Plated 148gr. DEWC Quality

OLD SKOOL · Dec 26, 2009

Hello to all, this is my first "reloading " post here on the S&W
forum. I have a long (30+ years) reloading history, but am not
reluctant to have another offer help with my first inaccurate
38 spl. reload. I have 8 different 38 spl. revolvers, and the
reloads have been fired in 4 of them, all giving 3" to 9" groups
at 25 yards/benchrest. Just so you know I can shoot, they all
shot from .90 - 1.10" with Federal factory 148 gr.WC ammo.

This is the first time I have used plated DEWC bullets. And I
feel this is the root of my BIG groups. I load 3.5/Bullseye or
4.0/231 with 148 gr.lead loads, and have one inch groups at
25 yards with either one. Changing to these plated ones is not
working well. They are "West Coast Bullets" brand, from Carson
City, Nevada. They measure .357 - .3575, my regular lead 148grain bullets are .358". The COAL is 1.245" , I taper crimp in
the canneular. Any insight will be helpful, thanks. Robert

Ignatz · Dec 26, 2009

Do these West Coast bullets have a cantalure like a lead DEWC? I know you can't crimp a plated bullet too hard because you can deform it and possibly separate the plating when fires. The Berry's site shows their 148 wc without a cantalure, so that baby probably gets seated flush.
http://berrysmfg.com/product.aspx?i=14486&c=13&pp=8&sb=0&p=0

OLD SKOOL · Dec 26, 2009

DEWC Detail

They have a caneular at each end, they are .050 in height. The
bullets protrudes from the case when loaded. I was told by a
commercial reloader that this is the right way to do it, for a
revolver, and flush for a Model 52 S&W. I use a "soft" taper
crimp ( a 1977 RCBS die) with no problems. The same die and
crimp force I have used for all my reloading life when loading
lead bullets.

jibjab · Dec 27, 2009

Have you tried loading down a bit ? say 3.2gr Be and 3.6 of W231 ?
I have not tried plated WC's, but I did try cast WC's once. I prefer swaged.

Skip Sackett · Dec 27, 2009

Do not reduce the load. I am assuming something here as you have not made it clear. It is about your stellar WC loads of days gone by. Were they HBWC or of the same configuration of DEWC?

The DEWC takes a bit more powder to obturate than a HBWC and with the smaller size of these plated ones that may be your problem.

I know of folks that change bullet type from HBWC to DEWC and tried to use the same 2.7gr of Bullseye only to have the bullets get stuck in the barrel. I don't know what maximum charge is off the top of my head but would suggest a trial run of it at any rate. Either powder. Then if things don't turn for the better, try a bigger bullet.

FWIW Hope this helps!

OLD SKOOL · Dec 27, 2009

DEWC

To clarify, my old wc load was 2.7 bullseye and a 148 gr. HBWS, seated flush with roll crimp. Years later I developed
a lead DEWC load with bullseye and 231, as noted in my
initial post. In trying a plated DEWC with my lead DEWC
loads, I noted poor accuracy. One irony, today I shot these
plated DEWC loads ( 4.0gr/231) in a friends 8 3/8" Model
14-3 revolver. Had a 3" group at 25 yards/standing/one
hand. Thanks for everyones interest.

Espen · Dec 27, 2009

I use plated WC's but they are HBWC from Haendler & Natermann. Mosty it's the lighter 125 grain bullets but now and then I use the 148 grain's.
The thing that changed the accuracy in my loads from average to impressive was the bullet seating. Instead of a flush fit try to set the bullet out to the point where it almost meets the... eh... what's that in english again... that narrow part in your cylinder. For a .38 cylinder that would be AOL of about 33mm or 1,30". Experiment a bit here, even small variations can make a big difference.
Also use a high-volume powder. It will give you a more even velocity. I use Vihtavuori N32C or Tin Star as they also call it. 3,5 grain should do it, but anything from 3,0 to 4,0 grain is fine.

Plated 148gr. DEWC Quality

OLD SKOOL

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Ignatz

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OLD SKOOL

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jibjab

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Skip Sackett

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OLD SKOOL

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Espen

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