Reloading Hornady 148 HBWCs

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  • ihriec

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2013
    492
    Has anyone here reloaded Hornady 148 HBWCs? I'm planning on reloading some for my 3" SP101 and am not sure if they need to be crimped and, if so, light, medium, heavy?
     

    Threeband

    The M1 Does My Talking
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 30, 2006
    25,177
    Carroll County
    Just enough to remove the bell or flare of the case mouth: not really a crimp at all. I used to load them in .38 Special brass with maybe 2.6 grains of Bullseye or 3.0 grains of Unique.

    You only need a real crimp in loads with enough recoil to cause the bullets to "walk out" of the cases. That's not going to happen in these pop gun loads.

    Remember, these bullets are dead soft swaged lead. They're meant for pop gun velocities. Wonderful things, wonderful loads.
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,507
    Where they send me.
    Be careful, if you load them real light they will not exit a rifle barrel. Be sure to label them as such if you go real light on the powder.

    Great round! Like to be able to see those clean holes on the range. Also, a great small game round as it cuts that same large hole.
     
    Last edited:

    ihriec

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2013
    492
    I'm planning on reloading them with the Hornady max of 3.0gr of Bullseye. These have been recommended as a good inside the home SD load as they leave large flesh wounds but are not strong wall penetrators. They are also good for target practice.
     
    Be careful, if you load them real light they will not exist a rifle barrel. Be sure to label them as such if you go real light on the powder.

    Great round! Like to be able to see those clean holes on the range. Also, a great small game round as it cuts that same large hole.

    And if you load them a bit hot they will split in two....ask me how I know...
     

    Threeband

    The M1 Does My Talking
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 30, 2006
    25,177
    Carroll County
    They are very accurate, very, very pleasant to shoot. Your cases will last forever: you might want to give them names, because you'll have them for a long, long time.
    2.6 grains of Bullseye is probably plenty in a handgun. Why start at the maximum?

    If you want a defensive round, there are better choices. 30- 40 years ago, there was a lot of talk about loading them backwards, with the hollow base facing forward, as a self defense round for small frame .38 snubbies. That was then.

    This isn't the 80s. You can do better for defense than that. But for training, for practice, for recreation, for serious bullseye work, it doesn't get much better than a 148 grain HBWC and 2.6 grains of Bullseye.
     

    august1410

    Marcas Registradas
    Apr 10, 2009
    22,561
    New Bern, NC
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