Notes on Loading .38 Special Wadcutters

[ke4sky]

The following is a “web condensed version” taken from several of my articles which appeared in Cast Bullet Association’s Fouling Shot magazine.

Col. E.H. Harrison wrote in the NRA Handloader's Guide that "good" lots of factory .38 wadcutters were capable of approximately 1.5 inch 5-shot groups at 50 yards. Properly assembled hand loads using the same Remington or Winchester component bullets as loaded by the ammunition factories were nearly as good, somewhat under two inches at 50 yards from a good match-target gun.

Of cast bullets tested by Harrison, the Hensley & Gibbs #50BB (bevel-base) cast of linotype metal (22 BHN) was best. The standard #50 with flat, square base was nearly as good.

Harrison's recommendation of linotype alloy conflicts with my experience. Linotype bullets, unless carefully fitted to revolver cylinder throats, lead the forcing cone and require careful attention to lubrication and cleaning to maintain bore condition. In my testing of commercial cast Meister and Lasercast wad cutters of 92-6-2 alloy (16 BHN), keyholes resulted with light charges of 2.8 grains of Bullseye, whereas increasing the charge to 3.5 grains brought nice, tight groups in target revolvers and custom PPC guns.

Commercial bullet casters prefer hard alloys because they are available in large heat lots, and are more consistent than salvaged linotype (which is less common these days). From a marketing stand point hard bullets look pretty and aren't easily damaged in shipping.

Harrison found that less bullet lubricant was more accurate in .38 Special target loads than using more. He found it necessary to fill only one lubricating groove of the H&G #50 with 50-50 Alox-beeswax. I found similarly, that a light film of Lee Liquid Alox diluted 50-50 with aliphatic mineral spirits or Stoddard Solvent, or a clear film of Rooster Jacket is entirely adequate for non+P .38 Special loads up to about 850 fps in revolvers and at subsonic velocities in Cowboy rifles.

Winchester stopped selling lead component bullets for reloading several years ago. Remington hollow-based wad-cutter bullets are still available and shoot extremely well. The black, dry lube builds up in seating dies and affects seating depth unless cleaned out periodically. The same occurs with Lee liquid Alox. Lube buildup is less of a problem with Rooster Jacket.

I cast my bullets using wheel weights adding about 1% tin, no more tin than necessary to get nicely filled out, uniformly frosted bullets which accept the tumble-on film lubricant films well. I prefer the Saeco #348 which has a single wide lubricating groove, and is double-ended, with both ends being bevel-based with a substantial angled crimping groove. It weighs 146-grains. I load these as-cast, without sizing, and orient the sprue cut forward, ensuring a flat, square base. Bullets are seated with the front driving band and bevel base protruding from the case mouth to facilitate easy reloading with revolver speed loaders.

In my simplified loading process cast Saeco #348 wad cutters, are loaded as-cast, un-sized at approximately .361" diameter, and tumble-lubed either with Lee Liquid Alox (LLQ) or Rooster Jacket tumble-on lube (RJTL). Fired brass is decapped and flared only, primed with a "soft" priimer such as the Remington 1-1/2 and charged with of 3.5 grains of Alliant Bullseye. Bullets are seated to the crimp groove and separately full-length profiled and taper crimped, no more than is necssary to remove case mouth flare, using the Lee Factory Crimp Die. This ensures that all rounds chamber freely, produces a well-foirmed taper crimp and sizes the bullet no more than needed by compression inside the case. Remington hollow-based wadcutters fit similarly snug in fired brass and should be loaded the same way.

Poor accuracy with flush-seated, cast wadcutters is attributable to two causes:

1) Flush seating results in increased free bullet travel of the bullet during initial acceleration, especially when fired in a .357 chamber.

2) Also, when the top driving band is seated below the case mouth, crimping and profiling in the Lee Factory Crimp Die results in a slight reduction of its diameter.

When DEWC bullets are seated out and crimped in the crimp groove with the top band exposed, its diameter remains as cast, or as-sized. Either an enlarged front band, or an expanding hollow base, as in the Remington HBWC bullet, aid in providing a positive gas seal, which reduces leading and bullet deformation, which hurt accuracy. There was no leading whatever with the factory HCWB bullets or the unsized cast bullets lubricated with either LLQ or RJTL.

Limited test firings of my .38 Special Colt Officer’s Model Match revolver from sandbags at 50 yards were done to check the best loads. Ammunition which shot well in the Unertl-scoped Martini also shot well in the Colt. All of the cast wad cutters were tested with the same 3.5 grain charge of Alliant Bullseye, because this is proven reliable in past experience.

The soft-swaged Remington hollow-based wad cutters shot consistently well, even with somewhat lighter and heavier charges than those usually recommended.
I found that a somewhat heavier charge of Alliant Bullseye, than the often recommended 2.7-2.8 grains was needed with the HBWC bullets to approximate the velocity of factory wad cutter loads and that whether firing in the Martini Cadet rifle or the 6” Colt revolver that a charge in the range of 3.0 to 3.2 grains was correct with soft-swaged Remington HBWC bullets.

Cast double-end wadcutters or DEWCs require heavier charges than hollow-based wadcutters (HBWCs) for best accuracy. With cast double-enders I use 3.5 grains of Alliant Bullseye for a velocity of about 850 f.p.s. from a 6" revolver or 750 from a 2" snubby. I expect average groups of 1.5" or better for an average of five consecutive 6-shot hand-held groups with iron sights at 25 yards. A good shot with young eyes should approach an inch with regularity. My Colt Officer’s Model Match with its 14” twist did its best at 1.2” with Rooster Jacket. Good guns are capable of better off a Ransom Rest, but that is the best a 59-year-old can shoot hand-held and is a useful benchmark for others to compare their results.

Firing these loads from my BSA Martini Cadet with Green Mountain 16” twist and .357 Magnum chamber with .38 AMU-style 3-degree forcing cone and 6X Unertl small game telescope, a series of ten consecutive 5-shot groups at 25 yards, 0.84” with the smallest group 0.56” and the largest 1.09”. Shooting ten five-shot groups with the Saeco #348 double-ender loaded as above, at 50 yards, averaged 1.87” which agrees perfectly with Harrison’s observations of many years ago.

Commercial hard cast bullets of 92-6-2 alloy, sized, to .357” or 358” diameters did not shoot as well as un-sized wheel weight cast bullets lubed with LLQ or RJTL. The Remington soft swaged HBWC bullets shot wonderfully when flush seated, using the black dry lube which comes on them. None of the cast double-enders grouped as well in revolvers when flush seated as they did seated out and crimped in the crimp groove.

I was pleased that my own wheel weight metal, cast Saeco #348 wad cutters, loaded as-cast, unsized, lubed either with Lee Liquid Alox (LLQ) or Rooster Jacket tumble-on lube (RJTL), in unsized fired cases, decapped and flared only, with my standard charge of 3.5 grains of Bullseye, crimped in the revolver crimp groove and profiled in the Lee Factory Crimp Die shot equal to good lots of factory-loaded wadcutter ammunition.

The results also indicate that using simplified loading, with soft-swaged Remington factory wadcutter bullets, or well-cast unsized DEWCs enables you to assemble your own match ammunition to equal or exceeding the grouping of factory wad cutters now available.

[specops]

You make a very good point about crimping and not seating the wadcutter flush with the case mouth. Several years ago I lost a very nice K38 to a 148gr wadcutter "range reload". Powder charge was 3.0 gr of Bullseye. Whom ever was doing the reloading was seating the wadcutters flush with the case mouth and not sizing or crimping the case. Third shot went Boom and not Bang, removed the top 3 cylinders and the top strap now made an "L" with the barrel. The rear sight was stuck in the ceiling tile. Shaken but unhurt I unloaded the remaining 3 rounds and found 2 more that were inside the case and no longer flush with the case mouth. Since then I have suspected many of the .38 Special target load detonations attributed to double charges are in fact caused by flush seated (or other non crimped) bullets retreating into the case and raising pressures. The range owner who sold me the reloads graciously offered to replace the gun and I acquired my first 1950 Target Model 44 Special and started a love affair that continues still.

[Hobie]

I think this is very apropos as the wadcutter loads are a great small-game load for the .357 rifles like the Rossi 92 copies and Marlin 1894C.

[Coldfingers]

LIke a breath of fresh air...

Printed that one off to add to my little file of realy good 38/357 stuff.

Thanks Ed!

[Charles]

Just a few thought on the subject at hand from a guy who is highly into 38 Special wadcutter ammo.

1. I have also found linotype to be not a good alloy for 38 WC bullets. I worse leaded pistol I ever had was a K-38 shot with such bullets.

2. I have no problems with flush seated WC bullets. That is the way factory ammo comes. I use a light taper crimp to remove the case mouth bell and I am good to go. Common powders (BE, 232 etc.) do not require a heavy crimp to burn propertly. I do not roll the case mouth over the end of the bullet.

I inspect each round I load and would never shoot "range loads" or ammo loaded by anybody else but me. I have been loading and shooting for 49 years and have never damaged a firearm. It you follow the rules you never will. I am not trying to be critical of those who do, but perhaps some younger shooter can save his gun, hand or eyes by not shooting such "other loaded" ammo.

3. Hollow base wadcutters are special needs children. They are longer for their weight than solid bullets and often compress the HB cavity due to the taper in the case. Factory "match" ammo comes in cases that have only a very internal taper and it is lower in the case. I use nothing but factory match cases for HBWC ammo. Also RCBS sells a special WC expanding plug that is longer than the standard and is .3585 is diamter. With this plug the case is expanded deeper and such bullets won't distort upon seating. They are quite soft.

4. Solid base wadcutters can be pushed to mid-range velocity (850 +-) with excellent result and cracker jack results on small game. Terry published an article on these some years back that has been my major resource.

5. Sometimes, but not often 38 Spl. WC loads will display as much accuracy in a .357 Mag. pistol as they would in the shorter special charge hole. I had a Python that would do so with scary accuracy. But in general, if you are looking for utmost accuracy in the .357 mag, juse the longer magnum case. Please note I said "utmost" accuracy.