I know everyone likes hollowpoints. I also know that when the Thunder Ranch S&W .44 Special revolver came out, the special load that was made for them was something like a 450 grain Keith style lead semi-wadcutter round.
Are solid lead semi-wadcutters good for self defense? I've never really read anything one way or the other as far as actual reports or scientific studies go.
What are your thoughts on this issue?
Inquiring minds want to know!

I know everyone likes hollowpoints. I also know that when the Thunder Ranch S&W .44 Special revolver came out, the special load that was made for them was something like a 450 grain Keith style lead semi-wadcutter round.
Are solid lead semi-wadcutters good for self defense? I've never really read anything one way or the other as far as actual reports or scientific studies go.
What are your thoughts on this issue?
Inquiring minds want to know!

Some of the best sd rounds are the LSWC-HP. The .38 Special +P 158 grain LSWCHP is held in high regard by many; I carried it as a duty load when I was a suburban Chicago police officer. I currently carry the Fed .45 Colt 225 grain LSWCHP, and I think its all that I need in a sd load.
I have carried solid SWC rounds, but those few times were when I was in Alaska in areas where bears might be present and a long gun was not practical, i.e., salmon fishing.
Overall, SWC's are better than LRN, but you can do better and have the best of both worlds in a LSWCHP.

Wow! That would be a looonnnnnnng bullet!

oops! 250 grain!!!

I knew what you meant, but some opportunities just cannot be passed-up!

AZ,
FWIW I'm running a Keith SWC 255 out of a .44 Special for H/D @ 950-1000 FPS. I'm perfectly comfortable using it for S/D carry too. It's a load that doesn't care much if an assailant is 300# and high?
But I'd sure like to try that 450 grain load!

SWCs penetrate very deeply, so overpenetration might be an issue. SWC is a great all purpose bullet shape, but for defense specifically, I would much rather use hollowpoints.

Okay..I have a bit of the Federal 200 grain lead SWC hollow point ammo. Should I be happy with that or should I look for something else. The Federal load is really easy to shoot, but should I be looking for more power with a more modern bullet?

OK AZ!
If I had any of those Federals available, I'd run them in a heart beat. They are sort of the "FBI load" of the .44 Special! I could never find any?

If I simply couldn't lay hands on some of the currently-available hollowpoints like the .44 200 grain Gold Dot, then I'd be fine with sporting a LSWC round. A Keith bullet is pretty much guaranteed to cut a full-caliber hole through darn near anything you shoot with it, which is better than a round nosed bullet will do.

I would run with those if you and the gun shoot them well together.

I should never "Forum under the influence", F/S?
DUH?

I used to carry the FBI load, but nowadays (in my 4" revolvers) I carry cast 158-gr LSWCs with the sharpest shoulders and widest meplats I can find.

In the .38 spl the 158gr SWC solid is statistically equal to or not significantly better in stopping human assailants than a 158gr Round nose lead. Both of which are at the bottom of effectiveness when compared to the other available bullet types and weights. Handloads.com Stopping power

As velocity is increased (IE see the .357 mag 158gr SWC) and the caliber gets larger, the effectiveness of solid bullet ammo increases signifcantly.

IIRC, Jim Cirillo felt that .38 SWC was a step up from RNL.

From the linked site - "Diameter and Penetration are the average from bullets recovered in actual shootings. All data taken from Evan Marshall and Ed Sanow's book: Stopping Power: A Practical Analysis of the Latest Handgun Ammunition and used with permission from the author"

Those two aren't regarded well by the medical professionals and scientific types interested in the subject matter (understatement meter in the red).

My favorite Sanowism was the article he penned regarding what a boondoggle 147gr 9mm JHP would be since it wouldn't even reliably cycle the slides of most autos and suggesting NATO 124gr FMJ would even be better...

I defer to those who maintain that JHPs still fail with some regularity and that energy transfer is not a reliable wounding mechanism as handgun velocities.

It all comes down to whether you (1) strike the CNS hard enough to cause immediate effect, or (2) you miss the CNS and must wait for rapid blood loss and/or a severe drop in blood pressure.

Seems to me that a hard cast LSWC can accomplish both.

Look at the Buffalo Bore 38 SPL, 158grain SWCHP, it is also made of a soft lead and has a gas check.

Check it out, it's what I carry in my 65 3" and in a Model 67.

About two notches up from the old FBI load which is a great performer.

I'm frustrated.

There are so many threads on this forum where people just love the hell out of a LSWC .44-Special for self defense. Some old guys who were Texas Rangers swore by it, so it must be A-OK.

But mention the same bullet design in .357 and everyone wants to say that only a hollow point is worth a damn.

With apologies, I must say that I just don't get it. Would someone please explain it to me like I'm stupid?

I would. If I disagreed?
I don't find a broad meplat SWC enough inferior to worry about the difference in a .357 Mag either? The only downside is likely over penetration in most two legged targets. Were I to have to choose between say a Glaser or it's ilk and a Keith SWC? Not even close for my money!