HBWC velocity

[Yankeetom]

I’m looking for chronographed velocities that you fellow loaders find the most accurate at 15 & 25 yards. That would be with a 148 grain HBWC in .38 special out of a 4” barrel. Not looking for recipes, just what speed y’all find most accurate!
Thanks…Tom

 

[CH4]

800 +\- 25fps

 

[BE Mike]

Measuring the velocity won't necessarily give you the most accurate rounds. Neither will looking for the smallest SD, etc. The best way to do it is to start out with a known accurate bullet and powder charge. Actual accuracy testing by shooting will give you your accuracy comparison. The most reliable is a machine rest. There are some nuances to loading the particular 148 gr. HBWC that bullseye pistol shooters are trying. A lot has to do with special attachments so the soft bullet isn't distorted when being seated in the empty case. That being said, you can get good accuracy out to 25 yards in a good handgun by using good standard reloading dies and equipment.

 

[glowe]

If you do not want to risk losing a skirt in the barrel, keep it to around 750 fps or lower. I budged a barrel in a beautiful 38 Masterpiece running at around 775 fps while shooting commercial made 148g HBWC. I simply will never shoot another hollow-based bullet in any gun. I find that SWC or standard wadcutters are just as accurate as hollow-based bullets.


I found an interesting article in the November 2018 magazine on wadcutter bullets. https://www.handloadermagazine.com/wadcutters One compelling statement was as follows:

Commercial lead-swaged wadcutters are aggravating because they leave smears of lead in a revolver’s forcing cone and barrel when shot at velocities as low as 700 fps.
Hollowbase wadcutters are a relic of the past, when the expanding skirt of the base was required to spread out to seal barrel bores that varied widely in diameter.

 

[trulyapostolic]

Around 720fps.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My F-I-L was a major player in the 60's & 70's. His preferred velocity for 4" S&W's was 675-700 fps. But depending on the primer he had to adjust the powder charge by two tenths of a grain to maintain the velocity. Primer Brand is important!

Ivan

 

[AJ]

Interesting..........

I have never used my chronograph, got it in a deal and it sits on a shelf. Never have felt the need to use it. I have always tested loads to see which was the most accurate by shooting them. I do use a program called Quickload, when figuring out what is safe and what is not. I have found that in my S&W 52 a HBWC of 148 grains with 2.8 grains of Bullseye is the most accurate. According to the Quickload program this has a velocity of 610 FPS.

 

[glenwolde]

Somewhere between 700 and 725. But it's been a while since I've tested them.

I found a cast button-nosed wadcutter can be every bit as accurate, even at higher velocities. Plus the cast and coated versions are cleaner in your gun and your dies. You have a lot more velocity leeway with the cast bullet.

My favorite commercial cast is Acme Bullets' no-lube groove design. If I were to cast my own I'd dig out my RCBS-148-WC mold from storage. I have not gotten as good results with the cast or swaged DEWCs. But I might not have tried hard enough.

 

[H Richard]

It's an, "It all depends", answer. The actual more of the using firearm can have a difference. The amount of crimp put on the cartridge can make a difference. The accuracy of the loading powder dispenser can make a difference. The brand of HBWC bullets can make a difference.



I recommend you take a recommended load (from a loading manual), use a taper crimp die adjusted to no more than .003 crimp. Use Federal primers. Set the seating depth to not quite flush with case mouth. Load and shoot from your gun over a sandbag rest.

 

[mtgianni]

I got my best accuracy at 775 fps but that was with a home cast hbwc and conventional lube in one groove, not a swedged one with thin lube coating. I had some pure lead and just found that one cylinder molds in revolvers were a pain.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I have good accuracy out of my snub nose M49 with a HBwc lead bullet from
600 to 800fps, with (12) twelve different powders also (5) five spp's,
over the years of developing loads.

With a 6" barrel, 700 to 800fps works for me, with Red Dot getting my best group,
of all powders tested with my 686 revolver.

If you need a faster load, go to a BBwc , which is almost as accurate,
in my test.
Have fun.

 

[stansdds]

Swaged lead HBWC will behave a little differently from a cast lead HBWC. Swaged lead is very soft and too much velocity can cause the hollow skirt to separate from the core of the bullet. Cast lead is harder and will tolerate a higher velocity. I'd say 650-700 fps would be good for a swaged lead bullet, but it will take a little more pressure to get a cast HBWC's skirt to expand and seal the bore, so a cast HBWC at 700-800 fps should be good. Nevada Ed is right about the solid wadcutter bullets, which are usually cast lead. Those can be driven to even higher velocity, just like a cast semi-wadcutter or round nose bullet.

 

[BE Mike]

Federal factory .38 SPL 148 gr. Match Hollow Base Wadcutter has a velocity of 730-755 fps out of a 5" S&W model 52-1, according to my chronograph test.

 

[DWalt]

I never worried about MV. My testing indicated that a DEWC over 2.9 grains of Bullseye gave the best performance in my Model 14, so I used nothing else.

 

[27 Man]

I use a 148 grain button nose WC over 2.7 BE. Back in the day when I was into casting, I used a Lyman 35891 mold and had success with it in my model 14. Never checked the velocity, just holes in X ring.

 

[StrawHat]

…Swaged lead HBWC will behave a little differently from a cast lead HBWC. Swaged lead is very soft and too much velocity can cause the hollow skirt to separate from the core of the bullet. Cast lead is harder and will tolerate a higher velocity...

How is a pure lead cast bullet different from a pure lead swaged bullet? It is not.

…Nevada Ed is right about the solid wadcutter bullets, which are usually cast lead. Those can be driven to even higher velocity, just like a cast semi-wadcutter or round nose bullet...

It all depends on the alloy. I was running cast lead solid wadcutters at 900 fps. But, the were alloyed with tin at a 16/1 ratio. Trying the same speed with pure lead would be a waste of time.

Kevin

 

[bluetopper]

From my experience 3.7gr of Unique listed in a very old Lyman book is just as accurate as 2.8 of Bullseye.

 

[stansdds]

How is a pure lead cast bullet different from a pure lead swaged bullet? It is not.



It all depends on the alloy. I was running cast lead solid wadcutters at 900 fps. But, the were alloyed with tin at a 16/1 ratio. Trying the same speed with pure lead would be a waste of time.

Kevin

I think most of us buy commercially made bullets and commercially made cast lead is usually not pure lead, but an alloy that is harder than pure lead. If you cast your own, then you can cast a bullet that will be as soft as a swaged lead bullet.

 

[Greyman50]

Interesting..........

I have never used my chronograph, got it in a deal and it sits on a shelf. Never have felt the need to use it. I have always tested loads to see which was the most accurate by shooting them. I do use a program called Quickload, when figuring out what is safe and what is not. I have found that in my S&W 52 a HBWC of 148 grains with 2.8 grains of Bullseye is the most accurate. According to the Quickload program this has a velocity of 610 FPS.

I do the same, never load hot or close to hot loads unless for SD loads and I go by the book. Used the same 2.8 grns of Bullseye for my Colt Mid Range and am shooting the few 100 of the left over ones in any revolver, Very accurate.
Reloading is safe and simple as long as one has common sense and Goes by the reloading manual.
Seems way to many reloaders get carried away.

 

[StrawHat]

I think most of us buy commercially made bullets and commercially made cast lead is usually not pure lead, but an alloy that is harder than pure lead. If you cast your own, then you can cast a bullet that will be as soft as a swaged lead bullet.

I had not considered your point about commercial casters. Yes, most of them cast a bullet much too hard and undersized for use. There are several low volume commercial casters who will do custom alloys.

At one time, I cast everything I shot. Now, only occasionally.

Kevin