38 caliber Wadcutter Choices

[Brian Albin]

The 38 Special wadcutters shown below are all Lymans. These have listed weights from 140 to 150 grs with two of them being for the adjustable weight type of mold. Pictured from the left their numbers are:
358087 125-140gr
358495 141gr
358063 148gr
358091 148gr
358395 148gr
358432 148-160gr
358344 150gr
I was surprised to see one maker offered so many. In addition to these, there were also three or four in the catalog at lighter weight.
　
Can somebody help me sort through them? How do they differ? Or, what is the design idea behind their differences? I see two of them have extra thick base bands. I can understand this for rifle pressures, but is it an advantage in a revolver?
Number 91 has a bevel base for easier seating, perhaps 63 has this also. I can not tell from the picture which ones have beveled crimp grooves. Perhaps that is a feature which brought some of them into being. Are some of these hollow base? It looks like 395 probably is. 63 and 395 appear to have larger grease grooves than the others. Is this a help? Pistol barrels being as short as they are, I wonder if perhaps any amount of grease is enough, big quantities of lube being only for rifle Bbls.
　
Do some of these shoot better in some pistols, while other pistols favor other of them?
　
I thank you for your comments and ideas.
Brian

[.22-10-45]

#358495 is solid base version of hollow base #358395 designed by Ed McGivern. #358432 designed by H.A. Nott. #358344 designed by C.C. Crossman..this has been my favorite in a Circa 1905 Colt Bisley 7 1/2" in Colt .38. I recently picked up a little #358425..110gr. I have a bevel-base Lyman W.C., but don't have notes with me on mould #..this one by the way shoots very well in that Bisley..but the bevel tends to accumulate lube when sizing. You have to remember these were from the haydays of revolver target shooting...and Ideal/Lyman would cut just about any design one wanted..especially if from big name target shooters. I shot alot of police combat in the mid to late 70's..we bought our cast w.c. bullets from club member..problem was he thought harder was better..those things leaded our .38's from stem to stern..and I swore I would never own a wadcutter mould...here 40 some years later & I find myself owning just about every design of W.C. mould Ideal/Lyman turned out!..Only now I cast e'm soft & use a soft beeswax/lanolin/carnuaba lube mix.

[Oyeboten]

Some more here...
http://www.three-peaks.net/bullet_molds.htm

I can not tell either who is Hollow Base and who is not.

In addition to which, I have seen IDEAL and LYMAN Molds which are not represented in that Illustration.

I do not understand the differing Lube Groove arrangements either.

Some Lube is good to have, for sure, but, I have never understood why some Bullets/Boolits have SO many Lube Grooves, while others of the same weight and Calibre, have only one or two.

I will guess the heavier Full Meplat Wadcutters may have had advantage for longer ( Pistol/Revolver ) ranges ( within reason ) over the lighter ones.

Those with the little 'pop up' instead of just being flat, may have had some slight aerodynamic advantage, over longer ranges, than the plain flat front ones.

That exhausts my own conjectures with these!

[Oyeboten]

#358495 is solid base version of hollow base #358395 designed by Ed McGivern. #358432 designed by H.A. Nott. #358344 designed by C.C. Crossman..this has been my favorite in a Circa 1905 Colt Bisley 7 1/2" in Colt .38. I recently picked up a little #358425..110gr. I have a bevel-base Lyman W.C., but don't have notes with me on mould #..this one by the way shoots very well in that Bisley..but the bevel tends to accumulate lube when sizing. You have to remember these were from the haydays of revolver target shooting...and Ideal/Lyman would cut just about any design one wanted..especially if from big name target shooters. I shot alot of police combat in the mid to late 70's..we bought our cast w.c. bullets from club member..problem was he thought harder was better..those things leaded our .38's from stem to stern..and I swore I would never own a wadcutter mould...here 40 some years later & I find myself owning just about every design of W.C. mould Ideal/Lyman turned out!..Only now I cast e'm soft & use a soft beeswax/lanolin/carnuaba lube mix.


Say, maybe you can answer a question for me.

Some while back I saw an old Ideal or Lyman Mold on ebay, for casting a .410 Flat top flat bottom 210 Grain or so Wadcutter.

I can not find this Mold on any of the Lyman/Ideal Mold Tables.

I did not bid on the Mold, then three Days later I came in to an early S & W Model 57, and now I am kicking myself that I did not have the prescience to have bid on and have won that Auction! It was nagging me that I ought to have that Mold, but I had no use for it at the time! Eeeesh!

Is this a Mold you have on hand or have seen or heard of?

And if so, would you happen to have the Mold Number for it?

I have been very pleased with Bees Wax and a little Caranuba, ( but I did not have any Lanolin in it ) for my Black Powder Revolvers, whether Cap & Ball or Metallic Cartridge.

Is it a good choice also for Smokeless?

[Shiloh]

They all seem to shoot well. LEE has a clone of they Ideal/Lyman 35891

Shiloh

[tazman]

One of the differences that is most important to me is where the crimp groove is located on the boolit. The two boolits pictured on the far right are designed to have more of the boolit outside the case than other wadcutters.
This allows powder charges similar to normal semi wadcutters and round nose boolits since the case capacity is not reduced by deeply seating the boolit.
As far as accuracy, I have tried all but one of the mentioned wadcutters as well as from other manufacturers. Accuracy is nearly identical across the board. Just pick the one you find easiest to use and make it fit the gun. Find what powder charge works the best in your firearm. Fit and powder charge make more difference to accuracy than the wadcutter design.

[Wayne Smith]

I have been very pleased with Bees Wax and a little Caranuba, ( but I did not have any Lanolin in it ) for my Black Powder Revolvers, whether Cap & Ball or Metallic Cartridge.

Is it a good choice also for Smokeless?

Yes. I use emmerts for all of my revolver/pistol shooting, BP shooting, and some plinking rifle shooting.

[Valley-Shooter]

I've heard that many WC's only need lube on their bottom groove to get good accuracy. I've tried this, but it's hard to do if you need to size most of the bullet because most of it is seated deep in the case. You end up with lube in all the grooves. You could always size and lube in 2 steps, but the just adds time to the process.

[Thumbcocker]

I have always been partial to 358495.

[bedbugbilly]

Interesting thread . . . .

taxman says it very well . . . ..

I have tried a number of different designs and finally settled on the I don358-432 which is offered in both 148 gr and 160 grain. I don't shoot as may WC as I do the 358-311 RN or the Lee Tl SWC but for general plinking, the 148 gr. designs do work well out of all of my vintage 38s. The 160 grain I load up for SD rounds.

[DerekP Houston]

I've tried a few different designs, haven't really noticed a difference in performance at my level. The bevel base #50 h&g I got is slightly easier to seat in my progressive so that is what I have been using mainly now.

174660

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Say, maybe you can answer a question for me.

Some while back I saw an old Ideal or Lyman Mold on ebay, for casting a .410 Flat top flat bottom 210 Grain or so Wadcutter.

I can not find this Mold on any of the Lyman/Ideal Mold Tables.

I did not bid on the Mold, then three Days later I came in to an early S & W Model 57, and now I am kicking myself that I did not have the prescience to have bid on and have won that Auction! It was nagging me that I ought to have that Mold, but I had no use for it at the time! Eeeesh!

Is this a Mold you have on hand or have seen or heard of?

And if so, would you happen to have the Mold Number for it?

I have been very pleased with Bees Wax and a little Caranuba, ( but I did not have any Lanolin in it ) for my Black Powder Revolvers, whether Cap & Ball or Metallic Cartridge.

Is it a good choice also for Smokeless?

41 cal WC molds are as rare as hens teeth, I found it best to have one custom made by Accurate molds.http://www.accuratemolds.com/
I love this 196gr. WC and was a design already in his catalog and you can have Tom make it to your Gun's spec's, if you know them.


http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/100_1383.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/100_1383.jpg.html)

[toallmy]

I have found Emmerts quite useful in most low pressure handgun rounds , keeps fouling soft and easily removed .

[Harry O]

I used to use Hornady .38 hollow-base wadcutters (for about 20 years), until they became unavailable. After that, I tried several different wadcutters that I cast from two or four cavity moulds. All were flat base bullets. None of them were quite as accurate as the Hornadys.

Eventually, I ran across a well used 358395 hollow-base wadcutter. It is single cavity, so casting is very slow, but it is more accurate than the others I tried. It is probably just as accurate as the Hornady, but it has been many years since I shot them so I am just going on memory. I cast them from dead soft (40:1) lead/tin, size them to 0.359" and use SPG lube. Anyway, it is my choice for .38 Special wadcutters now.

[mdi]

They all seem to shoot well. LEE has a clone of they Ideal/Lyman 35891

Shiloh
I've fired one and one half boat loads of this bullet in my 3, .38 Specials, and one .357 Magnum. My house gun (a 2" .38) is fed this bullet, cast from about 16+ BHN alloy, over a hefty load of W231...

[Char-Gar]

I have loaded and fired many different solid base wadcutter designs in various 38 Specials and 357 Magnums over the years and have not found one that was clearly superior. I will hasten to say, that I am not a handgun best rest shooter or curious load development fellow. I hold the handguns in one or more hands, stand up and shoot. This is my testing method, such as it is.

[jeepyj]

I'm partial to the 358091 version for PC and the 358495 for standard lube for me in a wad cutter is one of my favorite and as of late the bevel base 091in PC is quite nice all the way around. My Smiths likes about 4.5 grains of Unique to make them very happy.
Jeepyj

[.22-10-45]

Heres a nice write up: Wadcutter.htm

[Brian Albin]

Thank you, .22-10-45 for identifying the designer of several of these. I very much like history of shooting sport.
　
Thank you, tazman for telling me that "Accuracy [of the many designs] is nearly identical across the board". That takes a load off my choosing.
　
　
When I was a boy in the sixties we read that wadcutters were only flight stable to short range. I do not know what "short" range was meant to be. Was this true only of the completely flat front? Do those with the small bump on the front break up the air flow and allow accuracy to longer range? Have you accuracy tested wadcutters at 100 yds or further?
　
Brian

[DerekP Houston]

Thank you, .22-10-45 for identifying the designer of several of these. I very much like history of shooting sport.
　
Thank you, tazman for telling me that "Accuracy [of the many designs] is nearly identical across the board". That takes a load off my choosing.
　
　
When I was a boy in the sixties we read that wadcutters were only flight stable to short range. I do not know what "short" range was meant to be. Was this true only of the completely flat front? Do those with the small bump on the front break up the air flow and allow accuracy to longer range? Have you accuracy tested wadcutters at 100 yds or further?
　
Brian


Longest I shoot mine at is 20yrds...the max for my indoor range. I haven't noticed any difference as long as I do my part. Can't forget the look on my dads face when i took out the xring while he was struggling at 7 with a 44mag.

I'm of the opinion if they are farther away than 50yrds i might as well just grab my rifle. Some guys here are truly bullseye artists though and can keep solid groups at that range. I'll let them post the info so I don't ruin it.

[.22-10-45]

This is a good write up on wadcutter history: www. chapter 11 the wadcutter

[rwadley]

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_11_Wadcutter.htm

[Oyeboten]

41 cal WC molds are as rare as hens teeth, I found it best to have one custom made by Accurate molds.http://www.accuratemolds.com/
I love this 196gr. WC and was a design already in his catalog and you can have Tom make it to your Gun's spec's, if you know them.


http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/100_1383.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/100_1383.jpg.html)



Thank you for that info! If I do not find an old IDEAL or Lyman Mold in 410 for a flat both ends Wadcutter, I may just give them a holler.

I did get lucky a while back and found an old "IDEAL" Mold for a flat both ends Wadcutter for .44 Russian ( or .44 Special, or I guess .44 Magnum even ) and that sure made my day.

The only thing I have in .44 Russian/Special though, is a Merwin Hulbert 1st Model Frontier, and, a Colt New Service Target.

So, it will be perfect for the New Service then.

I always loved flat both ends Wadcutters...there is just something really nice about them somehow.

I am still looking for a Mold for .454 flat both ends Wadcutter, and I do not know if I am ever going to find one...but, who knows? Even if 'IDEAL' or 'LYMAN' did not offer one, they likely did make them on request I would think, or, I am sure someone else did make and offer them back when.

I expect "Accurate Molds" could make me one, no problem though...

[bullseye67]

Good Afternoon,
This is a question that I have mulled over and tested plenty when I was younger. Rates right up there with X primer is more accurate that Y primer or A brass is more, accurate, lasts longer, shinier, than, take your pick brass....
I compared factory loaded, factory swagged and home cast 38 wadcutters, and all pre-internet. So all the information I had was hear-say or read about in gun magazines. My testing was sand bags, 2 handed standing and also standing classic 1 hand bullseye stance. IIRC the differences were very small, so small, that a poor score couldn't be blamed on ammo, the bullet(boolit) or reloading technique. When I did the test I used 250 shots to get the numbers. 25 yards not enough of a difference in an average. At 50 yards the factory hollow base wadcutters did give a slight edge, along with the factory loaded rounds. I used that information to shoot only cast WC boolits at 25 yards and swagged factory WC at 50 yards.
Fast forward 30+ years to today. I find that 20 yards indoors the Lee TL or regular lube groove Lee WC shoot equal. Just the 6-bangers produce piles of good boolits...fast, and the swagged HBWC all scored within 2 tenths average points/shot. I believe the biggest difference I have seen is in loading. I have always loaded WC's with flat noses sprue up. This gives a perfectly flat base and the slight variations in, now the nose,now the sprue end, dosen't seem to affect accuracy. I load with the WC seated all the way into the case and give a slight roll crimp over the end. They work in revolvers and S&W 52. I tested the sprue up...vs...down again when I started shooting with a .32 S&W long. I have a H&G 100gr. solid WC that I cast for ISSF sport pistol. I loaded 100 sprue up and 100 srue down and 50 with exaggerated damaged sprue ends and 50 damaged the same up. I took nippers and cut 1/3 of the top band off all 100. They all looked the same by eye. All 300 were cast 7 SOWW/3COWW measured at .3145 and tumble lubed with 45/45/10. These are lube grooved boolits. All were loaded with Tula spp, 1.6 Bullseye and Star brass. Sprue down like you would load all cast boolits, averaged 8.1 points/shot. Sprue up or backwards to all current thought processes, 8.65 points/shot. Damaged bases down 4.5 points/shot lots of key holes and complete misses. Damaged bases loaded up 7.8 points/shot a couple of key holes but generally good group. Try different techniques and see what works for you. In MY opinion(and only my opinion) it is hard to find someone that can shoot better than a good cast Wadcutter.
Pictures are of a damaged WC used in the test, a WC loaded sprue up and a factory WC round. All 32 S&W Long.

[RogerDat]

Lot of good information. Glad the OP posted the question.
I have the same attitude taz expressed. Little more nose out so the case capacity is not compressed too differently than the SWC or RN bullets would so WC load is viable for other bullets.

[Oyeboten]

For anyone not able to cast their own presently, "Mattsbullets" has some nice Wadcutters in various Calibres.

And they can supply the 250 Grain 'dome nose' ( or whatever one would call it ) Wadcutters which are usually in .452, they can supply them in .454 if one wants.

http://mattsbullets.com/

[nvbirdman]

Just a strange thought. Since the wadcutters were designed in the heyday of pistol shooting many years ago, I wonder if they had a number of lube grooves because they thought more lube would prevent leading rather than softer alloy and proper boolit fit.

[Echo]

　
When I was a boy in the sixties we read that wadcutters were only flight stable to short range. I do not know what "short" range was meant to be. Was this true only of the completely flat front? Do those with the small bump on the front break up the air flow and allow accuracy to longer range? Have you accuracy tested wadcutters at 100 yds or further?
　
Brian

The HBWC's are the most accurate of all the WC's, up to about 50 yards. They start to yaw about then, and they won't stay on the paper at 100 yds. NRA (American Rifleman) did some tests decades ago. I have molds for both the H&G 50 qand the Lyman -495, but prefer the -432, that I use for SD loads in my LCR.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

For anyone not able to cast their own presently, "Mattsbullets" has some nice Wadcutters in various Calibres.

And they can supply the 250 Grain 'dome nose' ( or whatever one would call it ) Wadcutters which are usually in .452, they can supply them in .454 if one wants.

http://mattsbullets.com/
I believe the term is "button nose"

[Oyeboten]

I believe the term is "button nose"


That sounds right..! I had forgotten what to call it!

[Oyeboten]

Just a strange thought. Since the wadcutters were designed in the heyday of pistol shooting many years ago, I wonder if they had a number of lube grooves because they thought more lube would prevent leading rather than softer alloy and proper boolit fit.

Some Lead Bullets only had one Lube Groove...others of similar size and weight, had several.

Makes no sense to me at all.

I Plan to try some experiments for Revolver in which I will use Boolits with no smooth sides and Lube Grooves, and I will merely use a very thin little Bees Wax Wafer under the Boolit.

For Smokeless, I can adhere the Wafer to tbe Bullet Base by merely warming the Boolit first and then sticking it on there.

With BP of course, it has no where to go anyway, since it is betweeen Boolit Base and the compressed Powder.

I expect it will work just fine.

Actually I already have done something close to this years ago, in .45 Colt, using the old 'SAECO' 230 Grain .453 Wadcutters, with Black Powder and also Unique, even though they had Lube Groves, I used my little Lube Wafer under them and had nothing in the Lube Grooves...and they shot wonderfully, no Leading.

I think one would ask less 'squeeze down' with a no Lube Groove Boolit, compared to being able to ask for more 'squeeze down' with a Boolit which has a bunch of Lube Groves, far as sizing goes, or far as being however much over size, to the Barrel Bore.

[Char-Gar]

Just a strange thought. Since the wadcutters were designed in the heyday of pistol shooting many years ago, I wonder if they had a number of lube grooves because they thought more lube would prevent leading rather than softer alloy and proper boolit fit.

I have no idea and I will bet that the designers didn't either. They were just trying this and that, hoping for something better, but would settle for just being different.

[dubber123]

While I am sure one could find a "favorite" if testing a bunch of wadcutter designs. In my testing of at least a half dozen designs in the 140-160 grain range, there is very little difference at 50 yards. A second hand LEE 6 cavity wadcutter mold produced groups as good or better than ones from my H&G's, RCBS, LYMAN and SAECO's. The big realization to me was it's really not hard to beat a wadcutters accuracy at 50 yards+ with other designs. The age old Lyman 358311 RN does it, among others. Wadcutters shoot great at 25 yards, and start losing their shine by 50 in my experience. The best things they do is cut nice sharp holes in paper, and their deep seating depths allow you to use less powder per shot, both good attributes. That's about it though.

[Harry O]

For accuracy testing, I use a S&W K-38 Masterpiece with a Leupold 4x scope that I shoot from a heavy bench with several sand filled shot-bags for support. I don't believe that offhand testing can separate the small differences between .38 Special cartridges. Also, it takes a MINIMUM of 50 rounds (and 100 is better if you are not testing too many combinations) to get a baseline on what is the true accuracy of a cartridge/bullet combination. And another 100 rounds of a different cartridge/bullet to compare it to. Also, never change more than one variable between tests.

In some cases, more rounds may be required. One example of that is when I was comparing the 357446, 358477, and 358429. Very little difference between these. I gave the results of that one on a report here once. I also did some testing with reverse loaded wadcutters (hollow-base forward) for accuracy. The results were a lot different from what the armchair warriors (now internet warriors) said about them. Skeeter liked them and I see why. I have only compared some of my several wadcutter moulds to the 358395, but there is actually a difference there. I might not be able to see it offhand, but I know that it is there. When I know that I have the one that tests the most accurate, I know that anything that is less than perfect is because of me, not the gun, the cartridge, or anything else.

[Brian Albin]

Echo said:
"The HBWC's are the most accurate of all the WC's, up to about 50 yards. They start to yaw about then, and they won't stay on the paper at 100 yds."
　
And dubber123 said:
"It's really not hard to beat a wadcutter's accuracy at 50 yards+ with other designs."
　
Thank you, fellas for those reports. I am currently a crummy pistol shot, but if practice can turn me into a good shot, I want to experiment with longer range shooting as it seems a fascinating game. I think therefore I won't spend my money on a WC mould.
　
I do however continue to like learning about them. Their association with the most precise pistol shooting makes them the most interesting bullet pattern for me.

Brian

[Tracy]

I have a two cavity 358495 that drops at ~160 grains of COWW. Bought it years ago (used) at Dayton Hamvention flea market, of all places.

[Blanket]

One of the constants of our world, at 50 yards any WC of about 150 grains at 800 fps will shoot out of a 38.

[Char-Gar]

Echo said:
"The HBWC's are the most accurate of all the WC's, up to about 50 yards. They start to yaw about then, and they won't stay on the paper at 100 yds."
　
And dubber123 said:
"It's really not hard to beat a wadcutter's accuracy at 50 yards+ with other designs."
　
Thank you, fellas for those reports. I am currently a crummy pistol shot, but if practice can turn me into a good shot, I want to experiment with longer range shooting as it seems a fascinating game. I think therefore I won't spend my money on a WC mould.
　
I do however continue to like learning about them. Their association with the most precise pistol shooting makes them the most interesting bullet pattern for me.

Brian


Brian...Here comes some unsolicited advice from an aging handgunner who has been around the track many times.

1. A good 38 Special revolver is an excellent vehicle to learn pistolcraft.
2. Concentrate on grip, stance, sight picture, breath control and trigger control. Learn quickly not to let your trigger finger come in contact with the frame of the handgun. Isolate your trigger finger and have it only touch the trigger with the pad of the first digit of your finger.
3. As far as cast bullets go in the 38 Special, there is none more accurate than a good 155 - 160 grain round nose. Lyman 358311 is what I use. With the RN the hole in the target won't be clean, but the accuracy is as good or better than the best wadcutter and will hold it's accuracy far past where the WC would roll snake eyes.

Concentrate on the basic and practice, practice, practice. Fire every round with deliberation. Don't plink, but shoot at paper targets so you can record your score and see your progress.

[35remington]

I do know this much.

Passing on buying a wadcutter mould in this caliber will eventually be recognized as being a mistake. Maybe not now but you will wind up there.

In a practical sense you are not limited by its capabilities at any range a hit is probable in field use. Unless you were a rancher wanting to lob something at a coyote on occasion. For shots of opportunity in field use it has proven very suitable. It may be "the" lead bullet for a snubbie.

Does hit hit harder than other lead bullets. The combination of attributes it has is appealing.

[Frank V]

Brian, Welcome to the forum.
I've shot wadcutters out to 100yds & out there they do loose some performance. I've had good accuracy to beyond 70yds though. Taken a LOT of small game with them & they do perform well on small game as well as target shooting.
I kind of favor the Lee Version it's very accurate in any .38 I've shot them in & Lee makes a mold that is less expensive than some. If you are wanting to try one without much cash outlay try the Lee, you may not change.
Good shooting.

[Brian Albin]

I thank 35 Rem and Frank for the encouragement to get a WC mould. Frank's report of good accuracy to 70 yds is especially encouraging.
　
I thank Char-Gar for the instruction.
Thinking of how heavy target models have the inertia to dampen hand twitches of the shooter, I am wondering if this extra weight masks mistakes. Would it be a good idea for me to get one of S & W's Regulation Police models (in either 32 long or 38 short, both ought to be economical to load) that only weigh 18 oz to use as my training pistol? I am thinking every little tremor is going to show on the target with a pistol this light. Would this be likely to advance my progress to becoming a good shot?

Brian

[tazman]

I thank 35 Rem and Frank for the encouragement to get a WC mould. Frank's report of good accuracy to 70 yds is especially encouraging.
　
I thank Char-Gar for the instruction.
Thinking of how heavy target models have the inertia to dampen hand twitches of the shooter, I am wondering if this extra weight masks mistakes. Would it be a good idea for me to get one of S & W's Regulation Police models (in either 32 long or 38 short, both ought to be economical to load) that only weigh 18 oz to use as my training pistol? I am thinking every little tremor is going to show on the target with a pistol this light. Would this be likely to advance my progress to becoming a good shot?

Brian


I would suggest a S&W model 14, 15, 66, 19, or 10. Basically any K frame in 38 special or 357. Barrel length is not terribly important other than with the longer barrels you have a longer sight radius.
These guns are lightweight and strong. They are usually very accurate and the actions can be made smooth by either polishing or just shooting them.
Find out the diameter of the throats, size accordingly, and try to wear it out shooting. Lots of good tips for accuracy on this site. Proper practice is the key.

[TCFAN]

tazman's advise is very good about picking any K frame in 38 or 357.One other choice is the L frame which is just bit more heavy than the K frames and just as accurate.
I did wear out a model 14-6 K frame and S&W replaced it free under warranty with a 686 L frame which is just as accurate as my 14-6. The 14-6 lasted me about 19 years before it gave up the ghost.It never had any load except cast wad cutters and 3.2 grs of Bullseye in wadcutter cases.............Terry

[Michael J. Spangler]

I don't have extensive experience with shooting wadcutters but I have shot a couple thousand or so through my revolvers and my 1894 lever gun. I can say that I like the 359495 because it's what I have.
Everything I've read echoes what is said here. They all work equally well when cast and loaded consistently.
I can say that I regularly shoot the 358495 out of a 16.5" barrel rifle to 200 yards at 18" and 12" steel plates. I'm not a steady rifleman but if I can rest my arms on a bench or a post I can hit it 9/10 times.
Who knows what it's doing when it gets there but it gets there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Char-Gar]

Brian...things work just the opposite of your thinking. The heavier the revolver the easier it is to shoot. That extra weight, particularly in the barrel helps keep the front sight steady. The longer the barrel , the more precise the sight alignment will be.

Going light will hurt and not help your journey in pistolcraft.

[Frank V]

I would suggest a S&W model 14, 15, 66, 19, or 10. Basically any K frame in 38 special or 357. Barrel length is not terribly important other than with the longer barrels you have a longer sight radius.
These guns are lightweight and strong. They are usually very accurate and the actions can be made smooth by either polishing or just shooting them.
Find out the diameter of the throats, size accordingly, and try to wear it out shooting. Lots of good tips for accuracy on this site. Proper practice is the key.

You are welcome, I was shooting a nice old S&W K frame that I used to shoot the old PPC matches with. That gun would REALLY shoot & I was shooting a lot then. Sadly I thought I had to have something else & I traded it years ago.
I have gotten fantastic groups even at what would be considered long range for a 1-7/8" J frame. I used the Lee 148 gr WC & a light load of Bullseye. They will shoot very accuratly, if you decide to try it let us know.

[Brian Albin]

As this discussion seems to have run it's coure, I wanted to thank all you who have responded. Your instruction is much appreciated.

Brian

[Char-Gar]

As this discussion seems to have run it's coure, I wanted to thank all you who have responded. Your instruction is much appreciated.

Brian


You are very welcome Brian. Good luck on your pistol shooting. While pistol shooting is more difficult that shotgun or rifle, it is not one of the truly hard things in life. Riding a bicycle or typing 60 words are minute is far more difficult. There are some basic to pistolcraft that must be learned and after that, attention to the basic and practice is all it takes.

[Oyeboten]

Image showing some old 'SAECO' .453 Diameter, 230 Grain Wadcutters loaded upside down, and set to what would have been normal seating depth for RNL, in .45 Colt.

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh322/pdp111/45Colt2.jpg (http://s544.photobucket.com/user/pdp111/media/45Colt2.jpg.html)

Not .38 Special of course, but, I like Wadcutters, so...this was one I was Loading up back when.

[Brian Albin]

"Pistol shooting is not one of the truly hard things in life. Riding a bicycle or typing 60 words a minute is far more difficult"
Thank you, for the encouragement. I had no idea it was that easy. I need to get my reloading equipment set up so I can afford to shoot enough, and then go at it.
　
Brian

[Frank V]

Brian by all means get your reloading equoipment set up. You will really enjoy reloading & shooting a good wadcutter .38, they are mild, accurate, & fantastic small game loads.
Please share your range report with us when you get up & running.
Thanks.