Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Talk to me about Wadcutters

I recently loaded up a bunch of wadcutters for my 357 Magnums. I basically used 38 special recipes in a 357 Mag case just to see what they would do. I tried both Berry's 148 grain DEWC and some cast lead bullets from a Lee 358-148-WC mold. They shot great. I'm going to use them to plink unwanted varmints from the porch. They cycled fine in my Marlin 1894 and shot amazingly well out of my Ruger Blackhawk. This is an end of handgun reloading I've never tried before.

What is y'alls' experience with wadcutters?

Loved them in my Model 28, using 38 Special brass. Deadly on smaller game …..and pretty large Nutria Rats! memtb

I've probably shot as many wadcutters as anything else out of .38's and .32's over the last 50+ years. They're so much part-and-parcel to revolver shooting that I can't imagine being without them.

just gave away 150 factory 148 gr wadcutters. I do like a good LSWC, but have little use for full wadcutters. I don't shoot much paper.

When I first got back into reloading years ago I mentioned that I’d started again to a buddy. He asked if I loaded 38s and when I replied in the affirmative he said to expect a package. Soon after a box arrived with about 15 pounds of wadcutters cast out of an H&G 50 mold.

I shot them from puffball 38 loads to full power 357 and they were always accurate in every revolver I tried them in. Kill small game very well too.

I strayed off into the SWC until lately when I discovered a couple boxes of Speer HBWC which I loaded up to plink with. They’re superbly accurate just like they always have been and now the hunt is on for a good mold. I’ve got my eye on an H&G 4 cavity right now.

Well they shoot great but see them as pain in the ass: sizing & luring and loading I'll use a swc every time. Mb

They take a little more time to load but they should be really accurate.

I like wadcutters, used to load them with Red Dot, lately it's been Tite Group and 700X. Haven't used a hollow base in a long time, the DEWCs work fine for me.

3.0gr bullseye, 148 dewc, cci500 in 38 special case is great shooting load in my model 28.

Are hollow based wadcutters worth pursuing? Do they do anything spectacularly special?

I load my H&G wadcutters with 2.7gr. Bullseye.

I have shot many pounds of wad cutters. The targets ranged from woodchucks to prairie dogs. Also clay targets out to 100 yards .


Since I now powder coat I only size them .

EXACTLY!

Hollow base wadcutters are inherently very accurate, because in addition to being stabilized by the rifling, the nose-heavy properties of a HBWC provides a degree of natural stability similar to a conventional shotgun slug or a badminton shuttlecock, neither of which use a gyroscopic spin to fly accurately.

Also, the hollow base expands to exactly fit the cylinder throat and/or bore, which adds to the equation. They are the classic target bullet for .38 revolvers, and for good reason.

I have been shooting 148 grain hornady hollowbase wadcutters in my model 10-6 {4 inch heavy barrel) and a 38 masterpiece and they are very accurate, 3.2 grains of ww 231, pretty much no recoil. I usually shoot these at paper but when I shoot them at steel with the 9mm guy's they seem to hit pretty hard. Granted they are usually shooting 115 grain blasting ammo.

HB wad cutters rock.

this above plus always remember they are made to load light. but you need them still just enough "push' in them the idea is to spread the hollow base skirt into the riflings. but if you load them too heavy it can tear the skirt off

I used to shoot a lot of them, loaded in .38 brass with 4.0 gr. Herco. Shot awesome.

The classic powder charge for the 148 grain HBWC in the .38 Special cartridge is 2.7 grains of Bullseye. I've been using that load since 1969 and have never seen a reason to change it.

What would be a good True Blue load for 148 gn hollow base wadcutters in .38 special?