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Thread: 38 spl wadcutter loads

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    Older post discussing the brass with pix.

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...adcutter-Brass

    Just by my thinking the brass used would effect hollow based bullets less than a solid WC, the hollow base by design would swell to seal the throat/barrel. The solid bullet may be swaged a bit in the case and the base may not upset fully at WC pressures and velocity’s.

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by MT Gianni View Post
    Winchester and Remington WC brass have the two cannelure grooves. Federal has a single cannelure about 1/3 of the way down. I have seen Hornaday WC brass but don't ever have enough of it to segregate it. Fiocchi is the same.
    Yes, that is it. After reading a thread on here I separated them out. Seated to the top groove after triming the brass and weighing each charge. For me it was a waste of time
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  3. #23
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    Getting old has its perks. We can blame our eyes, reflexes, etc, on our inability to shoot perfectly. It’s more fun to compete with me! I never lose!

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  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Sackett View Post
    Getting old has its perks.Sam Sackett
    Yes it does Sam. The older I get the better I was

  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    I seat my Lymans in the top crimp groove so it looks like a really short SWC. Add 3 grains Bullseye and you have the perfect .38 Special round.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF.

  6. #26
    Boolit Bub The Kid's Avatar
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    I have an H&G wadcutter mold but not the more common #50. I’d have to look at the H&G history site again to be certain but I think it’s a #32. It has a full diameter driving band ahead of a tapered crimp groove and a bore ride section topped with a button nose. It gets about 3/16” of the bullet out of the case when crimped in the groove.

    They give excellent accuracy out of all of my S&W revolvers, J,K, and N frames. My standard load is 3.5gr of 231 with any old primer I can get my hands on. At 20 yards if I’m not shooting a ragged one hole group it’s me and not the gun or the load. They also seem to stay stable further down range than other wadcutters I’ve used in the past. Hitting a 10” plate at 75 yards is no problem, mechanically anyway.

  7. #27
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    Actually wadcutter brass was designed to accommodate the HBWC by avoiding case bulging issues and preserving the skirt undamaged in seating. This is considered desirable. The HBWC seats notably deeper than a solid type with bullet surface ahead of the crimp groove given standard near flush seating with the HBWC.

  8. #28
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Kid View Post
    I have an H&G wadcutter mold but not the more common #50. I’d have to look at the H&G history site again to be certain but I think it’s a #32. It has a full diameter driving band ahead of a tapered crimp groove and a bore ride section topped with a button nose. It gets about 3/16” of the bullet out of the case when crimped in the groove.

    They give excellent accuracy out of all of my S&W revolvers, J,K, and N frames. My standard load is 3.5gr of 231 with any old primer I can get my hands on. At 20 yards if I’m not shooting a ragged one hole group it’s me and not the gun or the load. They also seem to stay stable further down range than other wadcutters I’ve used in the past. Hitting a 10” plate at 75 yards is no problem, mechanically anyway.
    That sounds remarkably similar to the Lyman 358432 design. It also works well in a wide variety of revolvers.
    The extra length in front of the case(when crimped in the crimp groove) enables the use of the same powder charges as normal 150 grain semiwadcutter boolits.
    Excellent boolit design.

  9. #29
    Boolit Bub The Kid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tazman View Post
    That sounds remarkably similar to the Lyman 358432 design. It also works well in a wide variety of revolvers.
    The extra length in front of the case(when crimped in the crimp groove) enables the use of the same powder charges as normal 150 grain semiwadcutter boolits.
    Excellent boolit design.
    It is very similar. In fact I believe the old catalog description I read mentioned it being “a button nosed wadcutter similar to the Lyman design”.

    You often hear midrange wadcutters being recommended as snub gun SD loads. Since many loads often lack the speed out of 2” barrels to make bullets expand and you are assured of a full caliber hole, with the reduced recoil being another benefit for the small guns. I think this style wadcutter would have the advantage of being easier to use for making a fast reload with it not presenting a completely squared off case mouth that is harder to guide into the chambers. They can also be loaded to full power if so desired due to the trait you mention about base protrusion.

    All adding up to a more versatile bullet that, in my experience, is just as accurate as other solid wadcutters.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master Forrest r's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Kid View Post
    I have an H&G wadcutter mold but not the more common #50. I’d have to look at the H&G history site again to be certain but I think it’s a #32. It has a full diameter driving band ahead of a tapered crimp groove and a bore ride section topped with a button nose. It gets about 3/16” of the bullet out of the case when crimped in the groove.

    They give excellent accuracy out of all of my S&W revolvers, J,K, and N frames. My standard load is 3.5gr of 231 with any old primer I can get my hands on. At 20 yards if I’m not shooting a ragged one hole group it’s me and not the gun or the load. They also seem to stay stable further down range than other wadcutters I’ve used in the past. Hitting a 10” plate at 75 yards is no problem, mechanically anyway.
    #36 perhaps

  11. #31
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    If there is special "wadcutter" only brass, I'm unfamiliar with it. I've been shooting the 358495/H&G 50 over 3gr of Bullseye for a long time without ever experiencing anything but stellar accuracy out to the distances I'm able to see to - which is admittedly quite shorter today than it was years ago. If there is some type of special brasss for wadcutters, I couldn't see where it would be of any consequence to a mere mortal such as myself...
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  12. #32
    Boolit Bub The Kid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Forrest r View Post
    #36 perhaps
    I just checked and this is correct. I’ve shot up pounds of H&G 50s and I think I prefer the 36.

  13. #33
    Boolit Mold
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    never knew that there is wadcutter brass?

    what is the difference?

  14. #34
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Kid View Post
    It is very similar. In fact I believe the old catalog description I read mentioned it being “a button nosed wadcutter similar to the Lyman design”.

    You often hear midrange wadcutters being recommended as snub gun SD loads. Since many loads often lack the speed out of 2” barrels to make bullets expand and you are assured of a full caliber hole, with the reduced recoil being another benefit for the small guns. I think this style wadcutter would have the advantage of being easier to use for making a fast reload with it not presenting a completely squared off case mouth that is harder to guide into the chambers. They can also be loaded to full power if so desired due to the trait you mention about base protrusion.

    All adding up to a more versatile bullet that, in my experience, is just as accurate as other solid wadcutters.
    Since I am so much of a penny pincher, I use the Lyman 358432 at full power as the loads already in my self defense revolver. They shoot to point of aim and are very accurate. I use rnfp in the speedloaders for the speed of reloading. I copuld use a round nose design but I like the flat area that an rnfp gives me.
    I have never had much luck getting good expansion from 38 Special loads even with jacketed bullets so I go with what shoots well for me.

    As to the original question about the differences in brass. Wadcutter brass has been well described earlier in this thread aqnd elsewhere on this site. Solid base wadcutters don't really need wadcutter brass due to the difference in the length of the boolit. Due to the base being hollow, the hollow base wadcutter is significantly longer than a solid base wadcutter. That extra length and the more easily swaged, thin walled hollow base, make if necessary to have thin case walls further into the case than are needed for solid base wadcutters. Many get by just fine without the wadcutter brass by relying on the pressures to expand the base to fill the barrel.

    Due to the boolit being seated so deeply into the case, depending on which powder you use, the pressures are nearly as high as standard self defense loads even though the velocity tends to be lower. Deep seated wadcutter boolits make very efficient use of powder.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check