Larry Gibson
posted this
08 December 2018
My Destroyer had been rode hard and put away wet back when I got it. Wasn't near as pristine as I've seen since so the modifications I made to it really didn't hurt any assumed "collector value". I was only wanting a shooter anyway and the bore was clean. It turned out to be a good shooter actually but there was not readily available 9mm Bergman brass available. The chamber was a bit over size in diameter and 38 Super cases were to short. I opened the bolt face to accommodate the rim but unless the rim hooked under the extractor (about 30 - 40 % of the time) it would not headspace and would not fire.
I pulled the barrel and determined if the barrel was screwed in 1/2 turn the 38 Super cases would headspace. I did that and faced the barrel off then cut a new groove for the extractor. A U shaped washer was made to fit between the barrel face and inside the receiver and reshaped into a feed ramp blocking the original extractor cut. It all sounds harder than it actually was.
I then removed the rear sight and base. I rotated the front sight base 180 degrees and modified it to take an M14 front sight. The rear receiver ring was D*T'd for a Williams ramp with aperture sight. I shot it that way quite a bit but discovered a Weaver base for a Contender fit the barrel contour. So I D&T'd the barrel for that and put a ProPoint red dot sight ala scout fashion on it. In the end it is a very nice shooter.
I worked up some real "burner" loads with jacketed bullets; 1700 fps with a 125 HP and 1873 fps with a 90 gr HP....... however, my standard load is just 3 gr of Bullseye or WST under the 120 gr Lee TC cast bullet. It runs 970 fps and shoots like this at 50 yards;
The oversized chamber left the case swelled so I use a 9mmP die backed out and just partial size leaving the case mostly swelled. The cases that way don't get overly sized and if I load the "burner loads' they won't chamber in a 38 ACP/Super. I haven't loaded any "burners" for some years so I'm content with using the 9mmP dies to load with. The right cartridge is with the case swelled and reloaded.
I started off with a hundred cases but since have picked up 700 - 800 38 Super cases left on the range after several IDPA matches. Good thing I have those, a 6 cavity 356-120-TC mould and a Dillon 550B to load on because my wife is the only one who shoots it now........I just get to clean it and reload for it........
LMG
Concealment is not cover.........