Advide on Lower recoil .38 Spcl ammo for my J-Frame Snubby

[Newburydave]

Got a good deal on a mint condition, blue steel M-36. In came in a the original blue box with all the oginal documents and the brass brush still sealed in its poly wrapper. Date on the old bill of sale was 1973.

I bought it because I wanted a house gun that my wife could use when I was away from home. I also felt like it was a piece of history and it looked really nice.

My wife is recoil sensitive. She won't shoot my Airweight with +P rounds in it because it hurts her hand.

I have just about settled on Hornady's .38 Special, 110gr XTP critical defense rounds for her home defense rounds. She shot some of those and liked them (didn't hurt her hand).

In another thread I was discussing "effective SD rounds" for a J-Frame and mentioned this. One guy recommended that since she can't handle 135gr +P JHP rounds she'd be better off if I get her some .38 spcl 148gr Mid Range, Lead wadcutters.

Reloads of that round happen to be dirt cheap at a local trading post. (hmm, cheap ammunition...)

Any advice or thoughts on using wad cutters as close range Self Defense ammo?

I Appreciate the input. Thanks.

dave

 

[Jackcpat]

Ammo

I carry an early Model 60 loaded with 158 gr. JHP. Recoil not bad for a short barrel. Have tried several different grips, using a Hogue rubber grip now, it's a little longer than the stock RB grips. Makes for a little softer shooting. As for as SWC go, they mushroom out much better than jacketed bullets do.

 

[cowboy4evr]

We found that 110 gr in 38spl was just right in the airweight snubbies . they shot with a light recoil and the point of aim and point of impact was very very close @ 20 yds . We tested S&W and Ruger lightweights , both performed well with the 110 gr factory ammo .

 

[gboling]

Speer 138gr SB ammo. Hard to beat!

 

[OKFC05]

"Any advice or thoughts on using wad cutters as close range Self Defense ammo?"


If that's what she will shoot, do it....and get her to practice with them as much as possible. They are surprisingly effective, especially when the shooter can hit center.
And if she practices with them enough, she may get brave enough to try the Speer SB ammo, which I carry. (Just shoot 5 of those at a time. I use mostly WC for practice and finish with 5 Speer SB)

 

[murphydog]

If concealment is not an issue, the largest cushy rubber stocks should be on the gun as mentioned above. The Hogue Monogrip or Pachmayr Compac are two good examples. They will change the recoil from a heavy load into medium and a light load to feel like a...really light .38 .

 

[GavinLee]

Full wadcutter bullets are very effective for personnel defence. That flat point hits with authority. One cast bullet company referes to their flat nose wadcutter as "anti personnel". Great choice for defensive loads.
GavinLee

 

[crazyphil]

OK to practice with the reloads but I would rather keep it loaded with
a good manufacturer's load for home protection. The Hornaday that
you mentioned is a good choice. It's what you would find in my wife's
home defense gun. Reliability of a good factory load is generally a little
better than reloads.

 

[MajorD]

And if it is strictly a house gun moving up to a six shot k with a longer barrel will help a lot. If you want to stick with a j the 3" heavy barrel 36 helps in several ways:
Longer sight radius means easier to be accurate
Heavier weight
Full length ejector rod
Wad cutters are not a bad choice I currently carry the critical defense lite which iirc is something like a 90 grain bullet at around 1000fps and very light in recoil.
While everyone likes a gun to shoot to point of aim and be accurate , at home defense distance the few inches off from point of aim with lighter bullets won't be an issue

 

[michaelt]

Wad cutters were the ammo of choice be for we got all this new HP stuff I still carry them in my 38's Nothing wrong with a mid range wadcutter for self defense 148 or 158 . Older 36's these shot POA as they were sighted for this weight bullet

 

[sbrmike]

I don't blame her about not wanting to shoot the +P in an airweight; they hurt my hand too!

I load 158 grain lead Semi Wadcutters in my 1954 Chief's Special carry piece. They are not +P loads but definitely adequate.

 

[Rpg]

Historically, target 148 gr wc ammo has proved quite satisfactory as a sd load.

The sharp cutting shoulder creates a great wound canal every time.

The low recoil encourages practice which translates to greater assurance of hitting the target.

What more could you want?

 

[Blackshirt]

If you can find them, Federal 125 grain Nyclads are a great standard pressure self-defense cartridge. Also, Underwood has a 158 grain LSWCHP that is a bit stronger without entering +P territory. It is an easy-to-find option that is a bit more effective than mid-range wadcutters.

38 Special 158 Grain Lead Semi-Wadcutter Hollow Point Gas Check - Underwood Ammo

 

[FlaRon]

If momma likes the 110 gr. XTP's and it does not hurt her hand and she shoots them well then IMHO look no farther. Shot placement is the all important factor in self defense shootings. I use 125 grain +p's in my Airweight j-frames and in my wife's 649 she carries 125 grain Nyclads that we have stashed away though we are down to about 25 rounds.

 

[stem]

Ive been using Federal Hydra Shock low recoil in my 642 and Bodyguard.

 

[Newburydave]

No plan survives first contact with my wife's sensibilities

Went to the range and she put 50 148gr wadcutters down range with the Chiefs Special with nary a flinch.

The I gave her some Hornady 110gr XTP sd rounds. She didn't like them. Too snappy compared to the wadcutters.

She was consistently putting the wadcutters 5 for 5 in the 8 inch box at 3 yds and 4 for 5 in at 7 yds.

(which is better than I was doing with my 125gr +P Golden Sabers from my Airweight J-Frame carry gun.)

She didn't like any of my speedloaders or speed strips, which isn't much of a problem since you can't use them with wadcutters anyway.

So I set up the pistol safe with the M-36 unloaded (her insistence) and a box tray of wadcutters. She said she wanted it simple.

Thanks for all the feedback. ;}

dave