What is the difference...

[Mohawk]

What is the difference between a lead HC bullet and a HP bullet? I know hollow point but what does HC mean?

[Empty Quiver]

I always thought it stood for hard cast. I may be wrong though.

[32 Magnum]

HC = Hard cast.  Usually indicates addition of more Tin (and/or antimony) to the mix to make the projectiles harder.

[Hank08]

In lead- hard cast
in jacketed- hollow cavity (Sierra)

[bilmac]

Some companies use the term hollow cavity rather than hollow point.

[Dee]

Actually Mohawk in the late 70s the 357 magnum in the 125 grain "Hollow Cavity", was very popular in Law Enforcement. The Hollow Point is just that. The point of the bullet is hollow to pick up on the hydraulics of body fluids for expansion purposes. The "HOLLOW CAVITY" was a more dramatic expansion, and meant that more than just the point of the bullet was hollow, i.e. part of the bullet BODY was also hollow. I carried these for many years in a Model 19 Smith, and as I recall Sierra was the main manufacturer of them.
They would turn a cottontail wrong side out.

[Mohawk]

  Thanks for all the replies. I was just curious, because the load I killed my deer with last week are labeled Lead SWC-HC, not HP. They are definately hollow-points. It appears to be Buffalo Bore's version of the old .38 FBI load.

[Dee]

Mohawk the loads I was speaking of were "jacketed hollow cavities" and back in the day we would load them up hot. BEFORE lawyers started suing so much.

[Mohawk]

I remember those....... The REAL ..357's.

[Dee]

Yep! They were screamers, and hoot to shoot.

[Mohawk]

I even remember the 158's at over 1500 fps. Those were the days........