Trying to remember how many wadcutters I shot while practicing and competing in PPC! I started out with two, 2 cavity molds casting DEWCs but rapidly progressed to buying HBWC from National Bullet Company. NBC was local to me and less time casting translated into more time loading, practicing and competing.
My first press was a red C press, still have it somewhere, took a long time to load for a practice or a match. I wished for a Dillon 350 to speed things along but way out of the budget for a newly married rookie cop. Imagine my surprise when on Christmas morning I unwrapped a box that contained not a 350 but the new 450! That afternoon I set it up and cranked out a couple hundred. Got to the point I could spend an afternoon loading and shoot all week.
My load was the traditional 2.8 grains of Bullseye under the WC sparked by Federal SP primers. For practice I loaded in mixed range brass. For matches I loaded in Federal brass. Scores were the same but uniform brass was a mind settler.
I was an assistant Range Officer so lots of time at the range. I would shoot 1 or 2 practice matches, a league and 1 or 2 (usually 1) competition a week. I shot in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, even Canada. I was able to secure a carry permit for Canada.
I used 4 revolvers, a M36-1 for the Off Duty leg; a 4”, 686 for Duty leg; a 6”, 686 for the Distinguished leg; and a full blown Davis PPC for the regular match. Eventually I noticed my Distinguished and regular scores were about the same so I used the 686 in both.
Lots of comraderie at the matches. One day I drove 3 hours to a match only to realize I had left ALL of my ammunition on the bench at home. As I was packing up to leave, the fellow who battled me for the top spot stopped me and asked why I was leaving. I told him. He walked away laughing. I was peeved but before I got everything loaded up he was at my truck with a two wheeler and enough ammo for me to shoot all the legs that day. He told me “2.7, Bullseye, wouldn’t be a match without you, I want my brass back. “
Seems he had forgotten his loads once and was staked. Since then he always bright enough ammunition to shoot twice through. After that, so did I. And I loaned it out twice.
I have no idea how many wadcutters I shot but I do know that for some reason I saved my spent primers, 3 five gallon pails!
Kevin