First Time with Snakebites

[44caliberkid]

I shot Snakebite Grease Wagons yesterday for the first time.  I love the way they cast, very easy.  Good quality bullets dumped out from the first cast (preheated the mold on top of the pot before starting).  I pan lube and no sizing was needed.  I ran the first batch through a .358 sizing die, but had almost no resistance, so I didn't bother with the rest.
    Went to the range yesterday, used an NRA 25 yard slowfire handgun target at 25 yards.  I shot some 38 special smokeless loads first, to compare with the Snakebite loads.  I was using a Beretta Stampede with 5.5 inch barrel.  The smokeless loads grouped at around 9 o'clock on the black, in about 4 inches.
    Switching to the Snakebite load (as much 3f Graf Bros. as I could get under the bullet in 38 cases) it grouped in the same area but in only 2 inches.  That made me very happy.
    Only 2 negatives and neither the bullets fault.  After 15 rounds I started getting cylinder binding, but that was my fault, as I only had a thin coat of oil on the cylinder pin for smokeless shooting.  After I cleaned it, I put a thick coat of Wonder Lube on the pin and in the cylinder hole, plus smeared a coating on the cylinder face and breach face, so that should fix that.  The other problem was while I was unloading the ejector rod head broke off.  Darn Italian crap!  I need this pistol for the GAF Muster, so I ordered a new one from VTI, rather than hassel with Beretta and maybe not get back into action in time.
   Final verdict - I like the Snakebite, works great.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Great report! Big Lube boolits are the best.
Hope ta meet ya at the Muster.

Slim

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Kid,

Your experience with the accuracy of Snakebites is typical.  Two things going for it.  First, Holy Black compressed loads are very consistant in velocity.  Second, this round stabelizes very well.  It has robust driving bands that really hold the rifling.

One thing that helped my RVs from the git go was the use of a wetter lube.  I've found that some of the wet Pearl lube gets onto the cylinder pin.  After a number of stages, even though it's black, the lube is doing it's thing.  It sure keeps the cylinders turnin' easy on the RVs.

Now, I wish Ruger would make the ejector rods 1/8" longer.

DD-DLoS

[Advertising]

[Cuts Crooked]

Love those Snakebites! One of these dayz I'm gonna break down and order my own mold, but right now I've several thousand of them setting in the bullet bin, thanx to my pard letting my use his mold.

DD is right! Use the sloppiest lube ya can get to stay on yer boolits and it will keep them irons runnin' a LOOOOONNG time

[Goatlips]

Hay Kid,

Let's not forget to mention the reason Snakebite designed 'em - so's we could use .38 cases to make .357 length BP rounds that would feed in rifles that required them, while staying greased up all the way through!  The fact that they work so well in pistolas is just icing on the cake for me. 

Goatlips

[44caliberkid]

Gracias Amigo, looking foreward to seeing you all at GAF Muster.