wadcutter bullets

just-shoot

Ammo like full metal jacket and hollowpoint bullets are selfexplanitory, but can anyone tell where this bullet get its name or why its called wadcutter? Thanks.

Iconoclast

It is my understanding that it is because this design cuts a very smooth hole in a target and sometimes the paper will fall as a nice round piece, similar in shape to the Black Powder over shot wads which many early shooters cut for themselves. I could well be entirely incorrect.

Myjack

Wadcutters punch a clean edeged hole through paper and the carboard backing - makes grading targets of those really annoying bad doggies that can hit the same place twice much easier, round nose hole can sort ot blurr together when close together where as the wadcutters wil elongate the previous hole - for close defense weapon, they also transfer the energy into the target very well and this can help reduce penatration and possibility of the bullet passing through.the big blunt face is prone to wind and distance deflection ao that limits long range shooting. (I can still tag an oil drum at 100 yards with my gold cup 7 out of 7)And my take on the name is the paper and carboard pieces tend to look like shotgun wads

Xracer

That's the same story I've heard, Iconoclast.I DO know that wadcutters, having a flat face (like a paper punch), make a nice clean hole.

v35

I heard hollow based wadcutters work pretty good for self defense when reversed.

Calif-Saeco

As a Police Weapons Instructor and Loader of all the ammo for my department I made full power semiwadcutters for police practice but made hollow base wadcutters loaded backwards for officers and friends home defense loads. A full power load RN or SWC can go thru walls and has killed people in the apartment next door or below when an officer dropped his pants. A hollow based wadcutter with the hollow base forward with a reduced target load will open up and is more likely to be stopped by walls. JohnPaul Fitz Grips retired SFPD