Revolver + Lead = Rabbit.

[taco650]

74 grain? Got a pic of the boolit and loaded round? Were they loaded in 357 cases or 38 Special?

[wonderwolf]

Lucky Joe, I just cast up my first batch of 358101 this past weekend and was looking for info and came across this thread. Is it safe to assume you are loading those 3gr of red dot in a 38 case? I didn't which case you were loading it in although I might have overlooked it.

Also any suggestions on how to lube/size these in a 4500 and get them out? I don't like the idea of making a tall plunger but these things simply will not pop out...not much to them. Cute little buggers though. 358429, 358101, speer factory 148 HBWC

[taco650]

Lucky Joe, I just cast up my first batch of 358101 this past weekend and was looking for info and came across this thread. Is it safe to assume you are loading those 3gr of red dot in a 38 case? I didn't which case you were loading it in although I might have overlooked it.

Also any suggestions on how to lube/size these in a 4500 and get them out? I don't like the idea of making a tall plunger but these things simply will not pop out...not much to them. Cute little buggers though. 358429, 358101, speer factory 148 HBWC

If fixing the Lyman to work doesn't work out, spend $20 on a Lee push through with their LLA. The LLA will work fine at the velocities you'll be shooting them.

[Rusty W]

(Also any suggestions on how to lube/size these in a 4500 and get them out? I don't like the idea of making a tall plunger but these things simply will not pop out...not much to them.)

I use a spent primer set on top of the lifting pin & the pin in the die. A small pistol or rifle usually works & there's enough lube between the two to hold it in place.

[wonderwolf]

If fixing the Lyman to work doesn't work out, spend $20 on a Lee push through with their LLA. The LLA will work fine at the velocities you'll be shooting them.

I've thought about a push through sizer too last night, may end up getting one as I want to try lee's TL 148gr Wadcutter.

(Also any suggestions on how to lube/size these in a 4500 and get them out? I don't like the idea of making a tall plunger but these things simply will not pop out...not much to them.)

I use a spent primer set on top of the lifting pin & the pin in the die. A small pistol or rifle usually works & there's enough lube between the two to hold it in place.

Thats one of those ideas it makes so much sense I ask myself..."why didn't I think of that....." Thanks Rusty, I'll try that this evening as those little pills are all I have left to size/lube, just finished a nice size box of 358429 and loaded a few up last night.

[Lucky Joe]

74 grain? Got a pic of the boolit and loaded round? Were they loaded in 357 cases or 38 Special?

I load them in a .38 most of the time. I use a Lee push though although I do not resize these. I have a new 358101 but these came from the Lee group buy we had her a while back.

They look like any WC this one just happens to be power coated. I usually use 45-45-10. Pc'd are two projectiles that's one way to tell them apart for me.

[wonderwolf]

Is there a explanation out there for why there is a raised platform of sorts atop most of ideal/lyman wad cutter designs? I've been thinking that maybe it shifts just a little more weight forward but I'm not sure if that would greatly effect accuracy at the distances most people shoot these at.

My 358101 mold is a single cavity I got in trade not long ago, we'll see how it shoots but I'm half tempted to take a Lee 6 cavity Tumble lube mold and mill away the top of the mold till I get about half wad cutters, wouldn't be hard and I would have a 6 cavity mold that could make a lot of button plinker bullets.

[Lucky Joe]

This is a boolit from another Lee Group Buy, 105 gr. WC .358. It does not have the button and essentially a double ended WC. When the 74 gr. was being designed a vote was taken as to have the button or not, button won. Dean Grennell once had H&G make a 66 gr. .358 .boolit it did not have the button also had one made for the .44. I have the article scanned I can email it to you if you like. In it he writes about multi projectile loads.

[taco650]

Is there a explanation out there for why there is a raised platform of sorts atop most of ideal/lyman wad cutter designs?

+1, inquiring minds want to know.

[wonderwolf]

I made it out to the range yesterday and tested a cylinder full of these 358101 in a brand spanking new GP100 5" I've been waiting for 3 years to get. My load was 3gr of bullseye and shot at 7 yards loaded in a .38 spl case, I tested about 8 or 9 different loads yesterday, shot loads, 148gr WC, 158gr LEE RF and the 173gr keith style were all tested. loving the versatility out of this caliber/ gun.

The group circled is the 75gr wadcutters in question, I didn't think the group from my .38+P loads would overlap that group but they did so there are one or two shots that were added to that group that don't belong there. The shots with slashes through them were +p 158gr lee RF bullets I have really taken a liking to. They shoot very well and make nice holes(although the load I tested yesterday with I was not impressed with). Have not had a chance to try them on any game but I have a feeling they would make a excellent field load. These were different from my staple load, 4.2gr of red dot and were actually 3.8gr of bullseye. All those tiny holes is from one shot at about 12 feet with 70gr of #12 shot backed by 5.5gr of unique.

[35remington]

Two reasons advanced for the nose on the wadcutter:

Aerodynamics. The nose directs the "bow wave" away from the full diameter shoulder and gives it longer stable flight.

Feeding. Some claim the raised nose interacts better with the feed ramps of autoloading pistols designed for wadcutters. The trouble with this idea is that some autoloaders won't tolerate any length above flush with the case mouth.

The first reason is the most commonly stated.

And in all fairness....a good group with a wadcutter at only seven yards would comprise a single enlarged hole, shooting skill notwithstanding. Groups significantly wider than that as pictured above mean either the load or the shooter needs a lot of work.

[wonderwolf]

Two reasons advanced for the nose on the wadcutter:

Aerodynamics. The nose directs the "bow wave" away from the full diameter shoulder and gives it longer stable flight.

Feeding. Some claim the raised nose interacts better with the feed ramps of autoloading pistols designed for wadcutters. The trouble with this idea is that some autoloaders won't tolerate any length above flush with the case mouth.

The first reason is the most commonly stated.

And in all fairness....a good group with a wadcutter at only seven yards would comprise a single enlarged hole, shooting skill notwithstanding. Groups significantly wider than that as pictured above mean either the load or the shooter needs a lot of work.

Thanks for the technical info 35Remington! on the load vs shooter comment, send me a ransom rest with a GP100 insert and we'll find out which it is

[BAGTIC]

My experience with similar bullets in a 6 inch 357 revolver produces about 800 fps. What I like about them is how relatively quiet they are. They are easily effective on small game well past 50 yards if you can hit them.

[wonderwolf]

My very good friend who also happens to be our clubs pistol directly and myself got out to the range on a "warm" day it was just above freezing with rain starting to come down to test his newly built plate rack for the upcoming Jr .22 steel challenge league season he coaches. Anyways I had these light 74gr bullets and we wanted to test the plates (they were AR series) on something a little heavier so out came the GP100 and we did some informal testing. These were the 3gr of bullseye loads, not sure why the first shot was a miss, it sounded REALLY light but I heard the thump when it hit dirt so I just kept going.

image goes to video



I plan on trying some other light loads this spring/summer one of them being a 375 round ball pushed through a lee .358 sizer and alox'ed...I'm mostly curious to see how these will be with dead soft lead and shot through my carbine. The .38/357 has never really been on my radar, now I'm discovering it like I've never seen a girl before....

[Bazoo]

38/357 caliber in a rifle pistol combo is to me, ideal.

Thanks everyone for sharing. I loaded some 358429s myself over the last couple days. I used a lee dipper to give 4.6 of unique. Just plinking stuff out of the wifes 686.

[vmathias]

Nice job!

[Swede44mag]

Nice job on the rabbit.

I once had a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 10inch barrel (should have kept it) shot at a sitting rabbit two cylinders and missed.
I have taken many with a S&W mod 17 22cal sitting & running fun to shoot. Traded it off (should have kept it) for a Ruger semi auto 22 couldn't hit good with.
Traded for a 10 shot S&W 8 3/8 in SS 22 it would group about 18" at 25 yards traded it off.
Bought a DW 10" SS 22lr it has a ram on the barrel it is my go to rabbit pistol sorry to say I haven't been rabbit hunting in over 10 years.

[Geezer in NH]

I hunted Snow shoe hares with a Sheridan 5mm pellet gun total success. I grew older and in my own apt. was able to have a dog my beagle turned me to a 410 shotgun. Had faster action but brought home no more do to laws.

Now I use the pellet gun again as my girl has been waiting for me for many years across the bridge. Every now and then we visit in my sleep and it is the best sleep I get in months. It takes nothing from my current little girl at the time as all will join me I hope.