Looking for opinions on the lightest recoil 38 special rounds that are factory produced off the shelf ammo. Was wondering if the lighter grain stuff is better than the heavier grain stuff like say 115 grn 9mm kicks less than the 147 grain stuff does. Looking for suggestions and decent opinions from you fellow 38 special shooters. The test specimens are a 340PD, 642 and M&P 340 (soon to be added in the stable). Thanks..

I always enjoyed shooting wadcutters. Made the guns a glorified cork gun, which would also cut clean holes in the target.
At one time, I owned a 19 and two PC 27s. None of them ever saw a magnum round.

Yes you are correct: lighter bullet = less recoil in most instances.

I'm not very well versed in factory ammo as I'm a reloader and shoot little factory ammo. Lead is generally loaded to lower velocities than jacketed bullets. So find a lighter lead load and that's a good place to start.

I would try 148 grain mid range match ammunition. 148 gr full wadcutter

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Any specific brands guys?

148 grain Hollow Base Wad-Cutter. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, whatever you can find on-line or at a local dealer. Brand really doesn't matter with this load.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

thanks guys...

Match/target 148 grain hollow base wadcutters are about 710 fps. Not only are they a light load and easy on the gun, they are deadly accurate. Factory or duplicate reloaded ammo was all that was used in PPC shooting in the day and that would include 50 yards.

In almost any caliber, the light weight "Target ammo" is your best bet at a light recoiling round.

Light bullet, slow fps : minimum recoil.

Some use the Power Factor. bullet grs x fps = PF
9mm target is around 125 PF. +P around 153 PF
38 148gr 2" J frame around 103 PF.

I agree with the other posters that a 148 grain wadcutter would be your best bet. If you cannot find any of those something designed for cowboy action shooting would be a close second. Both are designed for target shooting in competitions where there is no minimum power factor.

As far as brands, whatever you can find. Wadcutters are still hard to find. SGammo has Magtech wadcutters in stock. If they run out you could try the 125 grain lead bullet ammo that Georgia Arms sells.

I looked into the same issue and came to the conclusion the 148 gr wadcutter is your answer.

And, for good measure, it is a decent SD load due to the flat nose/square shape, and the lack of recoil means not much chance of a flinch. On the rare occasions on which I carry a .38 snub, that's my preferred load.

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NHI, 10-8.

For the lightest recoil, I load a Lyman 358101 75gr wadcutter at 600 fps. It is fun!

I know you said factory ammo but I’m going to throw this in anyway. I shoot a lot if 38spl and have arthritis in my hands and wrists so mild loads are a must for me. I won’t give specifics but I can shoot about a hundred rounds before pain sets in with a 125 Berrys flat point using Accurate #2. I do pretty well also with a 158 polymer coated lead SWC or RNFP and Accurate Nitro 100NF. I’ve found consistent results and very mild recoil with good accuracy with both. I primarily shoot in a K38 or a variety of Colt Pythons and King Cobras with 2” to 6” barrels. The heavier the gun the better the shock absorption and with lighter guns I use Pachmayr full coverage rubber grips. The faster the powder and the lighter the bullet the les recoil you’ll experience.

Another recommendation for the 148 grain mid-range hollow base wadcutter.

One thing to keep in mind. I learned many, many years ago that you might have to fire a couple of cylinders full of the wadcutters before the bore becomes conditioned to the lube and starts providing the best accuracy. In other words, don't just fire one group and give up on them!

Best of luck!

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Many companies make .38 Special 130 gr FMJ, generally lightly loaded. If you are looking for practice/range rounds it will be quite a bit easier to find and less expensive than 148 gr WC, but likely less accurate.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Anything below 900 fps and above 135 grain should be just fine. As others have mentioned, full wadcutters usually fall into that range.

Hornady .38 Special 90 gr FTX Critical Defense Lite:

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/h...efense-lite#!/

Grab it when you see it.

Geoff
Who notes he carries it in his 638 because his wife shoots it well in the Model 38 she annexed for her own use.

If you can find it - the 148 grain target wad cutters are extremely light shooting loads. If not, the standard velocity 158 grain RNL loads are about the best I can think of. They are pretty anemic these days.

Without a doubt, the 148 grain HBWC Target ammunition is the way to go. It is alkso Very Accurate in many firearms.

The Cowboy action loads as a followup are usually light shooting, but do not have precision accuracy as part of their build. At least not like the 148 Match ammunition

Being a Model 52 shooter, I always keep a supply of the Target ammunition on hand from various manufacturers

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"Acta non verba"

This is all subjective - different felt recoil to different shooters and the gun size and weight certainly has something to do with it. In a J-frame, and I shoot these often (only one Airweight), I can see little difference in felt recoil between 148 gr. wadcutter handloads (factory equivalent) or standard pressure 158 gr. cast SWCs (factory equivalent). No +P. To me, everything kicks pretty well in any snubnose J-frame, but you become accustomed to it with practice. Lighter bullets will have slightly less recoil; some shooters may see a marked difference, but many will feel only a slight difference in recoil, if they notice anything at all between light and heavy bullets.

Last week I was shooting .38 Special ammo in a Colt .357 Model with a 6" barrel. The difference between the 148 WC ammo and standard pressure 158 SWC was negligible.

Many good comments on this thread, but like so many others that involve ammo choices, what works for one is a dismal performer for another. I'd try several factory ammos and/or good handloads before making a choice. I'm always interested in accuracy as a major factor, but other factors are also important. To me, the best load would provide fine accuracy and tolerable recoil (defined as recoil that doesn't cause undue fatigue in one range session). That would be my ideal ammo, but may not be for others.

You limit yourself a great deal when light recoil is the only consideration, especially so when the alleged "advantage" may be insignificant.

awesome awesome info gents. Just what I was looking for..

Federal Gold Match 148gr wadcutter (GM38A)

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Common sense isn't so common.

.38 Short Colt can be shot in a .38 Special gun. Larry

Perhaps, Smith should drop the chambered .357 models all together and start producing the +P-rated .38 model(s) again. Juiced loadings are out, and standard pressure loadings are all the rage these days. Hence, the Wadcutter. I would hope that Smith has taken note of the latest trend and start producing the 342 PD again. While I love my magnum-chambered Scandium / Ti J frame(s) I do think it's a bit overkill for sure. As for a mild load for your snub, I think the .38 Special 148gr. Wadcutter is the way to go.

My suggestion is a Model 10 four inch 38 Special.

If the wadcutter cannot be found, I wouid go with a standard velocity SWC. Decent shape, not too hot. Far better than the round nose for serious purposes. It is what I load most of the time in my M66.

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NHI, 10-8.

This is probably some of the lightest factory 38 out there. Magtech 148gr wadcutter.

Range/Training .38 Special, 148 gr, Lead Wadcutter (LDWC) 709 fps, 50 Rd/20 Cs | Liberty Shooting Sports | Spring | 77388

There used to be a Winchester 130gr FMJ load that was pretty tame.f

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Release the Kraken

If you can find any, the .38 SC would be about the mildest factory load that can be used in a .38 Special revolver. If you handload using the lightest cast bullets available you could probably make up some real pipsqueaks in .38 SC cases. On the other end, .38 SC cases can easily be handlioaded to 9mm performance levels. It is a versatile cartridge that deserves to be more popular than it is. Its heritage goes back to the Black Powder days. It shines when used in .38 snubby revolvers as the short cases extract completely with the short extractor rods they have.

Federal makes a 110gr Hydra-Shok low recoil defensive load. A lady I used to know liked these in her S&W 442. She shot them very well and had no problems with recoil in that light gun.

Several companies offer loads for Cowboy Action Shooting. In .38 Special that might include a 125-grain bullet at powder puff levels for punching holes in paper or ringing a metal target.

.38 Special was developed from the original .38 Colt, offered in standard and .38 Long Colt. Either one can be fired in a .38 Special revolver (or .357 magnum) for those wanting a light load.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

LAX does remanufactured ammo. Their 38 gets about 700fps.
I bought several thousand rounds from them 4 or 5 years ago at $.18 a round.

LAX Ammunition Reman 38 SPL 158 GR RNFP 250 Rounds W/Free Ammo Can | Lax Ammunition

uses X-Treme copper bullets.
at $93.13 for 250 or $.37 each. Backorder available.

Not target ammo, but inexpensive and low recoil.


Prescut

Yesterday I fired some cast 160 gr. SWC loads loaded to standard pressure with Bullseye powder, about 825-850 fps from a 4" revolver and 750-775 fps from a 2" airweight J-frame. I was using the J-frame yesterday.

I also fired some wadcutter target loads using an H&G #50 design, 148 grs. loaded with 2.8 grs. Bullseye powder. Muzzle velocity was probably just under 700 fps. No real difference in recoil between the two loads, at least for me.

The 130 grain FMJ .38 Special is essentially equivalent to GI M41 which was for use in aluminum frame revolvers the military used for aircrews…some even had aluminum cylinders which could not hold up to standard .38 Specials so the M41 was specified. The aluminum cylinder guns were withdrawn and most were destroyed but the Pentagon kept buying the M41 ammo.

38 SPL-Short 125GR LRN - Magtech
buy 2 boxes of this ammo on line and give it a try.
it is lighter than wadcutters and works fine.
I have used it for many training events with new/lady shooters and have advance to wadcutters afterwards.
Larry -former S&W rep

I like this stuff a lot. I have shot .357mag in my 640-1, shooting this ammo in a 642 is not half as unpleasant. Joe

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