I have a Smith PC 627 moonclipped 357 revolver. It's currently used exclusively for 38 Special which I load to roughly +P levels with 158gr cast bullets of .358 diameter. The challenge I'm having is aligning the 8 round moonclips into the cylinder on reloads. Having a lot of trouble getting them to drop in cleanly. In steel matches this is more a hassle than a real problem as there is no time limit loading the gun before starting each relay. The problem starts if shooting ICORE or USPSA which I'm hoping to restart in 2018.
So I'm considering a couple troubleshooting options for this:
- Buy a new Smith PC 929 with 8 shot moonclips for 9mm
- Keep using PC 627 but change from currently Lee FCD (roll crimp) on 38 Special to Redding Taper Crimp die to see if that eases moonclip seating
- Keep using PC 627 but switch from 38 Special to 38 Short Colt
The second experiment is pretty cheap needing only a single die purchase. Will definitely try that.
The third experiment is a bit more work. As far as brass I have 8000 - 10000+ 38 Special cases on hand. Can investigate converting some to 38 Short Colt and/or buying a small lot of new 38 Short Colt brass for testing purposes.
I'm a bit more puzzled on the issue of reloading dies for 38 Short Colt. I notice Lee produces a 38 Short Colt reloading die set. On the interwebs I see some indications that other folks use a combination of 38 Special and 9mm dies depending on the operation.
Just reaching out to see if anyone else on the forum has any experience loading this ancient cartridge and what they might recommend for reloading die setup.
Thanks in advance.
Note that if the 38 Short Colts load in moonclip really well I'll just stick with my PC 627 for competition, skip the PC 929, and use some of that money for an Uberti 1872 Open Top. Hard to lose either way lol