Loading Wadcutters

[Reeferman]

I bought some Hornady HBWC on sale the other day to try. Hornady book says for 38 special the col is 1.18". Loaded them with 2.8 grains of 231, put a light crimp on and will try them out tomorrow. I've read on various sites that some load them flush with the case then crimp over the end.
Anyone load these Hornady ones and where did you seat them to?

 

[MutinousDoug]

I think the "load flush with the case rim" is for use with the S&W Model 52 semi-auto. If your bullets have a crimping groove and you're shooting a revolver; use it.
I load wadcutters long so the bullet engages the revolver chamber throat to help alignment.

 

[Starter52]

I load all of my wadcutters flush with the case mouth and roll crimp over the bullet. I've done this since the 1990's. Works for me.

 

[brewer12345]

Load the hornady wadcutters flush with the case mouth.

 

[Reeferman]

They don't have any crimp grooves. I loaded up a dozen at 1.18 so will try them then load some flush.

 

[Walkalong]

Yep, unless you need to load them flush for function in an auto, you can load them flush, stuck out a little, or stuck out a lot. A very light taper crimp, or just enough to remove the flare is all that is really needed IMHO.

The load them long theory is they stick into the throats and line up with the bore better. Dunno, I'm not good enough to prove it one way or another. I load my plated 148 Gr WCs about 1/8" out of the case and they shoot better than I can hold.

Lead WCs I used to load them near flush. Why? Probably because somewhere I read (Pre-Internet) that it was good. I certainly don't remember.

I wouldn't worry about roll crimping over the flush WC, just load them flush/near flush and remove the bell.

 

[USSR]

I bought some Hornady HBWC on sale the other day to try. Hornady book says for 38 special the col is 1.18". Loaded them with 2.8 grains of 231...

I seat my .38 HBWC's to 1.18", which is almost flush. However, I will disagree with the 2.8 grain load of W231. Too light for a powder with the burn rate of W231. Bullseye, 700-X, etc., 2.8 grains sure. I would load W231 with 3.1 grains personally. You are looking for a velocity in the neighborhood of 720 - 730 fps. Just MHO.

Don

 

[Charliefrank]

I seat them flush with the case mouth and just barely crimp. After all they are too soft to push fast so there's really no chance of the bullets pushing back into the case due to recoil.

 

[meesterdon]

2.8 grains Bullseye. Just a hair above flush. Paper punching at it's finest.

 

[earplug]

Some brands of brass such as PMC have thicker walls near the base. When I was loading my cast WC bullets flush i'd get a few rounds that wouldn't chamber. I now load them longer and can use all brands of brass. The Hornady WBWC are soft swaged bullets and the i'd bet the soft skirt area will bend before the case bulges. Just look out for this problem if it happens to you.

 

[Charliefrank]

Same exact powder charge I use.

 

[Charliefrank]

Same exact powder charge I use.

2.8 grains bullseye

 

[dbmjr1]

On the other hand: Some used to load them backwards and push them hard, for one heck of a hollow point.

 

[USSR]

Some brands of brass such as PMC have thicker walls near the base. When I was loading my cast WC bullets flush i'd get a few rounds that wouldn't chamber.

A lot of guys don't realize that the ammunition companies use different brass for their wadcutter ammo. You can tell them apart from their standard cases by the location and sometimes number of cannelures on the case. In the case of Winchester and Remington, they use 2 cannelures located at about mid-case. Federal uses a single cannelure located just north of mid-case. The companies don't sell this brass, so the only way you can get it is by shooting the ammo or buying it from somebody who is selling used brass.

Don

 

[Reeferman]

Well I’m shooting them out of this 14-3 I bought a couple weeks ago. It was only shot at the factory and man it’s a tack driver with those wad cutters.

 

[Reeferman]

Yep, unless you need to load them flush for function in an auto, you can load them flush, stuck out a little, or stuck out a lot. A very light taper crimp, or just enough to remove the flare is all that is really needed IMHO.

The load them long theory is they stick into the throats and line up with the bore better. Dunno, I'm not good enough to prove it one way or another. I load my plated 148 Gr WCs about 1/8" out of the case and they shoot better than I can hold.

Lead WCs I used to load them near flush. Why? Probably because somewhere I read (Pre-Internet) that it was good. I certainly don't remember.

I wouldn't worry about roll crimping over the flush WC, just load them flush/near flush and remove the bell.

That's right where I loaded mine.

 

[Riomouse911]

I'm loading 2.8 gr Bullseye and seating the WC's right about where Walkalong has his myself. So far so good.

 

[Swede]

Anyone use the Bullseye load in .357 brass?

 

[USSR]

Anyone use the Bullseye load in .357 brass?

No, I use .38 Special Wadcutter brass exclusively. However, if I did load in .357 brass, I would bump up the charge weight by 0.1 or 0.2 grains.

Don

 

[Reeferman]

Anyone use the Bullseye load in .357 brass?

I shoot a lot of SWC with 3 grains of Bullseye in .357 cases and is a very accurate load in my guns. Switched back to 231 in them as it is cleaner but just as accurate for myself.

 

[Walkalong]

Anyone use the Bullseye load in .357 brass?

No, I am using WST or Competition, have used AA #2, but Bullseye will work just fine. Like Don posted, bump it a hair for .357 brass.

 

[GooseGestapo]

SOME companies use different brass for Wadcutters.
Remington with two cannulures is for wadcutters and has parallel case walls. The single or no cannulure brass is usually RN, Jacketed or SWC.
Likewise Winchester with double cannelures are wadcutters.

Starline and Federal are all alike.

Be on the lookout for MilSpec .38 Brass. Much of it was from AirForce PGU-88B 130gr FMJ that was loaded to .38 Super velocities. Uh Huh!
They are MUCH thicker than commercial brass. Loaded to +P++ pressure to yield 1,200fps from 4"bbl Mod15. My brother while in AirForce used them in a Ruger Sec-6 6" to win an NRA PPC "Distinguished" match using them. He did smirk, and said everybody was complaining about his muzzle blast! He had repackaged them in a PGU-88 box, so they didn't disqualify him... They were standard issue to AirCrews and Security Police, for Mod15, but not to OSI Mod. 36. They got the plain PGU-88, like what Walmart sells.

I was once given 5,000rds of Master Cartridge reloads with 148gr HB Wadcutters. Wouldn't hit a B27 target reliably at 50yds. Finally figured it out it was the milspec brass. Took me months to eliminate them all from my brass stash. If I didn't size my cast wadcutters to .358" (Lee TL generally unsized) they wouldn't even fit into a cylinder... I still have a stash of the brass, I inherited from my brother when he passed away... just no unfired rounds.

 

[Charliefrank]

Years ago I had a buddy that worked for Ruger. He gave me around 3000 once fired 38 special cases. Still working from them.

 

[Walkalong]

Remington with two cannulures is for wadcutters and has parallel case walls. The single or no cannulure brass is usually RN, Jacketed or SWC.
Likewise Winchester with double cannelures are wadcutters.

Interesting. I have some of that, but never knew it was for WCs specifically.

 

[USSR]

Both Remington and Winchester use double cannelures for their wadcutter brass. Federal, on the other hand, uses a single cannelure, but unlike regular Federal brass where the cannelure is located near the case mouth, Federal wadcutter brass has the cannelure just north of mid-case.

Don