Loading 148gr. Hbwc for .357mag. I need info

[mikebsr]

I was given 500, 148gr hbwc bullets. I would like to load them for my .357. I need some suggestions for a soft shooting load. I am open for all suggestions using a variety of powders. Thank You.

 

[Jim Watson]

Looking at the Speer manual for you, it looks like you would get similar performance to a .38 wadcutter by increasing the Special load about 10% of one of the usual fast burning target load powders like Bullseye or 231. That would make up for the greater case volume without blowing that soft wadcutter out too fast to hit much.

 

[cfullgraf]

Jim Watson has some good suggestions.

Be cautious driving the hollow base wadcutters too fast. The skirt could blow off and get stuck in the barrel if the velocity is too high.

 

[cheygriz]

What Jim said.

My normal load for the .38 is 2.8 Bullseye. If loading in 357 cases, I'd try 3.0 or 3.1 first.

Thev148 HBWC has been very accurate in every .38/.357 I've ever owned including an old S&W Victory model with most of the rifling shot out.

 

[Saint Dennis]

I have loaded thousands of the DBBWC in .357 brass using Trailboss. Works really well and accurate. I suspect they would be similar.

 

[RunninLate]

Back in the day (1976 to 1980) I loaded a bunch of 38 and 357 with HBWCs that were inverted. They would flatten out on contact or start key holing after 15 or so feet. Shot a washing machine at a dump from 15ish feet and it just put one hell of dent in it.

When clean out my closet, I found some that were loaded back then and I used Bullseye powder and kept the velocity to around 750' per sec. in the 38s and around 900' f/s in the 357.

I felt very comfortable in college with them as a SD in the apartment complex.

 

[TimSr]

Looking at the Speer manual for you, it looks like you would get similar performance to a .38 wadcutter by increasing the Special load about 10% of one of the usual fast burning target load powders like Bullseye or 231. That would make up for the greater case volume without blowing that soft wadcutter out too fast to hit much.

My suggestion as well.

 

[mikebsr]

Thanks guys, I have a can of Bullseye that I think I will try. I have a lot of 700x and I thought some one would have some info about loading them with it. I know that was a long shot but one never knows.

 

[627PCFan]

When i loaded DEWCs in 357 cases I ran 3.1-3.2 gns of Clays.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

I checked the Hodgdon website Reloading Data Center (www.hodgdon.com, then follow the menu choices). It does show a load for 148 gr, 700-x, 357 magnum.

If you've got the components it seems worth a try. I've read many posts by other people who are satisfied with 700-x as a pistol powder.

Good luck.

Dan

 

[Jim Watson]

700X is a good performing pistol powder, there are wadcutter loads for it.
Be careful in loading, it is a large flake powder and does not meter well. I had bridging which led to some one grain loads.
A vibrator on the measure eliminated that.

 

[zb338]

I'll go with Chegriz. I have shot many, many rounds of
wadcutters in my day. The target shooters will shoot
2.7 or 2.8 of Bullseye in a .38 case. If you are using
a .357 case you might want to jack it up a little. This
isn't a killer load; it's about as accurate as anything you
will shoot out of a centerfire pistol.

Zeke

 

[Steve C]

Simply load them in .38 cases and shoot them in your .357 mag. The only issue is "maybe" cleaning your cylinder after shooting a couple hundred and that's simply running a solvent soaked brush through your cylinders. There's no accuracy advantage to using the slightly longer .357 case and unless you simply have an over abundance of magnum cases there's no reason not to use the less expensive and more available .38 spl cases.

 

[ljnowell]

As to 700x, I love the powder, it makes great pistol ammo. It's not the powder for wadcutters though. It doesn't meter well below a certain point and wadcutter loads are way below that.

If it were me I would rather use 38 cases. They are much cheaper.

 

[mdi]

When I loaded hollow based wad cutters for my .357 w/Magnum brass, I used just 3.0 gr. of Bullseye. For my .38 I went with 2.8-2.9 gr.. No need for anything faster, as it's just for poking holes in paper and it don't matter if it's 650 fps or 800 fps. But loading a double ended wadcutter I used heavier loads of Unique and Universal (I like a big flat meplat for small game, SD, etc.).

 

[anothernewb]

I load 148hbwc in 357 cases for mine as well.

I run 2.3gr Trail Boss in a 38, and 2.7 in the .357
2.8gr BE in the 38 case and 3.2 in the 357 case

These are mouse loads for sure. 2.7 trail boss generates about 650 from a 6" GP100

I've also tried 3.1 of 231 in the 357 case, but was pretty dirty.

 

[Salmoneye]

3gr Red Dot

 

[Mauser69]

I bought 700x in bulk way back when I was a competitive skeet shooter and blasting through up to 1000 shotgun rounds every weekend. Quit that long ago, but still have a lot of the powder left, and I love it for light to medium handgun loads.

I have loaded thousands of 148g HBWC in .38 spl, using my Lee 1000 progressive with the Lee Auto-Disk with no problems. My standard load for those is 2.5 gr. 700x. Lee cautions that course flake powders below approximately 3.0 grains in this powder measure can give lite charges without tapping it to settle the powder, but I have never had a noticeable problem with these plinking loads. Probably because the constant rhythm of the progressive loader serves the "tapping" purpose.

The 1983 Dupont Reloader's Guide also shows a .357 Mag load for both Remington and Speer 148 gr. lead WC at 3.0 gr. 700x, 720 fps, 13,100 cup. They show a max load with that bullet at 5.1 gr. 700x, 980 fps, 34,800 cup. I personally would not push those soft lead bullets with that max load.

Based on my experience and the Dupont data, I suggest the 3.0 gr. 700x will make a fine load for you in .357 Mag cases.

 

[ljnowell]

I bought 700x in bulk way back when I was a competitive skeet shooter and blasting through up to 1000 shotgun rounds every weekend. Quit that long ago, but still have a lot of the powder left, and I love it for light to medium handgun loads.

I have loaded thousands of 148g HBWC in .38 spl, using my Lee 1000 progressive with the Lee Auto-Disk with no problems. My standard load for those is 2.5 gr. 700x. Lee cautions that course flake powders below approximately 3.0 grains in this powder measure can give lite charges without tapping it to settle the powder, but I have never had a noticeable problem with these plinking loads. Probably because the constant rhythm of the progressive loader serves the "tapping" purpose.

The 1983 Dupont Reloader's Guide also shows a .357 Mag load for both Remington and Speer 148 gr. lead WC at 3.0 gr. 700x, 720 fps, 13,100 cup. They show a max load with that bullet at 5.1 gr. 700x, 980 fps, 34,800 cup. I personally would not push those soft lead bullets with that max load.

Based on my experience and the Dupont data, I suggest the 3.0 gr. 700x will make a fine load for you in .357 Mag cases.

You are a rare exception because EVERYONE that I've known that tried 700x in a Lee powder measure, or any other, couldn't get anything near that small to meter accurately.

 

[mikebsr]

Thanks guys, a lot of great info on this site. I see there might be a problem with metering of the powder. I plan on trying 700x but I will weigh every load.

 

[Catpop]

Steve c, I just read an article on what you said about case lenght. Not sure, but I think it was shooting times or American rifleman (only 2 I get)
Catpop

 

[Sunray]

Been loading that bullet in .357 cases to .38 Special target velocities(2.7 of Bullseye) for 40 years or so.
700X .357 loads are 3.0 to 3.5. Faster but not enough to matter.

 

[voicomp]

I first got some 700x when the great powder drought was going on a few years ago didn't want to like it because it wasn't a pistol powder but since it's cheap and useful for loads like the HBWC in this thread and gas checked lead slugs for some of my old bolt action military rifles and otherwise versatile I decided I needed to learn to like it. It does require close attention to charge metering because it is quite coarse but I am not usually looking to set speed records for production rate when reloading so that's not generally a problem for me. YMMV.

 

[cfullgraf]

I first got some 700x when the great powder drought was going on a few years ago didn't want to like it because it wasn't a pistol powder...

Many excellent pistol powders are also excellent shot shell powders.

For instance, I like Unique for my 20 and 28 gauge shot shells as well as numerous hand gun cartridges.

I guess I am a rarity as well as I load 380 ACP with 700-X and get good consistency of those small powder charges from my Redding 10-X and Dillon powder measures.

 

[Dudedog]

As a side not be careful of to hot a load with the HBWCs. I have heard it is possible to cause bullet separation leaving the base in the bore which would be a bad thing if you fired another round.
(of course this may just be urban legend)

I liked about 3.6 gr of Universal in a .357 case but I didn't do a lot of work ups with them and believe you would probably have better results with a faster powder than Universal. Maybe AA#2, Bullseye, Titegroup or, HP38.