Selleir and Bellot problems (.38Spl)

[Apple a Day]

I took my little snubbie to the range today to try out some ammo. I bought 500 rounds of Selleir and Bellot 158 grain LRN ammo. After 50 rounds the 2" revolver started refusing to revolve. When I checked it turns out that the bullets were sliding forwards in the cases and knocking up against the barrel.

I put in five new rounds and checked that they were all recessed in the cylinder, which they were. After three rounds the last two had slid so far forward that they stuck out and blocked the cylinder from rotating by banging up against the barrel.

I was not rapid firing. In fact I was shooting single action and carefuly aiming. There must have been enough heat to cause the cases to expand and allow the bullets to slide forward under the sharp recoil of the snubby. I emailed S&B to let them know about my experience and am looking forward to a reply from them.

I was thinking of trying it out in a medium-frame revolver because I only got through one box before I had to stop.
A)Has anyone else had this problem with this ammo?
B)should I go ahead and shoot it through the medium frame or just toss the ammo?

[gb_in_ga]

It is jumping crimp, and is related to recoil. The heat problem may or may not have anything to do with it.

A)Has anyone else had this problem with this ammo?
I've never shot any .38 Spl S&B except in my 4" 686, which is a .357. No problems there, but then again that isn't particularly telling since it is a medium/heavy "L" frame and has the longer .357 Mag chambers.

B)should I go ahead and shoot it through the medium frame or just toss the ammo?
I'd expect that the medium frame revolver would have no problem with the ammo, especially if it happens to be a .357 Mag. I'd try shooting them through the heavier revolver before tossing the stuff.

[dahermit]

It would make no sense to discard ammo that might be alright in a heavier gun.

What is happing is caused by too little crimp on the cases combined with too much recoil.

There are two options. First, if you have 38 spl. hand loading dies, you can apply a little more crimp. Secondly, try firing them in a heaver revolver; the extra weight may dampen the recoil enough so that the problem does not appear in the heaver gun.

Furthermore, I suggest that in the future, try a lighter weight bullet for shooting in the snubbie.

Regards,
dahermit

[Tom2]

Just from curiosity, is it a steel framed or lightweight snubbie? Sounds like your gun is acting as a sort of kinetic bullet puller! When I have ever handloaded lead revolver bullets, I use a noticeable roll crimp which is more pronounced than a taper crimp or the like that you would find in jacketed bullets without the crimp groove. But when I resize my brass, it still is reduced in size enough that there is a pretty good friction fit of the bullet inside the case. Maybe since they are useing new brass, it is just a bit looser fit, or the bullets may be undersized, or any number of problems. I would wait to see what they say about the problem. Heck, I have had ammo problems before and the mfr replaced the ammo and sent me a coupon for free ammo. Might be worth contacting them.

[JohnKSa]

Not unheard of. Especially in light revolvers with heavy bullets and "economy" ammunition.

[Lou22]

Earlier today I ran about 4 cylinders full of that same ammo through a heavier all-steel snubby I'd just bought. The ammo gave me zeros problems in the new gun. It was pretty accurate considering this was the first time I shot the gun, and double-action at that.

I've heard that lightweight snubbies do sometimes have a bullet pulling problem. I'd keep the ammo for use in a heavier gun.

Lou

[Apple a Day]

Tom2,
It's a steel frame Taurus model 85 and weighs in at 21 ounces. The only modification I've made to it is to switch grips to a Hogue rubber grip.

Now that I think about it I wish I would have kept the empty box from the first 50 rounds. It wasn't until I started on the second box that things went bad. It would have been nice to check the lot numbers to see if they were from the same lot. . I will check the rest of the boxes tomorrow and see if they are all sisters. Maybe I just got a bad batch. :confused:

In a few weeks I'll try the same stuff out in a Taurus model 66 medium frame gun and see if it fares better. It's a bit stern to shoot much in a snubbie, anyway. :o

Thanks all for the replies.

[Apple a Day]

Well, I hit the range yesterday and used the same ammo in a medium frame. It worked just fine. It was really smokey but right on target. I won't use it again in the snubby but it's fine for the bigger guns. YMMV.
Thanks again to everybody for the replies.

[adwjc]

Sorry to burst your bubble, Apple a Day, but I had the same problem using S&B 158 Gr RN lead in my S&W Model 15.

That ammo is junk and it does (literally) smell. I bought 10 boxes because it was cheap; as they say, you get what you pay for.......

[skeeter1]

I've only tried S&B ammo once, and I won't be trying any more, thank you. I know some people really like it, but I'm not one of them. My own reloads seem to do better. If I really need it, I'd grab for a box of Winchester Super-X. Just my personal experience.

[blume357]

I really like their 148gr wad cutter ammo in 38. Is great to shoot in my 357s but the rounds will tumble comming out of my colt trooper...no others just that one. I've never tried any in a snubby (don't own one).

[The Real Wyatt]

Hmmm, S&B triple aught buck just doesn't work at all in my Taurus 44-Ten. Everything else I've tried, and I've tried a whole lot of ammo in that gun, works just fine. But the S&B causes a myriad of problems. I'm not sure, but I feel strongly, that the S&B ammo is loaded way "hot".

[Ranger325]

+1 on the 148 gr WC's -- no problem with them for punching paper.........

Regards,

[Andrew S]

I went through either 500 or 1000 rounds of S&B LRN .38 in my S&W 638 without any problems. Sounds like a bad lot.

[dogngun]

Probably not enough crimp. I have used S&B rifle ammo with no problems.
S&B also makes some calibers for Winchester, using the Winchester headstamp.

Mark

[wayneinFL]

The lightweight revolvers have more of a problem with ammo jumping the crimp than the steel-framed guns. The owner's manual for my 340pd said to watch out for this.

Come to think of it, the only 357 ammo I have fired in that gun was S&B 158 gr., jacketed. And it didn't jump the crimp. It could be they don't crimp their lead bullets that much or that the lead is soft or both, which is good for accurate target shooting. (probably what most people use it for)

Personally, I've never had any problems with S&B. I've used their 357, 9mm, 7.62x25 and 7.62x54. Totally reliable in my experience. And it never seemed dirty, not any worse than the WWB or value packs of Remington I buy at Wal-mart. It leaves that red crud from the lacquer on the primer, but I clean my guns every time I shoot anyway.

[ffl]

My S&W M37 Airweight will not shoot S&B ammo. They do not crimp the bullet tight enough and it will pull the bullet out. DO NOT USE S&b AMMO IN A LIGHTWEIGHT REVOLVER. The problem could be fixed if you were to crimp the new ammo or just load you own.

[redfisher43]

I had the same problem with CCI Blazer Aluminums in my SW 642. Took back the remaining 40 of the box for a full credit at Academy.

redfisher 43

[DarthTedd]

I had the same problem with CCI Blazer Aluminums in my SW 642. Took back the remaining 40 of the box for a full credit at Academy.


So what type of ammo is best for the S&W 642?