148 gr dewc seating question

[Bullseye25]

There is not much data on this load. My Hornady manual says to load it to an oal of 1.180 but this is deeper than the top grove. I've heard some people load them flush with the case and some load to the groove. I loaded to the 1.180 but it just misses the groove it seems like. Should I go with the manual? Go completely flush? Or seat to the top groove, which would make oal just a bit longer?

I'm hoping some of you more experienced loaders have experience with this bullet in .38/.357

Thanks

 

[Bullseye25]

Here is a pic of the bullet and a loaded cartridge. Does it look to deep at this seating depth? This is the exact OAL recommended in the Hornady manual for 148 gr DEWC.

Someone told me to seat to the top groove and crimp on that groove. Just not sure what's the best place to seat it. I just want it to be safe to shoot.

 

[GLOOB]

I've always seated mine just below flush and crimped over the end. But I've never had a bullet with a crimp groove in it. I don't see that it would hurt one way or another. There's no reason to go with exactly what the load book says. You can always go a bit longer. Going a bit shorter can cause dangerously increased pressure for some specific loads, but a 38 wadcutter load isn't one of them.

The one thing I like about seating below flush is that the entire bullet is covered, so the lead can't pick up grit that can contact the barrel. But if you seat 'em on the groove, they might be easier to load in a speed loader!

 

[ReloaderFred]

Seat them to the crimp groove. That bullet is designed to be loaded that way.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[GrayDog]

I don't have a Hornady manual so I just have to guess and say they probably are giving a COL for a different brand of DEWC. There are lots of them.

The one you have can be loaded either way. You can load it almost flush so you're crimping over the bevel, sort of like a HBWC, or you can load it so you're crimping into the groove. It will make a little difference in pressure and velocity, but not much. A load that runs 750 fps flush will only run about 725 fps seated to the crimp groove, give or take a little. They're low pressure loads so you have a lot of latitude. The right way is pretty much whichever way you decide you like best for whatever reason.

I load them flush for target loads 700 to 750 fps depending on the powder. I seat some to the crimp groove but increase the load to 800 to 825 fps for walk around small game loads. Easy to tell them apart, and there's no problem pushing them faster than you want to push a HBWC.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Seat them to the crimp groove. That bullet is designed to be loaded that way.

Hope this helps.

Fred

I agree.

While I would seat a HBWC flush with the case mouth a DEWC with a crimp groove should be seated in the crimp groove. The OAL given in the manual is for the bullet they used in their tests and unless you used the same exact bullet you are using the OAL probably won't match...

 

[Walkalong]

I always loaded that type DEWC like Fred posted. I suppose you could seat it deeper and roll crimp over the end where it is rounded at, but why?

 

[rcmodel]

Hmmmm?

Wonder why they put a crimp groove on both ends if you weren't supposed to use it?

Another of life's little mystery's I guess.

rc

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

I don't worry about crimping as it is a low power load and lots of bearing surface to keep it in-place. I DO seat it w/ a bit sticking out of the case so the rounds are easier to load.

 

[TonyT]

If you are using your reloads in a revolver you should not have any problems. My S&W Model 52 semi auto preferred the bullets seated flush with just a very slight roll crimp.

 

[rcmodel]

Note the Mid-Range Match WC .38 Spl load 4th. row down in this picture from an old 1931 Colt catalog.



This was from back in the day when the .38 revolver ruled Bullseye Match competition.

It is seated clear out of the case far enough for the bullet to enter & center itself in the chamber throats.

The flush seated wadcutter didn't come into being until the S&W Model 52 semi-auto came along in 1961 and required them to fit & function in what was basically a 9mm pistol design.

rc

 

[mdi]

I use that same bullet in my .38 Specials and my .357 magnum. I seat to the crimp groove and use a medium-light roll crimp. BTW; I figger the folks that designed the bullet knew about case capacities and pressures and designed the bullet/crimp groove with these aspects in mind. All my revolver rounds are crimped in the crimp groove (and when I loaded jacketed bullets, the cannalure) regardless of OAL...

 

[joneb]

I load cast DEWCs crimped in the crimp groove with the spur end out.

 

[bluetopper]

With a little reloading experience and help from this forum new reloaders can learn what are recommendations or guides and what is written in stone not to be deviated from.

Nothing I can think of is written in stone concerning the low pressured and very accurate 38 Special.

 

[Bullseye25]

.38 DEWC in a .357???

Are there any issues with shooting .38 DEWC out of a .357?

I know the compatibility the two calibers but I want to make sure the extra space from the short OAL of a .38 DEWC isn't an issue when shooting out of a .357...

 

[rcmodel]

No.

The only issue is cleaning the carbon rings out of the chambers after shooting .38 in .357.

But that has nothing to do with DEWC.
That is true of any .38 Spl in a .357.

rc