I have a 27-2 5" that hasn't been to a range in 10 years or so. I'd sort of forgotten about it. I'm inspired to dig it out. Also have the old 4 cavity Lyman button nose wadcutter mould and a container of Bullseye... All I need is a little more time.
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I have a 27-2 5" that hasn't been to a range in 10 years or so. I'd sort of forgotten about it. I'm inspired to dig it out. Also have the old 4 cavity Lyman button nose wadcutter mould and a container of Bullseye... All I need is a little more time.
The 358495 is a great boolit.
I found that 3.5 grs of Bullseye is THE load in my K-38 and 14-3 Smiths.
I know this is an old thread, but was just referenced on another board. Really good info - I have been loading and shooting 38s for years, and recently got the Smith Model 52. I was not aware that the double cannalure brass was "wadcutter" brass. I will have to try it out. I managed to get a Smith 38/44 a few years ago, and it is a tack driver with SWC 158 gr. 25 yd shots are easy, but I also shoot hand gun out to 50-75 yds so longer range shooting does not surprise me. The Model 52 is also incredibly accurate and soft shooting.
All double cannalure brass is wadcutter brass, but not all wadcutter brass has double cannalures.Quote:
Originally Posted by MG08
Okay, the double cannulure is the mark of WC brass, but not all wadcutter brass has double cannalures.
Then what are other ways you can distinguish WC brass from common brass?
Use a tubing micrometer and measure wall thickness at mouth and again 1/2" down the case. If the two measurements are THE SAME and 0.010" or less, it is wadcutter brass.
If the case wall is thicker thicker than 0.010 it is "service load" brass with thicker case wall which is necessary to provide heavier bullet pull required to produce acceptable ballistic uniformity with jacketed bullets of smaller diameter than .358".
Good info. Thanks. Wish starline or someone similar would make a run of 38 SPCL WC headstamped brass to the WC spec. I'd be good for a thousand cases or two.Quote:
Originally Posted by Outpost75
Starline .38 Special ordinary brass met these specs last time I bought any.
No need for any special run or headstamp. BUT you do need to measure as I'm not sure that all of their .38 Spl. is this way.
You just sold a thousand rounds of that brass. Contact them for your commission check.Quote:
Originally Posted by Outpost75
I bought a big stash of .38 wadcutter brass awhile back, I think about 1200 rounds all in original boxes, about half is Peters and half Western. I'm shopping for a wadcutter mold now. I have 500 factory swaged bullets to get started but want to cast my own. Got about 400 lbs of pure lead for starters. These will feed my two N-frames, a 28-2 4" and a 6" pre-27. Thanks for the great informative article!
I've been more than pleased with my rcbs 2 cavity 148gr wadcutter, I upgraded to a 6 cavity hg 50 and shoot the crud out of my 38s.Quote:
Originally Posted by 6GUNSONLY
Very nice post. I just bought a Smith and Wesson revolver I intend to shoot a lot. You have inspired me to keep track of how many rounds I actually shoot. Thanks
That's like the old "All Bourbon drinkers are Whiskey drinkers but not all Whiskey drinkers are Bourbon drinkers".Quote:
Originally Posted by Char-Gar
All this talk about wadcutters has prompted me to dig out my .41 cal 4 hole brass hollowbase wadcutter mold I bought a few years ago. I have yet to try it out. I have a Smith Model 57 with a 4"tube that needs to be exercised. It should be a ton of fun with some wadcutters and a small charge of powder at my steel targets.
Well... since this thread is still active!
This is about the best I can do offhand anymore with my +60 year old eyeballs And yes, I cheated and used swaged Speer Boolits!
Sizer Die: Lee Undersized .38 Super Die
RCBS Wadcutter Expander Die
C-H Wadcutter Seating Die
RCBS .38 Special Taper Crimp Die
Bullet: Speer 148 gr. HBWC
Powder: Alliant Bullseye 2.8 grs.
Primer: Federal 100 Small Pistol
Case: Federal .38 Special
LOAL: 1.155
Forgot to pack tools to adjust the sights... but I was close! Six shots at 25 yards with a Clark PPC Revolver.
Attachment 209487
I have a Model 10 PPC gun build by Royce Weddle for me back in 1980. He was US PPC champion and a noted shooter/gunsmith of the day from Norman, Oklahoma. It wears a Douglas balnk and an Aristocrat rib.
I really wanted to win the stae championship for unclassified shooters. I practiced a tad. I shot twenty one days straight. Rounds per day were 1000 and I reloaded another 1000 every evening. Star bullets and 2.7 of BE in WW WC brass. I won that year (1980).
The next year I didn't have enough time so I only shot 18,000 rounds in 18 days. I won that year.
Year #3 found me at the range again and I only had 15 days to practice. I was heavily involved in IPSC/USPSA also and was gearing up for the US Nationals that year with them. I shot 15,000 rounds in practice that year. Thank goodness for my Dillon 300!! I won that year.
Since then I've put another few thousand down the tube well in excess of 75,000 by now. The action is like butter ad the X-ring is still not too small at 50 with it. My one 38 Special press has not had anything changed in almost 40 years and still going strong.
I suppose I'll die with that one still punching nice groups. As much as it surprises me doing the math I have a 1911 with easily that many down the tube built by John Nowlin years ago. Lead doesn't wear much and lube and springs has kept that one tight and accurate. I have a Frankenberg built 9X21 with close to 50,000 through it too.
Greg
I bought a box of 500 Speer lswc after checking their diameter (1.58) and I have been loading them with titegroup for my 5" 27. Nice target load and no leading. Standing on the edge of a gravel road by some logged off woods, just shooting off hand at 50' or so at a paper plate stapled to a dead tree. Got that 27 20 yrs. ago used for $325 and it looked unfired. The hand cut checkering on the top strap and incomparable bluing job, tapered barrel and butter smooth action are priceless really.
This is a ''timeless'' thread. My S&W Model 14-1 loves Bullseye and 38 wad cutters from a #50 H&G 4cavity mould. A 4'' Model 19 too. As l get older l don't even bother casting unless its with a Hensley&Gibbs mould.
That applies to ANY caliber!
Agree this thread is timeless. Interesting to note that popular wisdom is that wadcutters won't group at ranges past 50 yards. This might be true with S&W 18-3/4" twist barrels and factory-equivalent target loads with 2.7-3.0 grains of Bullseye using soft-swaged 148-grain HBWC bullets from Speer, Hornady, Precision Delta, Star, 3D, etc.
However... my friends and I are shooting "full charge" wadcutters, assembled with 3.2 grains of Bullseye or Titegroup, with the REMINGTON 148-grain HBWC bullets, assembled in new Starline brass with Remington 1-1/2 primers, flush seated at 1.16" OAL and separately roll crimped and profiled using the Redding profile crimp die as the last station on the Dillon RL550B. I load mine similarly on Star machine.
We are shooting these in Colt Officers Model Match 14" twist, several Clark-Ruger PPC guns with 12" and 14" twist barrels, as well as a Giles wadcutter gun and a couple British .360 Rook rifles re c hambered with a .38 AMU reamer. We are shooting revolver matches on a 12" steel gong at 100 yards, and rook and rabbit rifle matches also at 100 yards on a steel groundhog 10-1/2" high and 4" wide. All iron sights, great fun!
^^
Sounds like you guys are having a GRAND time!