Seating 125gr wadcutters for .38 spl

[Dunross]

I just got my order of .359 125gr wadcutters in from Matt's and I'm not quite certain where I should be crimping them.

There's a thin faint ring very near the head that I'm interpreting as a crimp groove so that's where I have them set for the moment.

Or should I be seating them flush and slightly roll crimping over the top?

These are for two inch .38spl snubbies.

Thanks.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

Looking at the bullet on Matt’s website, it looks like you seated them right. Some people roll crimp over the front of the bullet, but I prefer to use the crimp groove if there is one.

 

[John Joseph]

I'd ask Matt.
His bullets. He ought to know.

 

[PWC]

Looks like you shaved some lead...Did you chamfer the inside of the case and slightly bell the mouth? Are you seating and crimping in one step? Some folks do, but I had too much trouble shaving lead, so I use 2 steps and get better results with my Pacific/RCBS equipment.

I believe your crimp is at the correct place. You will probably find out less is more.

 

[Steve C]

Wad cutters are generally seated flush with the case mouth unless there is an actual crimping groove to use. A very light roll crimp or taper crimp can be used to secure the bullet as they are typically loaded lightly for target shooting so bullet jump isn't generally a problem.

If you are pushing the bullet faster a roll crimp over the front of the bullet will secure it the tightest. How much pressure and velocity you can push the bullet to depends upon the bullet hardness and how well it will stabilize to the range you intend to shoot. Most heavier 148gr wad cutters have about 50 yd limit before they loose stability and begin to tumble.

 

[Dunross]

I'm going to try seating at the apperent crimping groove then see how they do. I may try flush seating some later to see if there's any apparent change in accuracy.

I wont be driving these hard. If I can get them to about 800fps with decent accuracy it will suffice. They don't have to expand and will likely penetrate sufficiently for their purpose off the range without giving too much recoil.

 

[Walkalong]

Although many people do indeed load .38 WCs flush in the case, that looks fine.