Question on 38 spl recoil rounds

[Hunter991]

I bought my wife a 642 for her CCW. I have taken her shooting etc.. but finding out she is quite recoil adverse. In and SD situation i am sure this would all change, but i want her to practice.

What would be a good suggestion for the easiest 38 spl ammo i could buy that would contain the least amount of recoil but still be okay for self defense? We have tried the Hornady pink 110 gr rounds and even that didn't feel like it had much less recoil for her. Any suggestions?

 

[old bear]

The lowest recoil 38 special ammo I can think of are the 148Gr. wadcutters, intended for target shooting. Perhaps she could start with those and workup the power scale from there. If nothing else the above ammo is better than nothing.

 

[Jerry in SC]

Federal Nyclads in the standard pressure 125 grain load don't have a lot of recoil nor do the W-W 110 grain standard velocity Silvertips. I don't know of many low recoil rounds that actually expand so I wouldn't shy away from using the 148 grain wadcutters, they penetrate well and don't rely on expansion.

Airweights can be tough for beginners, male or female. If you have a steel frame J let her shoot that and build up to handling the recoil.

 

[ShivasIrons]

Hornady Critical Defense Lite.


https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/38-special-90-gr-ftx-critical-defense-lite#!/

 

[Flyingfool]

Almost no ammo expands from a snubby even +p.

And from what I have read. 148 grain wad cutters or semi-wad cutters are equally good self defense rounds. And some even advocate they may be one of the best rounds in a snubby.

Question here: Why did you buy her a gun that she didn't shoot and pick out herself? I sort of made the same mistake! My wife handled and chose the 642, but did not fire it.so she chose the gun herself but has not experienced the recoil. As a result she has not practiced a lot with it. She can handle the recoil but she is not really enjoying the experience.

Another option for revolver for her might be to consider the Ruger LCR in 327 federal magnum. Offers the advantage of an additional (6th) round and the ability to shoot 32 smith long, shot, 32 H&R, 32 H&R magnum and even 32 acp. As well as rhe 327 Federal magnum. The LCR in 327 I believe is based on the 357 and 9mm LCR frame which is a few ounces heavier than the 38 slecial LcR frame. Also helping to dsmpen recoil. All other 32 caliber ammo, except 327 mag will I believe have lower recoil than 38 special. Yet 32 H&R mag is a good self defense round. Would allow her to start out with “pop gun” 32 acp and comfortably work her way up to say 32 H&R mag.

Just a thought.

 

[yep380]

Airweights are named appropriately, and as such they don't absorb a lot (any?) recoil.

Wadcutters are the softest shooting rounds I load... I'm not sure about commercial offerings, but I would look for standard pressure 147gr wadcutters and try those.

Since you're not going to get expansion in a soft shooting round, I'd definitely look for something she'll be comfortable shooting. This article covers using wadcuters for self-defense and has info on various commercial offerings: https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/wadcutter-ammo-self-defense/

Edit: here is a link to the Fiocchi wadcutters mentioned in that article. Since they were shooting at 530FPS they should be pretty soft shooters: Cheap 38 Special Ammo For Sale - 148 gr LWC Fiocchi Ammunition In Stock - 50 Rounds

 

[Nevada Ed]

You might look into some Rubber Hogue grips that go over the METAL
back strap, that really helps in reducing the felt recoil of the light weapon.

Wood grips do little to reduce recoil, just makes concealment easier.

The 148 lead or 110 Jacket bullet have the least amount of recoil for a SD load.
You will need to figure it out.
Good luck.

 

[reddog81]

Do you have a larger gun she can practice with? Shooting .357 loads out of a GP100 is easier than light .38 Special loads out of a 642.

For light .38 Special loads, wadcutters loads will be a good option to start with and much cheaper than any of the specialty defense loads.

 

[Retired Cop]

The best self defense round for a J Frame .38 is the 148 grain wad cutter. I am living proof of that. I can show you the 2 graves of the 2 losers too to prove it!

Now, by the law of physics, every action has an opposite and equal reaction! The lighter the handgun, the more the recoil action will be felt! I would recommend an all steel J frame, such as the 36, and loaded with wad-cutters.

 

[haywood]

I put Hogue Tamer Grips on one of my 442s. They have a cushion on the back strap. My Wife can shoot about 100 rounds with them. I like them a lot also.

 

[dusty3030]

A few things to consider.
1. The 642 will never be an enjoyable handgun to target shoot with, by anyone. Long heavy trigger, short sight radius, small sights, muzzle blast, etc. It's not just the recoil, it's all the other factors that make the recoil seem worse than it really is.

2. Does she have much experience shooting other handguns or handguns period?

3. Do you have a good .22 LR handgun that would be fun to shoot? (Revolver or semi auto) as long as it has good sights, longer sight radius, and a light trigger.

I would suggest that if you don't have a decent .22 plinker (Ruger Mk series, S&W Victory, Browning Buckmark, decent revolver) then you get one and encourage her to shoot it in lieu of the 642 for practice. Carry the 642, practice with the 22. Sure she needs to be able to competently use the 642 and should practice with it, but shoot it less and the 22 more. It will make it a whole lot more fun and will give her the main thing she will need and that is confidence.

 

[Execpro]

I had a 642 that was painful to shoot. It was the first j frame I ever owned. I added a laser grip but it still hurt after a few rounds. I traded it for a 9mm Shield ( Never entered my mind to change grips).

Bought a Taurus M85 with full rap around soft rubber grips and over 150 rounds of ammo later, I look forward to shooting it (I use 125-135 +P ammo). I enjoyed it so much,I purchased a S&W 360J which also has full rubber grips and fills the whole hand.

Get a good set of shock absorbing full rap around rubber grips like the Taurus or 360j that gives a full grip. There are a lot of good suggestions on this and other threads. You can also Google for suggestions. I also agree with ammo suggestions but found a lot of good info on Google.

 

[kci-mia]

I agree with everyone about using wadcutter ammo for self-defense out of small lightweight revolvers. I keep one Airweight J frame revolver loaded with my handload of 145gr fullwadcutter with enough Winchester 231 to get 670fps out of that 2" barrel. This is very mild recoiling load and my wife has no problem shooting 100 rounds. I cast my wadcutter bullets a lot harder than factory wadcutter bullets to minimize deflection when it hits bones. Typically out of 4" revolver your velocity will be at or above 700 fps.

IMHO you don't want the velocity to go above about 750fps as it does not leave as much damage on soft tissue at higher velocity.

 

[MJB]

Hogue Tamer grips will make the gun much more pleasant to shoot. I have an LCR and have Tamer and G10 grips for it and the difference is night and day.

 

[RoyM52]

I have a 638...same brutal experience with recoil....from the trigger guard to my second finger. I tried rubber banana grips and it was better . Then tried tamer grips, then X frame grips. Settled on diamond Pro's by Pachmayr. they not only filled the trigger gap properly, they also padded the back-strap and are just long enough to get that last finger on ...but not overly long. The gun is now fit for target shooting . A world of difference over the factory boot grips. Start with changing the grips and using the wad-cutters...rubber grips are cheap to try, not like changing guns.

 

[gwpercle]

148 grain Target Wadcutter makes a fair to middling self defense load.
Hitting the target with a WC beats missing with a more powerful round.
My J frame is loaded with them right now.
Gary

 

[crstrode]

Wadcutters are the softest shooting rounds I load... I'm not sure about commercial offerings, but I would look for standard pressure 147gr wadcutters and try those.

AAARGHH!
I can't take it any longer!

Wadcutters are a type of bullet (the little lead part that come out when you shoot).

A wadcutter has the same recoil as the same weight round nose, hollowpoint, semi-wadcutter, etc, if you shoot it from the same gun with a similar powder load.

 

[grinner]

I have found the Winchester Train and Defend .38 Special loads to the lowest recoil rounds commonly available. I don't know where everyone is getting their wadcutters, but it's not Walmart or my local gun shops.

They are designed for snub-nose revolvers. Their effectiveness as a defensive round has mixed reviews -- some gel tests show nice expansion and penetration, others not so. But I found them to have light recoil and every single one I've used went bang. They also are cleaner than the standard white box.

I did use a steel j-frame, so can't speak to how they would do in an airweight.

 

[grinner]

I bought my wife a 642 for her CCW. I have taken her shooting etc.. but finding out she is quite recoil adverse. In and SD situation i am sure this would all change, but i want her to practice.

What would be a good suggestion for the easiest 38 spl ammo i could buy that would contain the least amount of recoil but still be okay for self defense? We have tried the Hornady pink 110 gr rounds and even that didn't feel like it had much less recoil for her. Any suggestions?

The heavier the bullet, the lower the felt recoil in my limited experience. And put some beefier grips on it until she is used to shooting it -- they can make a world of difference.

 

[socalDDS]

I bought my wife a 642 for her CCW. I have taken her shooting etc.. but finding out she is quite recoil adverse. In and SD situation i am sure this would all change, but i want her to practice.



What would be a good suggestion for the easiest 38 spl ammo i could buy that would contain the least amount of recoil but still be okay for self defense? We have tried the Hornady pink 110 gr rounds and even that didn't feel like it had much less recoil for her. Any suggestions?

I put these Hogue grips on mine, and they REALLY help!



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