Hollow Base Wadcutters: Tell the Truth

[bowfin]

Okay, so how many of you who have bought one of the hollow base wadcutter molds are going to load some of them up backwards just to see how they will expand?

I will be the first to plead guilty...

[Hardcast416taylor]

I loaded up some Hornady hollow base .38 wadcutters over 3.5 gr. HP-38 powder and Fed primers. Shot out of a S&W 36 at a pine 2 x 8" piece of lumber from 12 ft. the normally loaded load went thru the plank with a small amount of expansion. The reversed load bullet made a nice hole of about 3/4" where it exited the board. I wasn`t trying for accuracy - just seeing if it would expand.Robert

[Dframe]

Nope. Gonna reverse the pins and make WW solids that I can drive relatively fast.

[hicard]

I ordered 32, 38, 44 and 45 hbwc's and plan on doing just that. I once had to defend myself against an attacking pitbull and used swaged hornady hbwc's with 3.2 grs of bullseye loaded backwards. Worked very well indeed. I now have 44's loaded backwards in my Charter Arms Bulldog and believe me, they look bad ***.

[redneckdan]

Done it before with other moulds. Not for long distance accuracy but the effect is impressive.

[sleeper78]

I've never done it. However, I read an article in "The Backwoodsman" a few years back where the author did. He was very happy with the expansion that he got shooting them backwards. I've wanted to do it ever since. I have some Speer HBWCs but I haven't loaded them yet.

[EDK]

Okay, so how many of you who have bought one of the hollow base wadcutter molds are going to load some of them up backwards just to see how they will expand?

I will be the first to plead guilty...

I've got the MIHEC 38 and 44 moulds to try this with. I wish he had cut the solid noses to a diameter that would accept a gas check. THEN you could really enjoy loading them backwards with an appropriately generous powder charge. If you don't put a big hole in it, you'll slow it down with powder burns!

The 44 with the pins reversed to cast solid bases is extremely close in weight and appearance to the LYMAN 429352 clone group buy that Blammer ran a couple years ago....a really good shooting boolit in my VAQUEROS, etc. The hollow base over 6.5, 7 and 7.5 of HERCO is extremely accurate so far...lately temperatures around Saint Louie have taken a lot of the fun out of shooting...and you gotta be dedicated to be casting boolits. I'd love to see 60 degrees and a nice slow rain for a few days.

[mold maker]

I'd love to see a week of just 80s. I've gotten used to AC and retirement.

[KCcactus]

I'm glad he makes extras. I just ordered the 38 and the 44. All of these will be loaded backwards. I've probably shot a couple of thousand 38 hbwc over the last 15 years. Every single one of them was loaded backwards. That's what I carry in my .357 when the rattlesnakes get active.

You don't need to load them hot. It's amazing what a target load will do with that huge hollow point. Milk jugs and coke cans full of water are lots of fun.

[pps]

I'm glad he makes extras. I just ordered the 38 and the 44. All of these will be loaded backwards. I've probably shot a couple of thousand 38 hbwc over the last 15 years. Every single one of them was loaded backwards. That's what I carry in my .357 when the rattlesnakes get active.

You don't need to load them hot. It's amazing what a target load will do with that huge hollow point. Milk jugs and coke cans full of water are lots of fun.

Every one of mine will be loaded backwards over 2.8 grains of bullseye for dispatching jackrabbits, pop cans and those deadly milk jugs.