crimsondave
New member
Just got some wadcutters in from Midway. Anything special I need to do to load these other than put on a good roll crimp? Never loaded any WC or SWC for that matter.
.38 sp, 148 gr WC.
.38 sp, 148 gr WC.
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Loading wadcutters...
- Thread starter crimsondave
- Start date
RamSlammer
New member
Easy bullet to reload, just watch your seating depth. Err on the high side depth wise if anything to avoid pressure spikes due to seating too deep.
Some let you roll the crimp into a crimp groove, some don't. The main thing is not to let the roll crimp push the bullet deep into the case, as that quickly increases pressure. The small available powder volume under the cases means the small recommended charges, such as the old standby of 2.7 grains of Bullseye, need to be adhered to.
I prefer to use a taper crimp with these loads. Unless the gun you fire them in is a feather weight, the recoil won't be enough to pull them. The taper crimp extends case life because it works the mouth less dramatically. If you seat the bullet about 0.020" out beyond the case mouth, it will bite lightly into the lead prevent seating too deep, and also prevents pull at the light recoil level these loads have.
I prefer to use a taper crimp with these loads. Unless the gun you fire them in is a feather weight, the recoil won't be enough to pull them. The taper crimp extends case life because it works the mouth less dramatically. If you seat the bullet about 0.020" out beyond the case mouth, it will bite lightly into the lead prevent seating too deep, and also prevents pull at the light recoil level these loads have.
crimsondave
New member
I'm firing them out of a SW 686 357 mag.
wncchester
New member
Wadcutters are made for light target loads. They are usually quite soft and really don't need much of a crimp. In fact, a deep crimp can easily impead accuracy by scraping the bullet walls excessivly. In a .357 case I perfer 3/Bullseye, 2.7 in a .38 case.
crimsondave
New member
I'm loading in the 38 sp case. I like Bullseye in my 45, so I'll try that powder first.
reloader28
New member
I've made and shot lots of wc and use 3 gr clays or 3.4 gr greendot and dont really crimp at all just take the flare off the case mouth . Their accurate enough to shoot pop cans at 30 yds in a .38 cases from a 357
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My two suggestions would be to flare the case mouths a little more than usual and bring your revolver to the bench to test-chamber a small handful of the loaded rounds in to each chamber.
.38 Special wadcutters end up a little thicker in the waist or mid-case region than most loaded rounds and some tight chambers in some revolvers will offer a bit of resistance when chambering them. Nothing major, but you'll want to know at the bench after 10 loaded rounds RATHER than finding out at the range with 300 loaded rounds!
.38 Special wadcutters end up a little thicker in the waist or mid-case region than most loaded rounds and some tight chambers in some revolvers will offer a bit of resistance when chambering them. Nothing major, but you'll want to know at the bench after 10 loaded rounds RATHER than finding out at the range with 300 loaded rounds!
Wadcutters do take a bit of care. Depending on the gun. in my Model 52 smith they have to be loaded flush with the mouth of the case.
Another problem with WCs is in crimping, the 'roll' crimp often catches the top of the bullet, causing wrinkles near the bottom of the bullet. This causes feeding problems or makes is difficult to get the shell into the chamber.
I use to use a Taper Crimp on wad cutters for my Model 52, but have switched to the Lee Factory Crimp carbide die. What I like about the Lee die, is the carbide ring at the bottow of the die that totally resizes the case as you pull it out of the die, making for smooth chambering both in the semi auto (Model 52) and the chambers of revolvers.
After the luck I had with the lee factory crimp carbide die in my 38s I went to their crimp die for all my straight wall cases. Makes for some nice ammo.
Another problem with WCs is in crimping, the 'roll' crimp often catches the top of the bullet, causing wrinkles near the bottom of the bullet. This causes feeding problems or makes is difficult to get the shell into the chamber.
I use to use a Taper Crimp on wad cutters for my Model 52, but have switched to the Lee Factory Crimp carbide die. What I like about the Lee die, is the carbide ring at the bottow of the die that totally resizes the case as you pull it out of the die, making for smooth chambering both in the semi auto (Model 52) and the chambers of revolvers.
After the luck I had with the lee factory crimp carbide die in my 38s I went to their crimp die for all my straight wall cases. Makes for some nice ammo.
crimsondave
New member
All I use for any pistol caliber is Lee Carbide 4 die sets.