38 golden sabers ?

wittyusername

I was checking some of my ammo and discovered that my new box of 38 golden sabers were .348 inches in diameter. So I checked the fit of one of the bullets in the barrel of my revolver and it was extremely loose. I thought all 38's were supposed to have a diameter of .355-.357 Is there a reason that golden sabrs are .348? Will this cause a problem with accuracy?

Iconoclast

Witty, you didn't say whether these were loaded rounds or the bullets, but I suspect the former? I have some of the 9mm 125gr GS bullets and they are dual diameter. The shank is .355 +/- and about .250" up from the base there is a step down that could easily be .004" (.008" on diameter), with the upper half (actually more than half) of the bullet being this reduced size . . . or smaller as the ogive becomes more pronounced. The larger shank would be contained within the case and perhaps not noticeable if there were much of a crimp.

Der Gebirgsjager

Very interesting indeed. Did you measure them in the case, or did you pull one and measure the diameter near the base? The portion of the bullet inside the case may be larger than the part that you're able to see, which may be designed undersized to facilitate entry into the cylinder. If you pulled one and got a .348 reading I'd call Remington and ask them about it. Sounds too loose in the bore for accuracy.

wittyusername

I was checking the bullet in the casing at the poing where it is cripmed. I just pulled on of the bullets and it does check .357 at the base. There seems to be a beveled spot on the o.d. of the bullet where the diameter makes a step up from .348 to .357 at the "tail end" of the bullet.