Quote:
Originally Posted by Seahawk
Jeff,
I am very appreciative of your gun savvy...what is a hard cast semi wadcutter?
I have a .45 and a BHP.
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"Hard cast" simply means anything harder than pure lead. Lead is comonly alloyed with tin and/or antimony to harden it. It both casts better, filling out the mold better, and tends to stay in one piece without expanding when striking the animal (or man). Wad cutters are flat ended bullets meant for target shooting. They punch a full caliber hole in the paper, making them easier to score. They look like this:
They tend to be unsuitable for game, in that most of the bullet is in the case, severely restricting powder capacity and, therefore, velocity. They are seated deep to cover and protect all of those lube grooves.
So, wanting to take advantage of the "cutting" action of the wadcutter, but wanting to mitigate its shortcomings on game, an Idaho cowboy by the name of Elmer Keith designed a "semi" wadcutter back in the '30's. It still has the flat front, albeit smaller in diameter. Much of it protrudes outside of the case, providing greater powder capacity. It has only two grooves; the front one for crimping, the back one for bullet lube. The flat nose kind of "slaps" (think flat hand on water vs. a fist) harder than a round nose, and the second shoulder in front of the crimp groove cuts a full caliber hole, just like a wadcutter. Plus, that shoulder lines up in the forcing cone as the bullet moves forward from the case, providing increased accuracy. Anyway, here is what they look like:
