ML> VH> Me, I've carried an M1911 all my life, except for my first tour in Viet
ML> VH> Nam, when I carried a Colt M357 with hollowbased handloads -- loaded
ML> VH> backward.

ML>i've thought about this ever since i first read it back when it was first
ML>posted and i still have to wonder and (finally) ask, why? what is the
ML>purpose of loading the cartridge backwards?

ML>also for clarification, is it the actual projectile that's loaded into the
ML>cartridge backwards or something else??

ML>in edumacation mode ;)

The bullet in question is a wadcutter -- basically a pure, flatnosed
cylinder, meant for target shooting.  In this case, it was a swaged
bullet with a hollow base, like a minie ball.  Loaded backwards, it was
a huge hollowpoint.

There were not, in those days, any reliable hollowpoints for handguns,
and this bullet performed well in that role.
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