I just purchased a Ruger 38/357 flat top (Jan 1958 manuf.).  Some of the loads I'll use will utilize the wadcutter format. All of the Dillon dies I've used in 44, 45 and 454 are constructed for either SWC or round nose bullets. I've had problems with the die leaving a ring indentation on the 454 LBT bullets and am concerned I'll have the same problem with the wadcutters.

Anyone know if the Dillon 38/357 seating die supports the wadcutter format, and if not, what die manufacturer does?

Dan

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DOK

Hi, Dan:
   I don't know about the Dillon dies, but a new RCBS seater works fine with the Lyman 358091 WC.  My mail-order outfit (Wholesale Sports in Calgary, Alberta) sells them separately, since the older RCBS .357 Magnum seaters (1980 in my set, and earlier too) won't crimp .38 Specials.  The 358091 has a crimp groove, so you can seat them out or seat them flush. You'll have to try them both ways to find out which works best.  I haven't had my mould long enough to really test them out.

   My seater leaves a ring on FN bullets too and I'm thinking of putting some lapping compound on the noses of a couple of bullets, chucking them in the drill and honing out the seater stem a bit.

  Glad to see you back here. Take care.

Bye
Jack

Dan,
    I've got two handgun die sets; RCBS 357/38 and Hornady 44. Both came with two seating stems. The RCBS came with stems for SWC and RN, the Hornady dies came with one sort of "universal" stem for SWC etc. and one stem that is completely flat on the bottom for wadcutters.
                                                 ID

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IDShooter

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain

"The United States is in no sense founded upon the Christian religion." - George Washington

Jack,

I'm a fan of the RCBS dies, so will order a set. They create a very minor problem for my Dillon 550 as the round set nuts are larger than the Dillon dies set nuts and overlap from the die platform insert onto the frame, making it a little harder to remove the die platform (change powders, etc.), but not a big problem.

Sure appreciate the help and am looking forward getting started. I have a taper die so I'll start with that and seat the bullet flush.

Dan

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DOK

IDShooter,

Sounds like Hornady is a likely candidate also. I have access to RCBS within 30 miles, but will have to call Hornady to check on their current version.  As you can guess, I'm anxious to get started with my new toy.

During this past winter, I shot indoors quite a bit and found I could shoot the Ruger single actions competitively with the S&W boys and their 625's, with or without red dots. The .44/.45's held their own, so I'd thought I'd try the single action .38 in target load format and see how it compares to the other calibers. During the Bullseye sessions, the heavier 44/45 loads and the rapid fire segment was fairly challenging, so am looking for an even lighter load as most of my competitors shoot .22's with red dots for Bullseye. My single action and iron sights were a little out of place! I thought about using black powder so they couldn't see the target but never got around to it.

Thanks for the help.

Dan

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DOK

Hi, Dan:
  The set nut on the new seater die is a mite smaller than the round nuts on the old dies. It's hex, 1.275" corner to corner, compared to 1.4" for the old ones. The new ones have a brass setscrew that will get mangled on the die threads unless you put a #6 - #8 shot pellet under it.

Bye
Jack

Jack,

Gotcha,

Thanks, Dan

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DOK