Is the Full Wadcutter Dead?

[Ben]

I've shot the 35863 in a couple of revolvers.
VERY accurate. I load with the sprue cut end toward the target.
The bullet gets the bottom ring filled with Ben's Red and the bullet rolled in BLL.
By loading the sprue end toward the target, that keeps the base nice and uniform
since it doesn't have a sprue cut on it at all.


It also allows for a nice soft crimp on the sprue end of the bullet.

Ben

 

[freebullet]

Guess it is for me since I don't own any.

 

[KHornet]

Part of the reason that full wc's lost favor I think is that they don't look at potent as swc'. We are all into looks in this country, and full wc's are sort of ugly ducklings.

 

[Brad]

The current "in thing" is heavy for caliber bullets. Not many shoot a 200 gr 44 cal bullet but lots want 300-350 gr bullets.
A wad cutter has a place, it just isn't a place many current shooters look.

 

[KHornet]

Yep, agree on the "IN THING".

 

[Lost Dog]

Well I don't follow "fashion trends ". If I did, I'd carry one of those super duper snazzy automatic popguns rather than a Single Action Army when out on my place. Nope, I'll keep my SAA and my rig just like it is. And if my wadcutter is an ugly duckling, then I like things that quack!

 

[Bret4207]

I didn't realize we were talking fashion here. No, the WC isn't fashionable, but nothing CAST is fashionable, unless it's coated with some sort of plastic. If we want to talk fashion vs use among cast bullet aficionados then we need to re-start the conversation.

 

[KHornet]

I have the 358495 141 gr in a 2 cav and 4 banger lyman. They both cast very well, and produce nice (very nice) clean wad cutters. The 4 banger is however heavy as all get out, and after 3-400, my wrist gets sore. I load and shoot probably 4-5 hundred of these a year, and will probably continue to do so for 38S. I remember as a kid, there was a guy who loaded HB wad cutters backwards in a 38. Called them his "cat killers".

 

[Lost Dog]

Yup, über accurate projectile. That backwards loaded HBWC thing was kinda big with some officers I worked with that carried a .38 as a back-up or some detectives. They had the impression it was supposed to be the load of all loads and would expand to the size of a softball. Just another wives tail that some still buy into.

 

[Rick]

With 70+ molds not a wad cutter in the lot. With the vast majority of my shooting long range handgun that starts at 50 yards a wad cutter never seemed to logical for me. They may be quite accurate at 15 yards but not so much at 50 and at 200 I can't believe a wad cutter could even hit the birm.

 

[Stonecrusher]

Lyman 358495 is my main bullet for .38/357. A month or so ago I cast up 30lbs of them with my 4-cavity Lyman. Makes a nice hole and plenty accurate.

 

[Bret4207]

I chanced upon a "Buy it now" 10 cav H+G 38WC mould (#50 I think) some years back for around $65-70.00, with handles. Talk about a lot of good bullets fast! But you darn sure learn why people use a mould rest after using that for a bit.

 

[KHornet]

That Bret was one whale of a buy!

 

[9.3X62AL]

No kidding. Deal of the decade.

Most of us that are fond of the pourings aren't trend-setters or fashionistos. For 90% of my revolvering, a wadcutter would do well. I got away from them, but not out of distaste or poor performance. A look at my revolver bullet mould ensemble would show a strong majority of SWC designs, and a few round flat-noses thrown in to serve in leverguns of same/similar calibers. This mode has worked for me--it might or might not for others.

Bret isn't kidding about mould guides or rests. Just a Lyman 4-cavity tool is plenty of metal to be manipulating repetitiously for an afternoon or evening. I have a few Lee 6-bangers, as well as a few Lyman 4-cylinder bullet engines--but 2-holers predominate strongly. You want a LONG contract? Fill up a 1# coffee can with #225438s using a single-cav Ideal mould. THAT is a PROJECT.

 

[KHornet]

Casting a 1 pound coffee can with a single cav mold in 438's would not be a project, it would be a major time consuming PIA. Casting that same can full of 438 hollow points would be torture. However would be one whale of a lot of shooting before you had to touch the mold again.

 

[JWFilips]

Who is shooting these things out of rifles: I have a mess of them in 358 cal is 50 yds ok to try

 

[9.3X62AL]

K-H.......it took a good part of 3 evenings to accomplish. Probably a lifetime supply of Purina 22 Hornet Chow, though. BEAUTIFUL castings, in Linotype.

 

[KHornet]

Straight Lino does product a very beautiful hornet bullet Al!.

 

[KHornet]

Jim, Would be interesting to try WC's in a rifle. Have never tried. Think they would be fun to plink with at 25, and maybe, just maybe they might stabilize out of a rifle to 50, but I would doubt it. Think if I were going try it, I would not initially at least go for over 1000 fps or less.

 

[Bret4207]

I shot a lot of Hornady swaged WC in a Rem #4 rolling block in 32S+W/Long, mostly in the Long. I've shot the same bullet in 32-20 rifles. My experience is that they shot well out to 60-75 yards or so. I never went further and by "well" I mean about 3", give or take, off makeshift rests. At one time that was the only ammo I had for the #4. Better sights (a better shooter?) might have tightened things up. Those WCs weren't doing much more than 850 fps out the muzzle. We did a lot of informal clod busting with that rifle and bullet.