swaged bullets of traditional, historicly correct designs.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I see the ads for RAPINE.  they have a HB.  I looked at my NEI catalogue and couldn't find one, but its 2 years old.  Ask them at <nei@columbia-center.org> 

Check out the threads in STORM for heeled bullets in .44 Colt & .38 Long Colt.  If you get the base large enough (.360) they are not that difficult to load.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Ailean,
you can buy them already cast from River Junction Trading company in Iowa, or Buffalo Arms out of Idaho. They are expensive and like others have said here it is much cheaper to cast your own.

Bill

[44caliberkid]

Buffalo Arms carries the Rapine bullet molds too.  They cost $80.

[Ailean Mac an Daroch]

Great info!     I just ordered a bunch from River Junction Trading Co.  Prices are too high, but it's exactly what I was looking for.  Being New Years and all, it'll be a bit to get here, but at least they exist and some are coming.  Thanks!

Ailean

[Dai.S.Loe]

If you want to go period correct then get

.38 Long Colt brass from Starline

and

Mould #176 from NEI.

This is a heel loaded projectile with diameter of .375 150gn (if memory serves)

Using these components you would not have to have the barrel sleeved.

Dai

[Arcey]

>>So plain old HBWC's can be fired (and are!) but the rules want a round nosed bullet, not a wadcutter, or at least something seated above the case rim.<<

In the event someone new to the game is reading.................

There is no SASS rule favoring RN bullets over WCs.  Every bullet is seated 'above the case rim'.  It would be difficult, at best, to seat a bullet below the rim of a cartridge case.  What is frowned upon is a bullet seated below the leading edge, or case mouth.  A cartridge with a 'recessed bullet'.

Never take my word for anything.  Look it up yourself.

..

[Galloway]

So what do most people use in these conversions? Could you use factory 38lc which is a 357 diameter? I also see they make a 38 special conversion, what would happen if you loaded a regular 158gr lswc? Would this be dangerous or just inaccurate?

[Hell-Er High Water]

Midway sells Remington, 148 grain hollow base wad cutter bullets at $32.49 / 1000, + shipping.  Midway's description does not note that these are hollow base bullets, but if you go to the technical description noted in the bullet listing it says these have a deep hollow base.  I have used these in the past in 38 Special revolvers and they are a very accurate bullet.

Just because it is a wad cutter, it doesn't mean that it has to be seated flush with the case mouth.  It can be seated out just like any other bullet.  We are not looking for a round that will feed smoothly through a rifle here so the sharp nose is not a problem.

You might give these a try either in 38 Long Colt cases or in 38 Special cases seated to a suitable OAL cartridge length to fit the cylinder.

HHW

[Grapeshot]

Years ago I purchased a Corbin swage machine and dies to make hollow based .45 and .357 bullets to shoot in Black Powder revolvers.  Corbin will make a set on bullet swaging dies to work in presses like the RCBS Rockchucker for bullets up to .458 diameter.  I'm at work so I don't have my reference books available but I have seen their ads in most of the gun mags and especially in Handloader Magazine put out by Wolfe Publications.

Corbin Manufacturing's website is www.corbins.com

Might bit expensive, but you can cold form lead to whatever design you want as Corbin will do custom dies as well as their standard stock.

Hope this helps.