Does it really make a difference?

[rperyam]

My grandson and I have been working on. 38 Special wadcutter loads. We are using Summers DEWCBB lead bullets. I'm using 2.8 grains of Bullseye and he is using 2.3 grains of Trail Boss. I always insert the sprue cut end in the case. He says it doesn't matter and just grabs a bullet and inserts it.

He challenged me to grab a bullet with my eyes closed and and tell him which end was the sprue end. Really couldn't tell. Both loads are very accurate and we were wondering if it really makes a difference. Do you side with me or my 13 year old grandson, does it really make a difference?

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I load cast DEWC with the sprue out. The clean flat base is what I want towards the powder.

Does it matter ? Dunno. I probably don't shoot well enough to know.

 

[heyboy]

I hide the sprue.

 

[Walkalong]

I load cast DEWC with the sprue out. The clean flat base is what I want towards the powder.

Does it matter ? Dunno. I probably don't shoot well enough to know.

The outside of the base is most important, not the center, but I know people who put it forward (out), and I too can't shoot the difference. Tried.

 

[Hondo 60]

Does it matter ? Dunno. I probably don't shoot well enough to know.

Like the OP, I load with the sprue end inside the case.
Does it matter? IDK either. But its just the way I do it.

My 2¢ worth, YMMV

 

[Ranger99]

All the cast I use without checks are
base pour anyway
I would imagine sprue orientation would
only matter with patched round balls
in muzzleloaders, if at all then

 

[Bcwitt]

I don't think it matters unless you get porosity in the sprue.

 

[twistytorn]

I was always taught sprue out with DEWCs to give the best/cleanest base. But like the other posters above, I can't shoot the difference.

 

[FROGO207]

I load them either way. See no difference on the target. I might do it differently if there was a noticeable difference.

 

[entropy]

I have loaded them both ways, just to see if there was an appreciable difference. There was not.

 

[forrest r]

Yes it will make a difference if the bullets are poorly cast (voids/tears/divots in the bullets base). The affects of these flaws on accuracy doesn't show up until you get some distance between you and the target. You won't see the difference @ 50ft, fliers will start showing up @ 50yds.

The wc bullet is a fantastic bullet design that is very forgiving. Because the entire length of the bullets body is supported by the bbl along with no nose. It's extremely hard for the wc bullet base to affect the yaw of this design. This is why distance will show the affects of the flaws in the bullets base. Target loads using wc's have a lot lower rpm's and the bullets rpm's are even further diminished as the velocity slows with distance.

This is 1 of the reasons they made smolts decades ago. S&W frames for their triggers and colt bbl's that were typically tighter (+/- .355") & 1 in 14 twist bbl compared to the 1 in 183/4" twist for the s&w's.

Anyway at close range 25yds and in it has never affected me using dewc's in the 38spl's/357mag/44spc/44mag

 

[Mostly Lead]

Load two lots: 100 sprue out, 100 sprue in. Have grandson load gun without telling you which lot they came from, switching lots every so often. (shooting can be a mental game, eliminate the bias if you can) You may shoot different at the end than at the beginning, so keep switching lots at random.

Shoot a whole stack of targets one morning! Have grandson keep notes on which group came from which lot. Measure the groups, run the numbers and see if the averages are any different.

Would be curious to know how it turns out for you...

 

[edwardware]

. . . does it really make a difference?

Of course it makes a difference. Everything makes a difference. The ratio of unstable radio-isotopes in the lead alloy makes a difference.

There's no reason to think you're a good enough shooter to discern the difference, so the question is does it make a measurable difference, to you.

I'll bet not, but I would still challenge your grandson to a shootout, looser buys ice cream on the way home.

 

[Skgreen]

I'm not taking any chances. I'll only load SWC's

 

[Jim Watson]

Load two lots: 100 sprue out, 100 sprue in.

Have to be the same powder throughout, too. BE and TB might themselves shoot differently.

I only loaded DEWC a few times when the normally well stocked store here was out of Speer HBWC. I loaded them sprue up and did not run comparisons.
The DEWC was meant for commercial mass production so it didn't matter which end was up in a big Camdex.

 

[mdi]

I have a SD load for my 38 Special house gun; cast DEWC over max charges of W 231. I normally put the sprue down, but all the bases have sharp cornered, flat bases. Good bases are essential for good accuracy. For my needs this is overkill and mostly done from habit. I also have a mold for button nosed wadcutters that takes the sprue location out of the picture...

The only way to know for sure is as mentioned above; a "sprue up vs a sprue down test". I believe the differences would be so few, so little a ransom rest and exacting reloads will be needed...

 

[Riomouse911]

Same here, I usually hide the sprue because I like the way the clean nose looks. But it's merely cosmetic, I'm not a good enough shot to tell the difference.

I like the ice cream challenge though, it sure will let him test a theory and chart results....which is what most of handload development is.

Stay safe.

 

[nofendertom]

^^^^^---My thinking exactly.
Every pistol bullet I nave ever cast (over 40yrs) had the sprue in the base.

 

[Mostly Lead]

The ratio of unstable radio-isotopes in the lead alloy makes a difference.

Now that's a factor I've failed to account for in my load development! Not finding a tester on Amazon though...

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

We are using Summers DEWCBB lead bullets.

BB stands for bevel base. The only way it would make a difference is if only one end is beveled not being consistent loading bevel in or square end in will probably make more difference than the sprue