Atomic reverse wad cutters

[zonker5]

It is good that Mr. AA came to call and to tell us of his wares. As you read his offering keep in mind that he is not an unbiased source of information.

-Z-

 

[moxie]

Funny that you would call the reversed wadcutter load (which apparently is NOT unproven, per the above posts) a "pricey gimmick", yet recommend a load with the fancy name "golden saber" which sells for a buck a round or more.

This is a new round that hasn't yet developed a track record. I hope it works out. Older wadcutter loads do have a track record. I wasn't referring to them. The GS, notwithstanding its "fancy" name, has a good record and does well in all the tests I've seen. Here's an example: AMMO TEST: .380 ACP Remington Golden Saber 102 gr JHP - YouTube
And, as I indicated earlier, the GS are available at ammunitiondepot.com for considerably less, ~65 cents a round.

 

[ATOMIC AMMO]

Re: AA reply. Thank you for this post. Doubtless developing narrow task oriented ammunition requires some issues/concerns to considered primary with others rendered secondary. No one single bullet/load combination is going to ever be the one be all to end all load that will satisfy the concerns of everyone in every possible situation imaginable. Wish you every success in this as well as your other developments.

Our 38 SPL+P ammo is designed primary for snub nosed revolvers and self defense scenarios. It is made to penetrate and expand in a threat such as a person or attacking dog,not a blast through a tank, halt a tyrannosaurus rex type threat in its tracks round. There are better cartridge/firearm combos for that, but they do not likely fit in a pocket holster and weigh under a pound to carry.

 

[ATOMIC AMMO]

It is good that Mr. AA came to call and to tell us of his wares. As you read his offering keep in mind that he is not an unbiased source of information.

-Z-

That is a fair point that I am somewhat biased towards my product, but again, I have access to many manufacturers bullets and after testing many bullet designs I selected our 148 grain HBWC for its performance in a snub nosed and full sized 38 SPL revolver.

In my opinion, the reason why none of the largest ammo companies make a 38 SPL+P reverse wadcutter load like ours is because of the extra time that it takes to load to get the HBWC inverted and it could invalidate, at least to some extent the high tech, high priced lesser expanding 38 ammo that they manufacture for self defense.

 

[hotrod150]

.... Some of your ctgs. would not chamber completely in my J Frame nor my Colt Det. Spcl. and required a superhuman shove to chamber the last 1/8"....

I had this issue when I handloaded some reversd wadcutters. There is no ogive on a Speer saged HBWC-- it is full caliber size at both ends. If seated out a bit too long, it will not go into the chamber all the way. The forward end of the chambers on my S&W revolvers is smaller than the aft end-- in fact, they are smaller than the forcing cone of the barrel. I had to seat the reversed WC's a bit deeper than I would have like but it was no big deal. If you are having the same issue with Atomic's LHP ammo, I would agree that their QC folks need to take a look at tis & maybe seat the bullets just a tad deeper.

 

[hotrod150]

........
As to effectiveness, I figure figured a reverse WC would be at least as effective as the FBI load which many here use. It seems like pretty much the same thing.

I disagree, at least with the part about the reverse WC and the FBI load (aka SWC-HP) being the same thing. They both have hollow points and are made of soft lead, but otherwise no. Just take a look at them. The hollowpoint on the SWC looks like (and is) an afterthought, compared to the hollowpoint on the reversed wadcutter. IMHO the beauty of the LHP (reversed wadcutter) is that you can actually achieve good expansion without extreme velocity, which should allow for expansion out of a velocity-challenged 2" 38 spl revolver, as well as preventing possible over-penetration. Perfect for self-defense against lightly-clothed assailants, against perps wearing body armor and/or barricated behind cars... ..not so much.

 

[oldman10mm]

here's one of my tests from back in the 80s'.

 

[silentflyer]

I can recall shoot reverse HBWC's into wet phone books, not much penetration but it knocked the phone books backward end over end. They opened up about the size of a quarter.

 

[John P.]

I experimented with HBWC loaded backwards a few years ago. I used the Berry's Plated and 5 grains of Unique. I did not seat flush; about 25 percent of the bullet was above the case mouth, and I crimped with a Lee FCD. I used a Colt Python with a 2.5 inch barrel to test the loads. I found that between 40-50 percent keyholed at 15 yards and accuracy was plain horrible. I scrapped the project without any penetration testing, and load my short barrel revolvers with either the FBI load or the Speer SB load, whichever I have on hand.

 

[shooter5112]

I remember shooting in a PPC match, many years ago. One shooter, firing 148 HBWC's, had too many holes in his target, claimed another competitor crossfired on him, and wanted a refire. Standing there, all by himself, he fired 12 rounds and had 16 holes in the target.

 

[Jaymo]

I'm confused. Exactly how many bad guys wear 4 layers of denim over their hides?
All that stiff, heavy cotton must make it hard for them to run from the cops.
Most of them I see on the news wear one layer of denim hanging off their crotches.

 

[Jaymo]

So, how does the Hornady 148 grain HBWC stack up against the Speer?
I bought a box to load for target practice.
Have long thought about loading some backwards, for curiosity's sake.

 

[perrazi]

tried this sort of thing many years ago. velocity at 750 or a little less seemed to do better than faster. use only fast burning powders and remember this isn't a 50yd. round. up close and personal they expand like nothing else at that speed. at 10-15 ft. so what if it does tip. just makes a bigger hole. you have either 5 or 6 depending on your gun too.

 

[Pigirondan]

I purchased 3 boxes of the Atomic Ammunition +P .38 Special 148 grain reversed HBWC from Midway USA. To my chagrin, the ammunition did not seat flush in the cylinders of my Model 10, 15, 67 or 638. It took a deliberate effort on my part using my thumb to seat them flush. Needless to say, removing the rounds was also difficult.

I've yet to fire any of the rounds and I'm reluctant to do so. There has never been a problem like this previously with commercial ammuntion or my handloads.

I've sent an inquiry to Atomic Ammunition.

 

[hotrod150]

I'm confused. Exactly how many bad guys wear 4 layers of denim over their hides?
All that stiff, heavy cotton must make it hard for them to run from the cops.....

How many layers of denim would equal one layer of leather jacket? Using cheap & easily obtained denim in multiple layers to simulate other clothing makes sense to me.

 

[clevolver]

Mr. Atomic Ammo,

I sent your co. an e-mail last Summer but there was no reply. Your ammo shot/shoots great in my guns, BUT there is one point of concern. Some of your ctgs. would not chamber completely in my J Frame nor my Colt Det. Spcl. and required a superhuman shove to chamber the last 1/8". I sorted out the ones that were like this and it was approx. one third of the 2nd box I had bought. I shot those up in a .357 Mag. revolver. I did not mike the rounds so I am unsure if it was a matter of the cases not being sized properly or perhaps your WC bullets perhaps being over spec. Just a heads up on QC.

I also found this to be the case -- will have to see if all the rounds in the box I bought have this chambering problem in my .38, or if some will chamber without excessive force to seat them.

 

[Pigirondan]

I also found this to be the case -- will have to see if all the rounds in the box I bought have this chambering problem in my .38, or if some will chamber without excessive force to seat them.

My concern, which I hope is in the abstract, is the tight fit may make a combat reload problematic.