Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns PPU 38SPL 158gr LSWC, Lemons to Lemonade

A while back I bought a 500qty of this ammo online. I wanted it for practice/carry in the Ruger LCRx.

On the first range test, I fired 10 rounds. Accuracy started going bad after the first 5.

After the second cylinder of 5, I peeked down the bore and couldn't see any sign of lands or grooves. Just a total leaded up mess.

In disappointment, I put the ammo aside and didn't touch it for several months until now. The 'good idea fairy' came to visit me, and so I gave it a try. I pulled a few of the bullets from this ammo, and replaced them with a 148gr poly-coated wadcutter from Missouri Bullet Company. It turns out to be good ammo.

The swap was pretty easy:

- pull the 158gr LSWC, leaving the powder in the case
- flare the case
- seat/crimp the 148gr WC

The powder charge was 4.0gr of a fine spherical powder that looks kind of smushed a little.

The 158gr LSWC only measures .355" diameter, so I figure that was why it leaded so badly and quickly. The MBS 148gr WC measures about .3585".

10 yards with the 148gr WC, SA and DA. 1 3/8" SA, 3 3/8" DA. Not bad.

velocity between 745 and 777 fps for 5 over the chrono.

The 158gr LSWC will get a new life as .530" round balls.

During a heavy drought part of one of the recent shortages. I bought some .355 cast lead bullets. Accuracy wasn't great, but leading was not bad. I wanted to see first hand, now I know. I'll hold out for .358 next time. My poor marksmanship needs all the help I can give it.

Trash ammo. I posted this on another forum, 8/21-

A nearby little Bass Pro labeled liquor, gun and smoke shop had a 50 round box of Privi Partizan (PPU) 38 Special on the shelf for $24.99, so I bought it. This is their product #PPH38SS and it is loaded with a 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter to an advertised velocity of 902 fps. Three shots of this PPU averaged 673 fps from the snub. Those three shots showed leading in a clean barrel and I'm a bit bewildered how you get a bullet that slow to lead a barrel; but Serbs evidently excel at these things.

So I pulled a bullet-

1. No lube whatsoever. I ran my thumbnail into what should have been the lube groove- nothing.

2. The shank of the bullet (below the crimp groove) is grossly undersize at barely 0.355".

3. The only part of the bullet measuring a proper 0.358" is the narrow driving band just above the crimp groove. It serves as a brake when it hits the forcing cone and allows propellant gases plenty of time to escape around the undersize shank, begin melting it and plating the bore with lead. Worst example of a semi-wadcutter I've ever seen.

4. The powder is anybody's guess but this load is grossly underpowered and soots the cases halfway down. I have sneezed more powder, after a good reloading session, than I found after pulling this bullet.



It pains me to write this because I used a lot of Privi jacketed soft point hunting rifle ammo (mostly 7x57 in an original Rolling Block) and it was top notch. Of course that was 40+ years ago. Maybe lead 38 ammo is not Privi's forte.

Roll them in Lee Liquid Alox. I’ve gotten to the point that I almost always do that with any swaged bullets from Hornady or Speer, even though they already have their proprietary lubes.

Yep.

Yep, same stuff. PPH38SS. Mine measure about .357" on the band above the crimp.



I won't waste any time or resources with Lee Alox or anything else to try to 'rehab' these projectiles. They will become round balls for the 54 cal Trade Rifle.

I didn't chrono any of the PPU as it came. But 673 fps doesn't surprise me.

The wadcutter fills a significantly larger volume in the case, so that probably ups the pressure slightly. I figured that would be the case, but also the wadcutter is 10gr lighter, and lubed with the poly coat, so I figured it would be safe pressure.

So, I'm getting +/- 750 FPS from the snubby LCR, and decent accuracy. For a wadcutter that speed should give very good penetration and cut a good hole.

From the snubby LCRx, they shoot pretty comfortably.

I used my pulled PPU SWCs and a wrist rocket to discourage deer from sneaking into my sweet corn last summer. They worked great for that.

I'll bet.....(grin)