41 mag, Lyman 41027 HB WC

[azrednek]

Anybody have any previous expereince loading the 41 mag with the hollow based wad-cutter and have any suggested loads?? I'm going to size some to .410 with hard lube and try another batch tumble lubed and shoot as cast. I'm going to start at about 4.5 grs of Bullseye unless somebody has a suggestion. My mix is wheel weights with just enough tin to get a good flow and fill the mold.

I learned one thing working with this mold, you really have to enjoy bullet casting. Casting the hollow based wad-cutter is somewhere between slower than molasses and ridiculas!! Kind of like waiting in line at the Post Office in the middle of December. Definitly not for the impatient type personality.

[fourarmed]

One thing to watch with any hollow-based wadcutter in any revolver is to keep the pressure low. Situations have been reported where the pressure separates the skirt from the body of the bullet at the cylinder gap. A skirt left in the bore could be bad news if another bullet was fired behind it.

[Dale53]

A number of years ago, I had a friend that claimed that he ringed his auto barrel (.38 Super 1911 style) with a hollow base wadcutter. I assumed that he had a "squib" load that failed to leave the barrel. In fact, I told him so with some arrogance. After all, I was younger then and "Knew everything".

He replaced his barrel and derned if he didn't go it again. TWO barrels ringed in a matter of weeks. He also stated that he was absolutely positive that he was watching each shot and the bullet that ringed his barrel printed on the target. I wasn't quite so hard on him the second time but privately thought that he was mistaken. Incidentally, he was not trying to make a magnum out of the .38 super but WAS driving them a bit faster than normal.

Right after this happened, I was shooting next to our club champion (State Champion, no less) and suddenly saw something sticking out of the end of his barrel just before he fired again. I yelled (LOUDLY) and managed to stop him. He checked his pistol and sure enough the skirt of the hollow base wadcutter had separated leaving the base in the barrel and actually shot a ten with the front end. Both shooters were shooting .38 Supers that had been "tuned" and they shot extremely well.

These were commercial hollow base wadcutters by a relatively small manufacturer (made for .38 Special). The information was immediately referred to them and they ultimately strengthened the skirts. No more surprises. Well, I certainly learned something and I also apologized to my friend that I was so "know it all" to.

The older I get and the more experience I get, the more I learn that I wonder sometimes if we know anything much at all

Who would have thought that you could have a skirt separate in an auto pistol barrel? Well, "That is the rest of the story".

Dale53

[Leftoverdj]

I have that mould. Seems to me I used 6 grains of Unique and a 50/50 lead/ww mix. Haven't cast with it in years since it was a royal nuisance. Had to rig a holder over a torch to keep the base plug hot enough.