Wadcutter secrets revisited...

[jamesgpobog]

Found a thread from 2007 asking about wadcutters feeding in lever guns. Only one reply there, and the overall general consensus seems to be that levers don't like wadcutters.

Well, here's what I stumbled upon yesterday.

While playing around with OAL with full wadcutters seated out (dummy rounds, no primer or powder), it seems I might have stumbled on a 'sweet spot', because I have dummies in both .38 and .357, BBWC (SNS Casting) and a H&G button nose (Bayou) that feed slicker than snot in my Rossi M92.

The gun is a 16" barrel medallion Puma from Interarms.

The SNS WC is .574 long, the Bayou is about .576, however, the distance to the shoulder on the Bayou is .068 in back of the nose. That means for a given OAL, the shoulder of the H&G design is going to be about .065-.068 closer to the case mouth.

Here's what I produced...


SNS Casting poly coated boolit (gold).
.358
148 grain BBWC
8 grains Hercules Unique (old), magnum brass
Taper crimp, just below crimp groove. Groove fully exposed.
OAL 1.406




Bayou Bullets poly coated boolit (green).
.358
138 grain (per website) H&G style Button Nose BBWC
15 grains Hercules 2400 (old), magnum brass
Roll crimped in 2nd groove from nose (first lube groove)
OAL 1.475




They seem to cycle just fine.

[FredBuddy]

My 1894 Marlin is a single shot with WC's no matter what I try. But that's Ok, since it has accounted for many groundhogs over the years.

[fecmech]

I have found that wadcutters fed just fine in 2 Rossi 92's and a Win 94 by simply loading them long and a light crimp in the middle lube groove. That said I rarely use WC's in my rifles, too many other good designs.

[KCcactus]

I load HBWC backwards, seated about 1/4" out from the case in 357 and 44 mag. Both are from MP HBWC molds. My Rossi 92s feed them well. In 38 spl brass, the 357 tries to feed two at the same time, so I only use them in 357 mag brass. Water filled targets are lots of fun, especially with the 44.

[MarkP]

I have an older Puma in 44 mag that feed the old Lee 208 gr WC I think these were loaded in 44 SPL brass. My Pump medallion fell out and never found.