How deep to seat bullet for 38 spl and 357

[jackolantern]

Howdy, I’m loading some 38 spl and some 357 to shoot in my Ruger new model 4 5/8 in bbl. I’ll be using a 158 gr. lead round nose Hornady bullet. How do I know how deep to seat the bullet in each caliber? Do I seat to get the correct OAL of the caliber …….
1.55 inches for 38 spl and 1.59 for 357 ignoring the cannelure or do I pay strict attention to the cannelure on the bullet and crimp there? Many thanks.

[versifier]

Welcome to the Guide.

Lead bullets usually have a crimp groove, just above the lube grooves, crimp into it.

Only jacketed bullets (and not all of them) have cannelures.

[jackolantern]

Here's a pic of the 158 grain LRN dia. 357. Is this the crimp groove?

http://sodbuster.fileave.com/cgrove.jpg

[runfiverun]

i would just go to the oal 1.45 for the 38 and 1.59 for the 357.
since you aren't gonna be pushing these over about 850 fps i would try not crimping.
make up 16 of them mark one with a marker and run it through 3 cylinders of your load and measure to see if it gets longer more then about .020 is bad less is okay.

[versifier]

Now I see why you were confused. I would have been too. That is one strange bullet. It was swaged, not cast. In almost 35 years of loading, that is the very first time I have ever seen a lead bullet with a cannelure. My apologies for doubting you. I guess I lead a more sheltered life than I realized. I have been casting my own for so long that the mere thought of buying a non-jacketed bullet appalls me. It must be there to hold whatever lube they used on it, but if you crimped into it, the result would likely be too long for your revolver's cylinder. I would crimp at the the indicated shoulder, but it would not hurt to seat it to a longer OAL as long as you do not exceed max length. It might help accuracy, or might not. Never hurts to experiment.

r5r has a good suggestion, but I have to say that every time I have loaded revolver rounds without crimping they have backed out of the case more with each shot until the last one or two have bound up the cylinder. The lighter the frame, the more pronounced the effect - you have a good heavy frame so it may be worth trying. Someone I know once referred to revolvers as automatic kinetic bullet pulling machines. Sometimes a crimp is needed for consistant ignition, too. Uncrimped revolver loads when chronographed can show very high SD - not a big deal for plinking, but more of a concern if you are shooting for accuracy and/or at longer distances.

[JJB2]

different bullet indeed.......... i'm thinkin i would taper crimp those and not load them too hot........ i don't know what kind of dies you use but i use lee dies and they have a modified taper crimp that does that just before it rolls the crimp in for heavier loads and bullets with a crimp groove..............


LIFE IS SHORT.....

[kg42]

Funny, they don't look at all like Hornady bullets, but a lot like the 3D I used years ago....
I miss them a lot; they shot very well with what is now called "Cowboy loads", and saved me the worry of lubing such tiny things.

I used a mostly aesthetic and functional (snag free) crimp right on the shoulder.

kg

[runfiverun]

those are a hornady item. if you still aren't sure ,just give them a call. they just give an o.a.l. in their load book.
they are dang soft ca/swaged bullets,i wouldn't over do a crimp. their data stops at 900 fps.
and if i had them [unlikely i would buy a cast boolit ever again] i would target about 750 from a 6' bbl to start.