New .44 cal. BP wadcutter bullet

[user 33697]

I stumbled across an interesting single page website for a start up company that is planning to releasing a BP revolver 44 cal. bullet that looks like a hollow base wadcutter. They say the bullet is for hunting. I assume that they mean the bullet is loaded with the hollow end towards the barrel to mushroom upon impact. I'm wondering if loading the bullet with the solid end towards the barrel would be the same as target wascutters used in the unmentionable cartridge revolvers. It will be interesting in what diameter and weight that they make this bullet. Click on the link below. Comments?

https://www.banditbullets.com/

An update to my post

I enlarged one of the photos of this bullet and noted the raised ring around the bullet that is similar to the same ring on a Johnston & Dow bullet. This looks like the bullet could seat fairly tight in a cylinder chamber and possibly leaving a nice cutoff lead ring when the bullet is seated. Additionally, the bullet appears to have a hollow cavity that is not very deep. How this bullet would mushroom on impact is a mystery given that the bullet would be loaded with raised ring pointing towards the barrel and not possibly loaded backwards as I mentioned earlier in my post. Also, no lube grooves would mean you use a wad.

A Footnote: Out of curiosity, I call the company and talked to a representative that said the bullet’s hollow cavity is shallow but did not give any detail explanation on how it mushrooms given the dome point of the bullet is loaded towards the barrel.. No production release date was given.

 

[Whitworth]

Looks interesting, should make shooting water jugs more fun . Little sketchy on details though.

 

[Robby]

I must be missing something, they look to me like they would be loaded cavity down and the dome under the rammer. That would be a wad cutter to me. It looks like a fun alternative to a round ball and if I had some I would load them my way.
Robby

 

[user 33697]

I must be missing something, they look to me like they would be loaded cavity down and the dome under the rammer. That would be a wad cutter to me. It looks like a fun alternative to a round ball and if I had some I would load them my way.
Robby

You have an excellent observation. It appears to be a wadcutter for making nice holes on paper. Read the update to my post at the beginning of the string

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Looks like a nasty defensive loaded up hot with FFF3G powder.

 

[user 33697]

Looks like a nasty defensive loaded up hot with FFF3G powder.

Interesting thought. This wadcutter bullet might be a perfect upgrade for a BP .44 cal. snubby. I remember many years ago of reversing a hollow based wadcutter in a 38 cal. unmentionable revolver as a defensive load that resulted in interesting effects on an assailant.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I stumbled across an interesting single page website for a start up company that is planning to releasing a BP revolver 44 cal. bullet that looks like a hollow base wadcutter. They say the bullet is for hunting. I assume that they mean the bullet is loaded with the hollow end towards the barrel to mushroom upon impact. I'm wondering if loading the bullet with the solid end towards the barrel would be the same as target wascutters used in the unmentionable cartridge revolvers. It will be interesting in what diameter and weight that they make this bullet. Click on the link below. Comments?

https://www.banditbullets.com/

An update to my post

I enlarged one of the photos of this bullet and noted the raised ring around the bullet that is similar to the same ring on a Johnston & Dow bullet. This looks like the bullet could seat fairly tight in a cylinder chamber and possibly leaving a nice cutoff lead ring when the bullet is seated. Additionally, the bullet appears to have a hollow cavity that is not very deep. How this bullet would mushroom on impact is a mystery given that the bullet would be loaded with raised ring pointing towards the barrel and not possibly loaded backwards as I mentioned earlier in my post. Also, no lube grooves would mean you use a wad.

View attachment 122295

A Footnote: Out of curiosity, I call the company and talked to a representative that said the bullet’s hollow cavity is shallow but did not give any detail explanation on how it mushrooms given the dome point of the bullet is loaded towards the barrel.. No production release date was given.

Why do you assume that a bullet has to "mushroom" to be a hunting bullet? Many BP cartridge bullets are hard cast with a wide meplat & cause serious wound channels without "mushrooming". A 44 caliber bullet doesn't need to mushroom as they are already bigger than most smaller diameter bullets designed to expand. Big diameter lead bullets kill by penetration & tissue shock in the wound channel that can run all the way through the animal, muscle, bone & all. "Mushrooming" would only inhibit their effectiveness. Just food for thought.

 

[user 33697]

I did not 'assume' that the bullet has to mushroom. The manufacturer states it is a hunting bullet. I only assumed that the only way the bullet could even possibly mushroom was if it was loaded backwards. Contacting a representative at the manufacturing company gave no explanation to me as how the bullet mushrooms since it appears to be just a hollow base wadcutter.

 

[JamesA]

On the left are the hollow point bullets as opposed to the ones on the right that were posted. It looks like they are offering two types of bullets.

Both look interesting.

 

[user 33697]

A note to my original posting. I forgot to mention that the representative from the company did say that the design and tooling for this bullet is still a work in progress.

 

[user 33697]

On the left are the hollow point bullets as opposed to the ones on the right that were posted. It looks like they are offering two types of bullets.

View attachment 122313View attachment 122314

Both look interesting.

Ha! Good observation. I did not pick up on that feature in the photo. The bullet does looks like it can be loaded with the cavity facing outward with the lips around the cavity that would fit the plunger concave of a ram rod. Maybe they are planing on making two different bullets. Maybe I should call the company again or someone else in the forum that is curious can call the company and ask for more detail.

 

[Woody Morgan]

I see two completely different styles of bullets...wadcutter and hollow point. Dome or hollow point loaded forward.
What am I missing?

wm

 

[user 33697]

I see two completely different styles of bullets...wadcutter and hollow point. Dome or hollow point loaded forward.
What am I missing?

wm

Woody, I think your right. If you've read my post all along, I called the company and inquired about this bullet for my own curiosity and I did not get any definitive answer as the person at the other end said that the bullet was still a work in progress. The company is called Hawk, Inc. that predominately manufactures jacketed bullets with a side line of sabot muzzleloading bullets made for BP rifles that we never discuss in this forum. Their Bandit bullet looks to be an attempt to get into the BP traditional revolver market by what I can figure.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Interesting thought. This wadcutter bullet might be a perfect upgrade for a BP .44 cal. snubby. I remember many years ago of reversing a hollow based wadcutter in a 38 cal. unmentionable revolver as a defensive load that resulted in interesting effects on an assailant.

Great thinking. The increased weight, but not terribly reduced powder capacity is a great choice for a snub. The sharp conical edges should punch through tissues nicely.

Full wadcutter target loads are recommended by some for defense in the .38 Unmentionable and even .357 Unmentionables.

 

[TreeMan]

Lots of posts recently debating conicals and all these overthought revolver bullets for Blackpowder revolvers. I’ll save my money and use soft lead round balls. More economical, more accurate, and just flat out gets any job done from targets to killing. You don’t need a hollow point anything when you’re shooting soft pure lead. I’ll be the grumpy old man and just say phooey!

 

[Woody Morgan]

Great thinking. The increased weight, but not terribly reduced powder capacity is a great choice for a snub. The sharp conical edges should punch through tissues nicely.

Full wadcutter target loads are recommended by some for defense in the .38 Unmentionable and even .357 Unmentionables.

Maybe in the past but these days it's a bad idea to use handloads of any kind for defense use.
Stick to factory. Makes it tougher for the prosecutor.

Woody, I think your right. If you've read my post all along, I called the company and inquired about this bullet for my own curiosity and I did not get any definitive answer as the person at the other end said that the bullet was still a work in progress. The company is called Hawk, Inc. that predominately manufactures jacketed bullets with a side line of sabot muzzleloading bullets made for BP rifles that we never discuss in this forum. Their Bandit bullet looks to be an attempt to get into the BP traditional revolver market by what I can figure.

Yessir. I fully read your post then went to the linked site and read it too cuz these bullets intrigued me.
Seems to me that driving band should always be loaded forward. If it's sized correctly for the chamber that band would be shaved like a round ball and seal nicely. But what about lubrication?

wm

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Maybe in the past but these days it's a bad idea to use handloads of any kind for defense use.
Stick to factory. Makes it tougher for the prosecutor.



Yessir. I fully read your post then went to the linked site and read it too cuz these bullets intrigued me.
Seems to me that driving band should always be loaded forward. If it's sized correctly for the chamber that band would be shaved like a round ball and seal nicely. But what about lubrication?

wm

Full wadcutter are one of the most standard factory target loads for unmentionable revolvers. Never once did I mention handloading for them. And for black powder, EVERY SHOT is a hand load.

 

[Bad Karma]

I stumbled across an interesting single page website for a start up company that is planning to releasing a BP revolver 44 cal. bullet that looks like a hollow base wadcutter. They say the bullet is for hunting. I assume that they mean the bullet is loaded with the hollow end towards the barrel to mushroom upon impact. I'm wondering if loading the bullet with the solid end towards the barrel would be the same as target wascutters used in the unmentionable cartridge revolvers. It will be interesting in what diameter and weight that they make this bullet. Click on the link below. Comments?

https://www.banditbullets.com/

An update to my post

I enlarged one of the photos of this bullet and noted the raised ring around the bullet that is similar to the same ring on a Johnston & Dow bullet. This looks like the bullet could seat fairly tight in a cylinder chamber and possibly leaving a nice cutoff lead ring when the bullet is seated. Additionally, the bullet appears to have a hollow cavity that is not very deep. How this bullet would mushroom on impact is a mystery given that the bullet would be loaded with raised ring pointing towards the barrel and not possibly loaded backwards as I mentioned earlier in my post. Also, no lube grooves would mean you use a wad.

View attachment 122295

A Footnote: Out of curiosity, I call the company and talked to a representative that said the bullet’s hollow cavity is shallow but did not give any detail explanation on how it mushrooms given the dome point of the bullet is loaded towards the barrel.. No production release date was given.

Look familiar @Desperate Lee ??

 

[necchi]

I called the company and inquired about this bullet for my own curiosity and I did not get any definitive answer as the person at the other end said that the bullet was still a work in progress.

Well? Let us know how well they turn out when their done re-inventing the wheel.
I mean, gosh, nobody else has tried that in the last 150yrs,,

 

[stikshooter]

I did not 'assume' that the bullet has to mushroom. The manufacturer states it is a hunting bullet. I only assumed that the only way the bullet could even possibly mushroom was if it was loaded backwards. Contacting a representative at the manufacturing company gave no explanation to me as how the bullet mushrooms since it appears to be just a hollow base wadcutter.

Being soft lead is how it mushrooms ,more mushroom happens at more FPS/more FPS = more range .Lacking in cap and ball ,hence the added capacity for powder with (hollow base)