Just pickup a new S&W 637 snubnose, all my cast bullet are to hard. How can I make the lead softer so they will mushroom out of my snubnose. All my bullet are Lyman #2 or WW. Jim
Just pickup a new S&W 637 snubnose, all my cast bullet are to hard. How can I make the lead softer so they will mushroom out of my snubnose. All my bullet are Lyman #2 or WW. Jim
cut your wheel weights either with 1 part pure to 1 part ww or 2 parts pure to 1 part ww. What are you trying to shoot?
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Lord, make me fast and accurate. Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me. Grant me victory over my foes and those that wish to harm to me and mine. Let not my last thought be “If only I had my gun”; and Lord if today is truly the day that You call me home, let me die in a pile of brass.
I am out of town, enjoy your holidays.
Off subject, but..... .357, if i heard your signature in public, I would stand with my hand over my heart, head hung in reverence, and personally wave the American Flag behind you. Lord God, let that be my son's first and last prayer to you. Amen. "I may not survive the fight, but it's gonna be pretty embarrassing for them to know one man did this." Major Carslile, Commander US Army 101 Airborne
By the way, make the bullets softer.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, and covered in someone elses blood. I plan to go out the same way.
Using it for my CCW gun and in the house. Now I need to find pure lead.
Thank's Jim
If it's a solid LSWC, even soft lead won't expand much, maybe deform a little. You'll need to get a HP inot the nose & then go soft alloy to get expansion much under 850fps.
Matt
44 Special Articles
With regards to gun control in this country, everyone should be asking themselves one question:
What is it that this government feels they need to do, but can't do, unless the citizens of this nation are first disarmed?
(I seriously doubt you can come up with any plausible answers that you will like...)
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I buy honady HBWC then load them backwards.
You might try The Boolit Exchange under Swappin' and Sellin' to see if someone would pour you some soft HPs to see how they work.
I carry a Charter ams bulldog in 44 spec. It is loaded with Lyman devastators, The devastator is also available for 38/357. With the devastator, expansion will NOT be an issue.
In an Airweight Chiefs Special I think I'd concentrate more on bullet design and not worry about expansion. A moderate full wadcutter load would probably serve you better than a soft cast hollowpoint in such a short barrel. How hot are you planning on loading it anyway? Recoil will be a factor, believe me.
Μολὼν λάβε
Lord, make me fast and accurate. Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me. Grant me victory over my foes and those that wish to harm to me and mine. Let not my last thought be “If only I had my gun”; and Lord if today is truly the day that You call me home, let me die in a pile of brass.
I am out of town, enjoy your holidays.
should have gotten in on Mihec's38 HBWC mold!
Casts nice and being a hollow based wadcutter it can be loaded upside down on a light charge of Bullseye and still expand
Remember that an in the house gun should not penetrate enough to impact through your neighbors walls. It should also not be used toward any bedroom someone is in.
[The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze
In my mdl 10 2in. bbl, I carry wadcutters, I have used it several times to put down deer, and have never needed it for anything more serious. It worked well, wad cutters leave a good wound channel and I don't think you can expect much expansion at achievable volicitys. The most important fact is to put them where they will do the most good and use several.
Don't buy nuthing you can't take home
Joel 3:10
Concur on the WCs. Pure lead WCs, even at their sedate velocity, kill out of proportion to what we expect.
Larry Gibson
I often carry a 38 Bodyguard. I wouldn't worry about expansion, it's a iffy thing. The HBWC loaded backwards is about as sure as you'll get.
Thank's guys I will look into the HBWC. How do you load than backwards, don't think my loading die are setup for that big hollow point. Jim
+1 on the WC. I load 148 gr. DEWC's at a moderate velocity for carry in my M642. I can hit what I'm aiming at and that's the major consideration for me. I believe accuracy and penetration are more important than expansion at 38 Special velocities.
For actual carry and home defense I load up with Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P 800 fps, which is commonly called the FBI load. For practice and near duplication of this load I load with 158 grain Hornady LSWCHP ahead of 3.5 grains of Bullseye at 814 fps. Just a plain cast 158 grain SWC will work for practice but it doesn't give me the same feel and POI of the Hornady load.
Last edited by Gohon; 10-16-2010 at 11:15 AM.
Not to throw stuff on anyone's ideas, but, I used to reload HBWC backwards for my 2" .38. In the early 80s I read an article in one of the gun rags with several pics if wound channels in gel shot from short bbl revolvers. The HBWC would, about 90% of the time, just collapse and not expand, and mebbe tumble, and when shot through a couple layers of clothing the cavity just clogged and acted like a solid. Mine were really inaccurate at over 15 ft., mebbe 8" group, and with this info I changed my tactics and went with a 158 gr. SWC over some Bullseye at about 800 fps. If I was loading it for SD today I might go with one of the 125 gr HP at around 900+ fps (but now my "security" is a 1911 w/230 truncated cone).
My Anchor is holding fast!
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 |