[Jack Monteith]

Hi, Smith:
  I did some wetpack testing with the Speer 180gr. FN a while back. Expansion was iffy at 200 yards when fired from a .35 Remington at 2200 fps. Wetpack isn't meat, but it's close enough. Velocity at 200 yards is 1600 fps, given Speer's claimed B.C. of .245.  I'd say it needs 1650-1700 fps minimum speed for expansion. The wetpack showed it's a slow expander compared to the Remington 200 gr. RN Core-Lokt and it doesn't smack medium sized varmints like foxes and raccoons like the Core-Lokt does either. It does shoot flatter than the Core-Lokt. I don't claim this is my final word on this bullet, since I've only used a 1/2 box I picked up cheap at a gun show.

  The cannelure is 0.2" further back than the cannelure on a BTB 185 gr. FN, which is the longest nosed bullet I can use in my S&W. If you can't set it out further than the standard .357 overall length of 1.590", you'll have a lot of ogive inside the case.

Bye
Jack

 

[Jack Monteith]

Hi, Smith:
  The Speer measures .356" just ahead of the cannelure, tapering to .350" 1/8" ahead of the cannelure. The BTB 185 gr. FN is .358" 3/16" ahead of the cannelure and most SWCs are .358" for at least a 1/16". So you should be able to crimp them in the cannelure.

  My curiosity got the better of me again. I seated one to the cannelure and chambered it in the S&W. It dropped in real easy, but there's 3/16" of bullet nose sticking out of the front of the cylinder. :biggrin:  You will have no problem telling them from your revolver loads. (It looks like something J.D. Jones dreamed up. <!--emo&--><img src="http://beartoothbullets.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''><!--endemo--> )

  A new box measures .3585" behind the cannelure, so they'll be a tight fit in your barrel, but you'll have lots of powder space.

  Sucess! The bullet came out of the case with a couple of light raps of the impact puller, but the case needs a trip through the resizer. I used lots of case lube on the bullet and inside case neck before I put this concoction together. <!--emo&--><img src="http://beartoothbullets.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''><!--endemo-->

Bye
Jack