hollow base wadcutter

[edwin41]

hello
im new to reloading and i curently try to reload 38 spec. with hollowbase
wadcutter bullets made of lead.
i bought a box because the moldingblocks i orderd from lyman seems to take forever to get here..
for now i only have the hollowbase type and the leading of the bore is sevire.
i can t seem to find loadingdata for this type of bullets .
my powder of choice was alliant bullseye , and i started of with 3.2 grains,
now i have backed it up to 2.9 grains and still severe leading in my smith 686
4 "barrel.
the 3.2 grain load i got out of the lyman reload manual , but it was for a solidbase wadcutter of about the same weight ... 148 gr.
now , my question would be if it was safe to back off some more on the powder or do i risk a stuck bullet in the barrel?
maybe there is anyone here that got some experiance with this combination?

anyways... greetings from holland , edwin.

 

[Iron Sight]

Hodgdon Reloading Data Center has Info on Lead Hollow Base Wad Cutters.

LHBWC



http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

 

[Scimmia]

Do you have any information about the bullets? It's possible you need to go stronger, not weaker, to cut the leading. If it's a harder alloy and there's not enough pressure for the bullet to seal against the bore, it'll cause leading. The hollow base may cause there to be more space inside the case, which would lower pressure.

On the other hand, a quick google search shows that 2.7 gr bullseye with a 148 gr HBWC is something of a standard.

 

[Steve C]

Speer data for the 148gr HBWC's list 2.9 to 3.1grs of Bullseye so you are in the range now. These loads should be running sub 800 fps so you shouldn't be getting any leading but I'm assuming you are loading hollow down with bullet flush to the case mouth. With HBWC the hollow base skirt expands to take up the rifling and fill the bore so bullet size isn't an issue but you don't want to load any hotter as this can tear off the skirt in the bore and cause an obstruction.

Lead accumulates on bore fouling both lead and copper. Clean your bore spotless and that means removing all the lead and any copper fouling you may have. Lewis Lead remover works great or you can remove it chemically.

With severe leading I use a 50-50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. Plug the barrel, I a use rubber vacuum line plug you can get from an automotive store like Checker on one end and fill with the mix. You will see the solution bubble as its chemically attacking the lead. When it stops bubbling in about 5 to 10 minutes pour it out and rinse with water but realize the scum that formed is a poisonous lead compound and needs to go where it doesn't contact any food or eating utensils. The kitchen sink isn't the place to dump it, the bathroom sink is better. DO NOT LEAVE THE SOLUTION IN LONGER THAN !0 MINUTES OR AFTER IT QUITS BUBBLING AS ONCE ITS THROUGH ATTACKING THE LEAD IT WILL GO AFTER THE STEEL OF YOUR BARREL.

Follow with a dry patch or two, they will come out dark black and then use some bore solvent that removes copper if there is any copper fouling. When done be sure to lightly oil the bore.

A really clean bore will usually eliminate most all leading and what little you may get can usually be taken out with a patch soaked with Hoppes or similar solvent.

 

[edwin41]

good advice steve... thanks
i will clean my barrel spotless..load another badge of 50 pieces with 3 gr of bullseye and i will clean the bullets with some solvent , i have noticed a sticky
substance on them.
i guess this is for storage or manufacture procedures and maybe it causes the
bullet to somewhat slower release out of the cases , maby enough diverense
to upset the skirt.
to clean the barrel i use klever robla solomill , and this works fine for my in combination with a bronze brush.
sure wish the mouldblocks would arrive , then i would be able to lube the bullets with alox .
will test the next badge next week..will post here if there are improvemends
greetings from holland and thanks for the replys !

 

[Quantrill]

The old accepted TARGET load was/is 2.7 Bullseye under a 148gr wadcutter.

 

[Walkalong]

i will clean the bullets with some solvent ,i have noticed a sticky
substance on them.

That is lube, and it needs it. It is there to prevent leading. Do not wash it off with solvent.

I would try the classic load of 2.7 Grs of Bullseye instead of 3.0.

Welcome to THR

 

[rcmodel]

+1

Don't wash off the bullet lube, or you will think your leading problem now is childs play!!

rc

 

[loadedround]

Quantrill's listed load is correct for this style lead bullet. The LHBWC was designed as a target bullet only for bullseye shooters basically shooting the K-38 Revolver and the S&W Model 52 semi auto. The basic load was 2.7 Bullseye and very few bullseye shooters ever deviated from that load. If you do so, you will blow out the thin lead base (skirts) and cause severe leading and poor accuracy. I speak from experience having shot Bullseye for many years. My pistol of choice back then was the Smith Model 52-2.

 

[Notoast]

My 4" 686 does not lead with Hornaday 148 LHBWC over 2.7-2.8 gr of Bullseye in a 38 case.

 

[brickeyee]

HBWCs are normally pure lead (commercial ones are often swaged) very low velocity bullets.

 

[BoxC]

I believe you said your pistol was a .357. Especially with soft lead bullets you can have a problem with the shorter .38 special cases and particularly have a buildup in the chambers. I have shot many thousands of HBWC load through numerous .357's and had no excessive leading problems but I used .357 cases. In addition, the 3.2 gr Bullseye load load you were putting into a .38 special case is the grain load I use with .357 cases. I agree that you need to start out with a spotlessly clean barrel. If you cannot get get a clean bore you may have barrel damage and will need to get that checked out.

 

[GLOOB]

Lead accumulates on bore fouling both lead and copper. Clean your bore spotless and that means removing all the lead and any copper fouling you may have. Lewis Lead remover works great or you can remove it chemically.

+1. After cleaning out the initial leading in my pistols, I don't get as much leading afterwards. I think it's just a matter of proper cleaning.

The other thing I've noticed with my early model 686 is that there's a stricture in the barrel. I've read that this isn't uncommon with Smiths. It is a byproduct of how they insert the barrel. With my Smith I usually get just a little bit of leading at the stricture.

 

[edwin41]

hello
i followed the advice i got here and cleaned my barrel as good as i could.
loaded a batch of 50 cartidges with 2.7 gr of bullseye powder, and didnt wash of the bullets
with a solvent.
just got back from the firing range and the results were exellent !
the revolver stays pretty clean , as the barrel too !
never shot so good as this evening.
thanks for the great advice , this was the combination i was looking for.
greetings from holland !