Here are a few of items for thought... 1) Your powder is way too slow. The .38 S&W blank is a blank, meaning it employs blank powder. Blank powder has a burn rate quicker than even the fastest powder on the conventional burn chart. At the very least, 1st generation Bullseye is the slowest powder that you should use. It was a mainstay for 40mm folks for years. But even that is way too unpredictable. Winchester AA Lite is excellent and is almost always listed as the 2nd or 3rd fastest on the chart. The military uses M9 propellent, which is basically blank powder. You can harvest blank powder from starter pistol blanks, nailgun blanks, etc. Blanks are easy to find. Always start low. Be careful, and be smart. 2) Find actual .38 S&W brass, Starline still makes them. Then, if you have a reload press, get a star crimp die from CH Tool & Die for the.38 S&W. Prime with some Federal primers, (small pistol.) Load powder, add a little styrofoam plug to hold the powder to the base of the brass. Then crimp. LOAD LOW! Research M9 propellent for the 40mm to get an idea of the load amount. Then stay around that amount. If it starts kicking like a 12 GA single shot....,stop there. 3) I don't know how you are cracking nylon cases, maybe shooting them in the cold. I still use cases from 20 years ago. I've lost track of the number of reloads on them. If you have used a 40MikeMike in the service, you probably got to shoot something they picked up from me.
@@MaverickTangent In all of this, compression is your friend. My first efforts at making .38 blanks were abysmal failures. Black powder works real well in this type of blank because it doesn't require compression to detonate. But BP is weak in comparison to smokeless propellent, and it is dirty, real dirty. So smokeless powder needs compression. You can achieve this with the star crimp on the blank. And, to further achieve a consistent lift, apply Permatex Ultra Black in the nylon case, smoothly and thinly spread from the inside lip to about 1/2" down. Then center the zinc pusher on the mouth and press in. Allow to cure at least 48 hours. This is how the factory chalk rounds from MAST and Martin Electronics pop with such authority, and travel 400 yards. Take extreme care, and have fun.
@@Y_Y_ua The adhesive that you may use to fasten the blue plastic nose cone to the zinc pusher is not critical. You may use a quality wood working product like Titebond III, Superglue, and even epoxy. Here it depends on what you have on hand. Some guys use the wood glue because they retrieve the pusher and soak them to remove the glue to easily reuse.
I've got 2 40mm breechloading cannons under construction & a 40mm bag gun that i want to rebuild to use alum 40mm shells, the problem is i retired so there they sit. The bag guns breech seal is getting burned out again & im tired of it happening. This type of shell looks like the easier fix😊
If using pistol powder, you need far more pressure to get the correct burn rate. You will have far too much unburned powder if the pressure is low. Practice rounds typically use black powder as smoke isn't a problem. Tactical rounds use metal cases with integral high pressure chamber.
Here are a few of items for thought...
1) Your powder is way too slow. The .38 S&W blank is a blank, meaning it employs blank powder. Blank powder has a burn rate quicker than even the fastest powder on the conventional burn chart. At the very least, 1st generation Bullseye is the slowest powder that you should use. It was a mainstay for 40mm folks for years. But even that is way too unpredictable. Winchester AA Lite is excellent and is almost always listed as the 2nd or 3rd fastest on the chart. The military uses M9 propellent, which is basically blank powder. You can harvest blank powder from starter pistol blanks, nailgun blanks, etc. Blanks are easy to find. Always start low. Be careful, and be smart.
2) Find actual .38 S&W brass, Starline still makes them. Then, if you have a reload press, get a star crimp die from CH Tool & Die for the.38 S&W. Prime with some Federal primers, (small pistol.) Load powder, add a little styrofoam plug to hold the powder to the base of the brass. Then crimp. LOAD LOW! Research M9 propellent for the 40mm to get an idea of the load amount. Then stay around that amount. If it starts kicking like a 12 GA single shot....,stop there.
3) I don't know how you are cracking nylon cases, maybe shooting them in the cold. I still use cases from 20 years ago. I've lost track of the number of reloads on them.
If you have used a 40MikeMike in the service, you probably got to shoot something they picked up from me.
I'll try some of these. Thanks!
@@MaverickTangent In all of this, compression is your friend. My first efforts at making .38 blanks were abysmal failures. Black powder works real well in this type of blank because it doesn't require compression to detonate. But BP is weak in comparison to smokeless propellent, and it is dirty, real dirty. So smokeless powder needs compression.
You can achieve this with the star crimp on the blank. And, to further achieve a consistent lift, apply Permatex Ultra Black in the nylon case, smoothly and thinly spread from the inside lip to about 1/2" down. Then center the zinc pusher on the mouth and press in. Allow to cure at least 48 hours.
This is how the factory chalk rounds from MAST and Martin Electronics pop with such authority, and travel 400 yards. Take extreme care, and have fun.
What glue is best to use to connect the blue plastic cap and the metal part?
@@Y_Y_ua The adhesive that you may use to fasten the blue plastic nose cone to the zinc pusher is not critical. You may use a quality wood working product like Titebond III, Superglue, and even epoxy. Here it depends on what you have on hand. Some guys use the wood glue because they retrieve the pusher and soak them to remove the glue to easily reuse.
Good job. Very cool
Thanks, Ty
i used to shoot multi types of competition and shot icore so i have a bunch of 38 shorts. they sem really close to 38sw. can you use them?
I've got 2 40mm breechloading cannons under construction & a 40mm bag gun that i want to rebuild to use alum 40mm shells, the problem is i retired so there they sit. The bag guns breech seal is getting burned out again & im tired of it happening. This type of shell looks like the easier fix😊
What glue is best to use to connect the plastic cap and the metal part?
Do you cover the tinfoil with glue or just go around the edge? How much tinfoil are you putting in the hull?
I did use a couple drops of glue. Just to keep the powder from falling out. I don't think you need the foil in the hull.
Quality smokeless powder makes huge difference. No reason not to be able to get out to 400 yds.
If using pistol powder, you need far more pressure to get the correct burn rate. You will have far too much unburned powder if the pressure is low.
Practice rounds typically use black powder as smoke isn't a problem. Tactical rounds use metal cases with integral high pressure chamber.