Hammerli 240 38 Special WC load

I just picked up a brand new, in the box, Hammerli 240  38 Special WC pistol. Beautiful pistol. Shot it at 25 yards using Federal Gold Match 148 gr ammo. The gun is totally unforgiving and forces you to really stick to your fundamentals. If you are 100% of your game it’ll hit the X every time; but the slightest imperfection in the fundamentals will send it way off course.
My question is regarding the reloads. I’ve never reloaded this ammo. There’s some reload information, but mostly related to S&W Model 52 and revolvers.
Does anyone have any reload information specific to the Hammerli 240?
Your advices would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

The load I use for my Clark .38 Heavy Slide will work; 2.7 grains of Bullseye and a Hornady 148 HBWC bullet.

I can only repeat warning I received from Frank / Bubba Blaster when I asked about mine P240, and suggest searching forum for previous post on the subject, - there is a link to Aussie shooter's article about reloading for P240.  You need to be cognoscente to the OD of the projectiles you use to load ammo for P240 barrels.  It is not recommended to use HBWC, like Remington 148 gr., and projectiles with diameter larger than .358"  DEWC projectiles are recommended over HBWC.

Ah............. here is the link - https://www.pfrc.com.au/articles/P240.pdf
AP

https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t11146-38-swc-with-dewc-projectiles

Last post gives a good explanation...

Dave

Thank you your responses.
I was aware of the Australian bulged barrel issue with the P240 pistols 
and did read the attached articles very carefully. I do not have the capability of casting my own bullets. I did purchase 148 gr. DEWC (.357) bullets from Bob’s Bullets and am planning to use the brass from fired Federal Gold Medal Match 148 gr WC I purchase earlier (I shot 200 rounds) and using the Dillon Square Deal B press with 38 Special dies.
Can someone, please, provide the exact loading specs -LOA, crimp diameter, bullets and powder names used and exact amounts used, etc. that they found to be good and safe to use?
Thank you!

Greetings,

I tested a P240 a while back.

Here are some 50 yard targets via the Random Rest...




Cheers,

Dave

If size was an issue, you could resize hbwc smaller. The issue is odd since Smith 52s have a small bore too. Is it more like the glock-kabooms with lead? What the the cause of bursts there? A lead buildup could cause bulging issues?

The only issue I know of with HBWCs is that at velocities over 800 fps, the skirt will often separate from the main bullet--either leaving two holes in the target or a barrel obstruction. This will usually leave an expansion ring in the barrel where the obstruction was.
Not an issue with target loads (~725 fps) and all the factory ammo I ever saw used HBWCs.
Larger diameter is generally more accurate, if you expand the case large enough not to swage the bullet down.
Use a Lee .38 Spl FCD, with guts removed, as the sizing die (I deprime as part of sorting and cleaning). You want as little sizing as possible. In fact, with my main M52, use of unsized cases will shrink the group size by 0.25-1".
Very hard to beat factory ammo, but it can be done.
Personally, the Remington bullet is/was the most accurate bullet I have tested in any of my M52s.

This issue with the 240s is very odd.  They stopped making them so it may be moot, BUT all the factories load in WC 38 is HBWC.  All guns would be shot with HBWC factory ammo during function testing.  So why the issue?  

Much of the problem was with reloaded ammo.  As were the problems with 52s and some Colts popping the front off the bullet.  We always assumed it was too much powder, but maybe it was the design of the bullet.  Too thin a front wall?  

In any event, the answer is fairly simple: shoot factory WC at 50 and DEWC reloads at 25.

Greetings,

In the early days, one of the ammo manufactures produced some wadcutters, I forget if 32 or 38, but SIG-Hammerli quoted the lot numbers of the offending ammo in the Owners Manual.

From personal experience, and having to admit I failed to clean my gun, I shot a match and at 25 yards I was getting 12 holes for every ten shots fired. turns out the forcing cone of my revolver was so lead fouled the force of the bullet passing over it separated the front of the bullet from the rear/skirt. I was able to pull the skirt of the bullet out of the target.

It may be possible the earlier mentioned commercial ammo did not have lube or was loaded too hot. SIG-Hammerli did not go into detail. Today, we can only speculate.

A while back, a fellow shooter returned a barrel to me with the front half of the brass case stuck in the chamber. The head of the case had blown off. Turns out, the barrel was full of Lead. It took me three days messing with an Outers Foul Out to burn out the Lead to the point where the brass case came out. From there, it was more Lead Foul Out time.

So boys and girls, keep those guns clean. Myself included!!!

Cheers,

Dave