38 wadcutter

[bullseye308]

I have a box of 38 cal 148gr bevel base wadcutters to load for my 38. They have 3 grooves on them with the top one being half as wide as the lower 2. Is this where I should crimp it? If not, just how deep can/do you seat these suckers? Thanks in advance.

 

[Sunray]

Seat 'em flush with the case mouth (where the bevel starts) using 2.5 to 2.8 grains of Bullseye. This has been the standard target load for eons.
The grooves are for bullet lube not a crimp. However, there's likely a coloured lube in the grooves already, but not all cast bullets come pre-lubed. If they're not lubed now, they need to be.
Crimping isn't required for target loads. Crimping is detrimental to accuracy for .38 target loads.

 

[ilbob]

+1

I have never bought any cast bullets that are not prelubed.

 

[rcmodel]

The small groove near the front is a crimping groove.
The two deeper grooves to the rear are grease grooves.

They can be loaded flush with the case mouth, and most hollow-base wadcutters were factory loaded like that for use in S&W model 52 auto-loaders.

They can also be loaded out and crimped in the crimping groove with the front driving band of the bullet showing.
That positions the bullet better in a revolver chamber throat.
The solid wadcutters were usually loaded like that.

rcmodel

 

[bullseye308]

That's what I wanted to hear. I was going to seat them flush over 2.6 grains of bullseye with a light crimp. Thanks for the info.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have been using DEWC bullets for years and I have always crimped at the upper crimp groove.

I did tests with the bullet flush and crimped at the top groove and I found the ammo to be more consistent when crimped in the groove than when seated flush. You lose a little velocity but that can be compensated for.

 

[Steve C]

Seat flush for semi auto's and hollow base WC's, revolvers are less demanding and the crimping groove on a solid base is the better crimp location.

 

[nitesite]

I seat hard cast 148 BBDEWCs to give a moderate roll crimp in the top crimp groove, not flush with the case mouth. However, with swaged hollow base WCs I seat to the case mouth and use a moderate roll crimp.

 

[ilbob]

I seat hard cast 148 BBDEWCs to give a moderate roll crimp in the top crimp groove, not flush with the case mouth.

This is fine for a revolver. However, to get a 38 special load to fit in a model 52, they have to be flush seated, as the magazine is just not big enough to accept the round if the bullet extends past the case mouth.

 

[cdrt]

This is fine for a revolver. However, to get a 38 special load to fit in a model 52, they have to be flush seated, as the magazine is just not big enough to accept the round if the bullet extends past the case mouth.

Pretty much the same for the Colt Gold Cup in .38 Special and Clark 1911 .38 Special conversions. There is a little wiggle room with .38 midrange Colt mags, but any lead protruding will cause problems in chambering as the cartridge is fed from the mag to the chamber. I finally got a taper crimp die for my Star reloader and have had excellent results in my Clark.

 

[Stinger]

nitesight,

Maybe it's my tired eyes, but I would not call that a moderate crimp. It looks pretty heavy to me, but it could just be my computer. I'm not being critical, we all have our own ways/ideas/methods. YMMV.