Hollow base wad cutters

[beefyz]

Sorry, stupid question. Just getting into lead and friend of mine wants to give me appx 1,000 hollow base 148gr wad cutters. They have no lube or lube groove, and have 3 crimping bands at various heights. He claims he has shot them through his .357 rifle. And that is the only place i would have use for them, through a .357 rossi. Can these be shot with any accuracy through a 24" tube; either in .38 or .357 ? And if the answer is yes, i assume the velocity has to be kept way low to around 850-1,000 ? Please advise.

[MT Gianni]

These should be lubed with a wax lube good to around 1000 fps max. I don't know if they would run out of lube in 24" but take them and say Thank You.

[45-70 Chevroner]

You might have some feeding problems, but they will probably shoot ok if you coat them with some Lee liquid Lube or some sort of liquid lube. They are probably pure lead and if so I would hold the velocity down to around 700 FPS to minimize leading.

[beefyz]

If i could use them i would single load them. 700 fps is a bit slow isn't it? I wouldn't want to stick one. If i coated them with this liquid alox, could i reasonably expect to get to appx 900 or so w/o leading? Would it make a difference if i turned them over & shot them with the wad cutter used as a PB ?

[testhop]

i have shot them out of 38s and 357s hb out makesone hell of a hp
have to keep the vol down in 38 i used bulls eyein the 357 unque thay open up the size of a nickle

[deltaenterprizes]

CAUTION:hollow based wadcutters must be used with low pressure loads only. Too high pressure can cause the skirt to separate from the top and leave the skirt in the bore!

[uscra112]

Shot many a one in a Marlin .35 Rem. microgroove. They had to be single loaded, but they were accurate enough at 40 yards for garden defense (woodchucks). My load was 5 grains Red Dot, loaded them backwards and only about .200 into the case. Velocity about 1100 fps from my barrel, and never a lube problem, regardless of lube.

[runfiverun]

look at your nice friend and thank him.
for the 35 lbs of lead alloy at the worst.
and some nice practice at the best.
you can roll them over/between a file and tumble lube them.

[R.M.]

I'd bet they are lubed with a graphite type lube.

[williamwaco]

You say they have no lube or lube grooves.

Do they have a cross hatch pattern. Many commercial wad cutters do. If they have that cross hatch pattern, they will almost certainly have a wax lube.

If they do not have any pattern, try wiping them with a shop rag moistened with mineral spirits. If they color changes you are wiping off a lube of some sort.

If you determine they really have no lube, consider lubing them with a tumble lube. A lot of members here really bad mouth Lee or Xlox but I have had very good results with it and it will stick to a bullet with no grooves just fine. In fact, after it is dry for a few days you will have trouble wiping it off with a rag.

PS: You will almost certainly need to single load them. I am reasonably sure they will not feed.

If worse comes to worse, I could shoot them up for you.


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