Anyone load their bullets back to front?

[DannyT]

Hi all,

I’m going to be testing a new downloaded load for .38 special using N310. Shooting at ranges up to 50m.

I was using unique with really nice results but that’s dried up now.

A few members of the club I shoot at put their bullets in back to front, 158gr tc. They get very good results with them, and the hole is like that of a wad cutter. Plus it saves a good bit of powder, as the internal ballistics obviously are changed, due to the reversed bullet.

So I wondered if anyone else does this, and with N310, as it would be good to get some starting loads.

I imagine there’s little chance on someone on here doing this with the same powder and bullet, but thought I’d ask.

Thanks.

[sarge4318]

How slow do you want or need to go?

A friend once did this with 308Win, trying to get lead subsonic ammo.

It worked to a fashion as they were subsonic and hit the target but the grouping was poor at 100yds so he seemed to stop.
Might have worked better with a bit of experimenting but I don't know how much he did.
I'll be seeing him next weekend, all being well, so if I remember I'll ask.

Probably won't help your 38spl project though.

[DannyT]

I would have thought you could get some nice low powered 38s without too much fuss with a good recipe and no messing with backwards bullets.

However, I a friend who did this with 308Win, trying to get lead subsonic ammo.

It worked to a fashion as they were subsonic and hit the target but the grouping was poor at 100yds so he seemed to stop.
Might have worked better with a bit of experimenting but I don't know how much he did.
I'll be seeing him next weekend, all being well, so if I remember I'll ask.

Probably won't help your 38spl project though.

Thanks for the feedback.

I forgot to mention, this will be for lbr, not under lever. I know that doesn’t relate to your friend, just for clarification in this thread.

[BLONDIE1866]

IF you want to get the best results with your LBR,
get some 140gr wad-cutters,
with a bit of tinkering with the powder load, you can get excellent scores,

[acmsarh]

148 grain double ended wadcutters or hollow base wadcutters and reduce your powder load , Pre ban that was what was mostly shot out of revolver's as an accurate target load.

[DannyT]

Thanks for the info, I’ll look into the wadcutters also.

[Black Beard]

Sounds like a heeled bullet. Should work fine. Proper heeled bullets are very accurate.

[pbranthwaite]

IIRC, Bruce Potts did an article about loading .308 backwards, possibly for a sub sonic load, I think the results were quite good from memory

[jonksy]

I read a report that in WW1 the ever recousefull tommies used to pull the bullets from their 303's and turn the bullets back to front to counter the german snipers. The report stated that german snipers used to operate behind steel loopholes and the tommies soon discovered that a bullet which was fired from reversing the bullets would hit the steel plates with such force it caused hot metal shards and spauling causing many wounds to the face and even permantly blinding some snipers.