38 Spl 148g HBWC Seating

[kingdarb]

Hey Folks,

I just got some copper plated 148g HBWC for a S&W 686. For those of you that load these, how deep do you seat these? To flush with the case mouth, or just a little bit above. I am going to be loading with WST for powder. Thanks!

 

[mbogo3]

I used to seat them flush out of a .38 Special S+W model 10.Trick is to crimp so the loaded rounds fit the cylinder.For fun a Skeeter Skeleton Border Patrol load was to load them upside down on top of 3 gr of Unique for manstopping rapid expansion.I shot a 45 gallon drum at 100 yards and recovered slugs were .75 caliber penetrating one side of the drum and leaving a nice welt on the inside of the other.Great for shooting reactive targets like milk jugs and rotten fruit........Harold

 

[ted_dent]

Hey Folks,

I just got some copper plated 148g HBWC for a S&W 686. For those of you that load these, how deep do you seat these? To flush with the case mouth, or just a little bit above. I am going to be loading with WST for powder. Thanks!

Some people seat the bullet out further than the case mouth (1/16" to 3/32") which seems to work OK and gets the bullet closer to the forcing cone where it has to make a shorter 'jump' into the barrel. Since the 686 is a .357, the cylinder chambers are longer and the 'jump' is greater so this technique might help. Just remember that if you roll crimp the case too hard it will cut through the copper plating. I seat the bullet flush with the case mouth & apply a gentle roll crimp over the front edge of the bullet. I assume these are Berry bullets and Berry's recommends that to get the HBWC bullets to work properly they have to be going at least 800 FPS. I'm not speaking from experience but that's what they say. In a 686 the loaded cartridge length is not as critical so you can seat the bullets out further if you wish. In a gun like a S&W Model 52 the bullets have to be seated no higher than flush with the case mouth. If they are seated out further than that the round is too long and won't fit in the mag.