Has anyone tried or tested a 148 HBWC (hollow base wad cutter used for target shooting), limited of course to 800 FPS on game or gelatin or even perhaps cadavers? Just curious if a bullet of that design and speed would do serious damage if required.

It will if you load it backwards. I played with some in the 70s into wet phone books. Loaded "correctly", they made a nice wadcutter hole as they should, but reversed to one large hollowpoint, there was quite a bit of expansion. I damned sure wouldn't want to be hit by one, (or any other), but the damage would be more severe.

Lots of those tests on You Tube

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Michalski:
Has anyone tried or tested a 148 HBWC (hollow base wad cutter used for target shooting), limited of course to 800 FPS on game or gelatin or even perhaps cadavers? Just curious if a bullet of that design and speed would do serious damage if required.

What do you mean by serious damage getting a solid body hit well most likely kill what you are shooting at.

But when or how long is the question. if a human is hit with one major medical intervention well be needed. I would say that is serious

Seating them back wards was done before there was plenty of great self-defense bullets out there. I found that they gave inconsistent results on the test media I used. I have shot some varmints with them. there are better choice out there for sure.

Just go out and buy some modern self defense bullets you well be happier.

Thanks guys, I'll check out YouTube.

Mike

After checking YouTube I'm overwhelmed. Who knew there was so much there. Guess I was stuck on Battle Bots.

There is a lot of info on you tube one just needs to sort out the good and bad.

I do not test bullets any more I just find some ones you tube.

It is cheaper and faster. 98 percent of the time one can find someone that tested what you want.

When it comes the handgun self-defense bullets. Made after about 1990.

They have been thoroughly tested to meet of exceed the FBI profile.

Several years ago on another forum, there was a group buy for a pellet mold that was heavy. This was billed almost good on elephants. The thing keyholed. Someone said load backwards. I did and there was very poor penetration.

I've used this bullet for years in my .357 Pythons, but I only load with Unique for reduced velocity and I've only killed groundhogs with them. Very devestating.
I do use them in a 2" Smith Mod. 15 as a personal protection round. They have been used and are equally effective on humans in reports I've read. I load 2 of them first, then 4 146 gr. Speer half jacket HPs, which did penetrate older model car doors.

I've not used the HBWC to kill small game but I have used the full 148gr Wadcutter to take rabbits out of my Model 66 and a GP-100.

I wouldn't use one for self defense unless there was absolutely nothing else around at the time. The will pencil through the target and do very little damage, unless of course a CNS shot is made.

LOad the HBWC backwards and they do massive damage.

quote:

Originally posted by Norman Conquest:
It will if you load it backwards. I played with some in the 70s into wet phone books. Loaded "correctly", they made a nice wadcutter hole as they should, but reversed to one large hollowpoint, there was quite a bit of expansion. I damned sure wouldn't want to be hit by one, (or any other), but the damage would be more severe.

I used to do that also. We have better designs today and no longer need to do it.

They are greatly over rated for combat, they were popular for 2" 38s back in the day, but they were frowned upon shortly mostly because they failed as 38s were a poor choice, and no need for them in a 357. More police were killed because they were required to pack a mod 10 and it took years for the brass sitting on their ass to come around to admitting the 38 was a poor combat caliber with any bullet. and the 9mm and 357 became the caliber of choice with modern day ammofor LE,