Can anyone explain the different types od 38 Special Wadcutter brass?

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Roger that, Chargar. A small thing, but chemical weirdnesses are off-putting. Too many drug labs in my past life, I guess. I have never seen Unique or 2400 cause that in my tools.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
The new made Alliant Bullseye is listed at 30-40% nitroglycerin in its composition, and Unique at 20-30% and 2400 at 5-10%. It is the nitroglycerin that dissolves the plastics in powder measures, at a rate dependent upon temperature and humidity. Double based rifle powders tend to have such heavy deterrent coatings, that the powder doesn't etch the plastic. Never a good idea to store powders in anything but the original containers.
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
The new made Alliant Bullseye is listed at 30-40% nitroglycerin in its composition, and Unique at 20-30% and 2400 at 5-10%. It is the nitroglycerin that dissolves the plastics in powder measures, at a rate dependent upon temperature and humidity. Double based rifle powders tend to have such heavy deterrent coatings, that the powder doesn't etch the plastic. Never a good idea to store powders in anything but the original containers.

In 53 years of reloading, I have never left any powder in the measure overnight. I was told early on not to do that. Not to prevent damage to the masure, but as a safety measure, not to forget which powder it was and what can it went in.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
There is only one can of powder on the bench at a time. It is a simple rule and a foolproof method to avoid trouble.

Like Charles, I typically empty the powder measure when I'm done. On the rare occasions I do leave powder in a measure, it is in a measure that is labeled for that powder AND the only can on the bench is the can for that powder.

I NEVER have more than one can of powder on the bench. Whatever powder I'm working with, that's the can and only can, on the bench.
 

FrankCVA42

Active Member
Funny thing about wadcutter brass. Had a buddy that did concealed carry courses. He used to just sweep up the brass and dump it in a bucket. One day he tells me getting tired of sweeping all that brass and hands me the broom. I reached my saturation point when the 40mm ammo can was full. Mostly all R-P brass and good percentage of it is wadcutter brass. Someday will have to separate the wadcutter brass from the regular brass. Frank
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
Unlike Americans, not all HBWCs are born equal. The thickness of the skirt is the difference. Those with thick skirts like the Remington can be pushed to full velocity with no danger of blowing off the skirt. Those with thin skirts like the Speer will blow off the skirt often leaving it in the barrel as an obstruction when pushed to fast.

I have a lot of old, no longer made Miester swaged HBWCs with thick skirts that will tolerate full velocities with ease.
 

Tom

Well-Known Member
I loaded some 357 yesterday and decided to use the last of the nickle cases I had. Two federals and one ww had cannelures at about the right depth for wcs, those cases had no bulge after seating the bullets. I'm guessing they are wc cases? If so, it would seem odd to have wadcutter factory loads in the magnum as opposed to 38 spl.
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
I loaded some 357 yesterday and decided to use the last of the nickle cases I had. Two federals and one ww had cannelures at about the right depth for wcs, those cases had no bulge after seating the bullets. I'm guessing they are wc cases? If so, it would seem odd to have wadcutter factory loads in the magnum as opposed to 38 spl.
357 brass is longer, hence has longer parallel sides and is not wadcutter specific brass. The cannelure means little or nothing.
 

Rockydoc

Well-Known Member
Funny thing about wadcutter brass. Had a buddy that did concealed carry courses. He used to just sweep up the brass and dump it in a bucket. One day he tells me getting tired of sweeping all that brass and hands me the broom. I reached my saturation point when the 40mm ammo can was full. Mostly all R-P brass and good percentage of it is wadcutter brass. Someday will have to separate the wadcutter brass from the regular brass. Frank
Frank, I see your avatar CVA42. I guess I could use RockyCVA11.
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
Thanks, Charles. I guess they just had thinner walls than the others.
Don't ever buy a tubing micrometer, it will ruin you and drive you crazy. You will discover just how different case thickness can be and how much it can vary in the same case.

About 30 some odd years ago, I was living in Odessa Texas during a serious downturn in the oil business. Pawn shops had lots of machinist tools and I bought a tubing mic on the cheap. It provided me with quite an education about cartridge cases, at least the necks thereof.