Bradshaw-Martin SWC

Being a handloader, I’m always looking for something new to try, experiment with, or experience, be it caliber, bullet, powder or gun. Yeah, I’ve been known to put the carriage before the horse, buying ammo, brass or bullets for a gun I didn’t have yet, in my zest to try new things.

Here’s how I stumbled onto a sleek, sexy little number of a cast bullet. I know, I’ve been breathing in too many lead fumes, but some of you will understand.

Some History…

Again, through the marvels of the Internet, I’ve been fortunate to meet all kinds of like-minded people. David Bradshaw is one of them. He’s a pioneer in the silhouette shooting game and had a hand in helping design the Ruger Maximum, in .357 Maximum, working with Bill Ruger.

I became acquainted with David while posting about the value and virtues of shooting Powder Coated cast bullets. David was a nay-sayer and after several back and forth exchanges with me, I simply mailed some PC bullets for him to try out. The metaphorically light bulb lit-up, just as it did for me. He was convinced there was indeed, a place for PC cast bullets, but he carried things a step further.

The Bradshaw-Martin SWC

David, with the help of Lee Martin, the host of SingleActions.com, a gun forum, put their ballistic brains together, designing a cast bullet for the .357 Maximum. Using Mountain Molds, a company specializing in producing bullet molds from people’s own design, Lee downloaded the program and filled in the blanks to David’s specifications. A week later, a mold was in their hands.

Lee cast, PC and sized the semi-wadcutter (SWC), gas checked (GC) bullets, keeping some and mailing a bunch to David. To say both David Bradshaw and Lee Martin can shoot, is an understatement, as you shall see.

Loading The Bradshaw-Martin SWC

David came up with a pet load using 18.5 grains of H4227 sparked by a Remington 7 1/2 SRP. He deep seats his cast PC GC SWC, so the cartridge case is crimped over the front driving band. Several other powders were tried, and all showed great results.

When asked, David simply stated it was a carry-over from his youth, when he would swage his own bullets with a C&H press using copper cups, and he crimped over the cup into the exposed lead head of his homemade semi-jacketed bullets.

He stated there is less air space and believes a more consistent burn occurs this way. When you see his results, you’ll agree.

Shooting Results

I know David is over 70 years young, but boy can his eyes still focus on that front sight! Years of shooting silhouettes, and deer, with iron sights, have kept them in top form. David told me his 5-shot average with his Ruger Maxixmum is usually around 4″ at 100 yards. He has shot several groups in the 2″ range, and even a few flukes that went under 2″ but chalks it up to dumb luck, as if we could all be so lucky. His best at 200 yards, with iron sights, is 4.6″. Wow! That’s some kind of shooting.
I think David’s results are proof of a successful design.

Then There’s Tank…

I got into the mix after Dick Thompson cast several hundred bullets with his mold and then loaned it to me so bullet happiness could be spread, far and wide.

I have plans to shoot this slug through a Marlin 1894C carbine and several .357 Magnum revolvers. I’m curious how it will shoot in these shorter magnums, for guys who don’t have .357 Maxi’s. I’m betting it will shoot in spades!

I’m out of room here now, but I’ll post my results at a later date, I promise.

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