''mentioning the fact that, with the exceptionof the swaged single-bullet loading,these off-beat bullets present difficultyduring the handloading operation. Thehollow-based wadcutter on the otherhand, is easily turned around and seated.The standard wadcutter seating stemworks well, and there is if anything, lesstrouble involved in seating the bulletbackwards than may at times be encounteredwhen you're attempting to introducethe skirted end into a case mouth.A good balance between expansion andthe all-important matter of sufficient bulletweight is found in the 15%-grain jacketedsoft-nosed, hollow-pointed bulletsuch as made by Hornady, Remingtonand Speer. Most recent handloading experimentshave involved the use of Remington'sversion, their number 2938.The energy transfer capability is nearlyas great as with the inverted hollow-basedbullets and the extra ten grains of heftspeaks for itself. There is some gain inpenetration and also on the plus side,barrel leading is reduced because of thecopper jacket. The 158-grainer, loaded toa velocity of around 900 feet per secondwill prove itself effective in the .38 Special,whether your quest is small game ormetallic silhouettes.If speaking of metallic silhouette shooting,you're seeking no more than to knockover members of that magnetic menagerie,and if, perchance, you choose to tryyour luck with a favorite 38 Special inthe production class competition, it iswell to consider the 200-grain roundnosedbullet. It is significant here thatthis heavier bullet, because of its inherentlybetter flight properties, will retainmore wallop out where the turkeys andrams are lurking. For most any other purposehowever, the 200-grain round-noseis not as effective.You can listen to someone else and getanother story as far as bullet weights andeffectiveness in the .38 Special goes. Jointhe light-bullet, high-velocity culture ifyou've a mind to, then devote a few yearsto experimenting with loads and observingthe results. There's every chanceyou'll abandon the lightweights and comeback to those with greater substance beforeyou find the practical performanceyou seek.My minimum weight recommendationis 140 grains in the .38 Special. Speer'sjacketed hollow-point can be loaded tospeeds in excess of 900 to 1000 feet persecond and slightly more without reachingdangerous pressure levels. The bulletthus reaches respectable energy levelsand more important, is well rated when itcomes to transferring its energy effectively.The 140 also boasts an ability tomaintain stability somewhat better thanthose that weigh less.Revolver handloads for the .38 Specialare assembled with greater ease andperhaps fewer eccentricities than anyother handgun around. There is still theneed to take some facts into account. Forexample, the Speer people caution thatthey do not recommend heavier loadswith hollow-base bullets due to the possibilityof bullet deformation which couldresult in gun damage. The admonitionshould be honored. However, it does notapply to the same bullet when it is inverted.There also is a recommendationto avoid low-velocity loads with 146 and160-grain half-jacketed bullets due to thelikelihood of having the jacket separatefrom the lead and remain in the barrel. Itis appropriate then, to heed the warningsand avoid light loads with the bulletsmentioned. I have never had a iadketseparation, at least within the barrel, witha swaged, half-jacketed bullet. It couldhappen nonetheless, and you know whatthey say about an ounce of caution.As anyone who has ever handloadedthe .38 Special for revolver use knows,new or once-fired cases can be countedon for several re-uses, especially if lightto-moderatecharges are loaded. There is,as usual, a recommendation to avoidover-working the brass through too muchmouth expansion and full-length resizing.4 As far as trim length is concerned, onlyconsistency of length is of much importance,the length being critical primarilyto the amount of crimp that is set fromround to round.As far as primers are concerned, thoseused in these test firings were Remingtonnumber 1% for small pistol and revolverhandloads. I have determined no materialadvantage in the use of magnum primerswith the propellants listed since theyburn as cleanly and efficiently withstandard primers.The propellants themselves are all ofthe small-granule, free-metering type, aproperty that is important when chargeweight variations can make a big differencein load performance.The question of effectiveness with the.38 Special cartridge-whether thehull is shortened or loaded at standardlength-has resolved itself to the amountof thought the handloader devotes tochoosing the right bullet. Properly fed,the old .38 can amount tosomething special.È"- IME GUNS U,6 IR RIB"PPC GUNS BUILT 1" BULL BARRELSHANDGUN BARRELS RELINEDHANDGUN CYLINDERS RECHAMBEREDJAY SCOTI GRIPS h COLT PACTS - $10 MIN.ShW SIGHTS INSTALLED ON COLT SLIDESShW MOD. 28 TO 44 SPECIAL 6 45 L.C. SEND LARGE'3.A.S.E." FOR 1BROCHURE6" PYTHON BARRELS $49.00 PREPAIDID-LINE GUNS3727 JENNINGS ROADST. LOUIS. MO. 631211-314-383-3907SCHWARZLOSE(Continued from page 33)from the rear of the breech casing. Thesear may also be removed from beneaththe striker head.The trigger spring is located under thebarrel unit. To remove the spring, theslide piece myst be drawn back, underpressure frohrthe spring, until the rearportion is ckar of the grooves. Pull theslide down at the rear and then back towithdraw.SPECIAL FEATURES:The breech bolt return spring also actsas spring for the striker. The barrel returnspring also acts as spring for thetrigger. In the event of a misfire, thestriker may be re-cocked by hand withoutopening the breech.The end of the striker protrudes fromthe rear of the breech bolt to indicate thatthe weapon is cocked.DATA & DIMENSIONS:Overall length .......... 10.8" (274mm)Overall depth ........... 5.5" (137mm)Barrel length ............ 6.5" (164mm)Weight.. .................. 32 ouncesBarrel Bore .............. .3" (7.62mm)Four concentric grooves; Right-handtwist; 1 in 8.78 or 29.26 calibers.Trigger pull-off ............ 5-6 poundsMagazine capacity ........ 6 cartridgesTO PREPARE FOR FIRING:The safety catch should be moved up tothe SAFE position. The magazine, loadedwith six cartridges, is inserted within thehandle and % first round chambered bypulling the beech- bolt to the rear andthen releasing it. On depressing thesafety catch, the weapon is ready to fire.FIRING SEQUENCE:When the trigger is pressed, the searmember is forced off the projection on theaxis of the safety lever and the striker isdriven forward by the breech bolt springto fire the cartridge.As the bullet leaves the muzzle, bothbarrel and breech recoil, locked togetherfor a distance of about .I". From thispoint, the breech bolt is rotated to theleft, through an angle of 30' and unlockedfrom the barrel by a guide ring fixed tothe frame. The guide ring acts in a helicalgroove under the breech bolt, while thebarrel and bolt recoil a further .65". Thebarrel is then stopped by the safety catchaxis, while the bolt continues moving tothe rear. The barrel moves forward a distanceof. 1" and is retained in this positionby the detent lever, the front end of whichAMERICAN HANDGUNNER JULYIAUGUST <strong>1978</strong>'
s raised by the bottom arm of the ejector.A stud on the underside of the breech boltdraws back the hold-open stop, to whichthe ejector is pivoted, while the top armof the ejector is thrown upwards to expelthe empty case. Rearward travel of thebreech bolt, after separating from thebarrel, is 1.8". Rearward travel of thebreech bolt, locked to the barrel is .75".When the breech bolt reaches therearmost position, it is stopped by thesolid neck of the guide ring contacting thefront end of the helical slot. The compressedrecoil spring then moves the boltforward and the next cartridge from themagazine is carried, by the sear member,into the firing chamber.On contact with the barrel, the detentlever is free to rise into a recess at therear of the breech bolt and so releases thefront end from the barrel. The barrel andbreech bolt then move forward together,during which time the bolt is rotated tothe right and once again locked with thebarrel. Both units are then stopped by thesafety catch, leaving the sear memberand striker engaged by a projection on thesafety axis.This action is repeated by each pull ofthe trigger until the last cartridge is fired,whereupon the magazine platform rises infront of the hold-open stop to prevent thebreech from closing and indicating thatthe weapon is empty.MURRAY 40-CUP AUTORemember when Cagney threw hisempty gun at Bogart in "East WindsBlow North in Java "? It was in 1944when it occured to manufacturer1movie buff Iris Murray to make theMURRAY 40-CLIP AUTO. Hispatent was to provide a way tosave precious reloading time.Holstering of the 40-Clip proved tobe its downfall. Already clumsyprivate eyes who used the gunwere constantly knocking overlamps and bruising people ontrolley cars with the protrudingclip handle.-w^ALL WEATHERDEPENDABILITYThe stainless steel .22and .25 caliber pocketautomaticsoffer the bestprotection against thecorrosive influences ofwater, humidity, and evenhand perspiration. Thesepistols are accurate,well-balanced, compact andsimple to clean. Fastactionthumb safeties andcycolac grips are standard.Also available in nickeland blue finishes.Mag. Size WeightCapacity in inches6 4% x 3% 13 oz.At all fine sporting goodstores and gun shops. Or forcatalogue, please send $.25a sterling armsSterling Arms Corporation21 1 Grand StreetLockport, New York 14094LresistcorrosionL
- Page 1:
" I THE AMERICANAUNOFFICIAL MAGAZIN
- Page 6 and 7:
INDUSTRY INSIDERBy MASSAD F. AYOOB
- Page 8 and 9: -NIARLES C THOMAS-PUBLISHEI- I?r ?I
- Page 10 and 11: -'.. : ,,. . .{b-.$, \:..', -.,.IOO
- Page 12 and 13: SNUBmNOSEDREVOLVER1 FREE: Targets a
- Page 14 and 15: PA DISSENTING VIEW ON MAGAZINE SAFE
- Page 16 and 17: The New PistolcraftAt Jeff Cooper's
- Page 19 and 20: The Evolution ofModem PistolcraftBy
- Page 21 and 22: Sykes back in the 1930's. This prov
- Page 23 and 24: Charter544 Bi^gShot LoadsBy GEORGE
- Page 25 and 26: Throat opening can be done with cas
- Page 27 and 28: Now you see it trimmed down to mana
- Page 29 and 30: , .- - A --.-ng. As analternative,
- Page 31 and 32: Little is known of his second ventu
- Page 33 and 34: engaging the cartridge case groove
- Page 35 and 36: AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . JULYIAUGUST 1
- Page 37 and 38: II ShootingIll Law EnforcementPart
- Page 39 and 40: neared completion, factory manageme
- Page 41 and 42: Smith & Wesson Model 595107 Rear Si
- Page 43 and 44: By MASSAD F. AYOOBT THE time of the
- Page 45 and 46: when an automatic is adopted. One r
- Page 47 and 48: of WW 296 in CDM cases sparked by C
- Page 49 and 50: Zen, a td, lean, mustached western
- Page 51 and 52: Here's what makesDan Wesson revolve
- Page 53 and 54: Cutter T-1 is the most delicate of
- Page 55 and 56: standing Handgun Hunter Award is Da
- Page 57 and 58: INTRODUCTION TO 39/59(Continued fro
- Page 62 and 63: The .a57 MagnumHE .357 Magnum was d
- Page 64 and 65: Durable liaht weiaht cast aluminum
- Page 66 and 67: exceeds this record of rejection-af
- Page 68 and 69: 1 fire the first shot DA anyhammers
- Page 70 and 71: THE AMERICAN. . . the only magazine
- Page 72: When your 22 has to do more than it
Change language