So I just shot a box of wadcutters through my airweight
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I load wadcutters (they're my favorite .38 bullet), and I load them fairly lightly. It really depends on the load. DoubleTap sells some that have a little oomph (more than your typical target load). 38 Special MATCH 148gr. Full WADCUTTER 50rds
white cloud
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So you are going to use wadcutters for your carry ammo in the 642? I had thought about doing that also.
Yes I am! It's very controllable and makes a bigger hole.
DonD
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Do what you want but most wadcutters are pretty low on the performance scale.
I'd shoot a .38Spl +P if I were you. Sub 2" barrels do not help ballistic performance a bit.
Practice and learn to control a suitable round.
My "plinking" load for my SP101 .357 is fun to shoot but is a mouse fart by comparison with the ripping Buffalo Bore 158gr JHP carry ammo. Don
Edited to add: Don't what ammo you bought from SG Ammo but perhaps Fiocchi? If so, it's a wonder it gets out the barrel. Fiocchi lists 730fps/148gr out of a 5" NV (non vented pressure barrel). Even with a 5" revolver barrel, velocity is severely degraded going to a snubbie. Find another round.
Would it even get through a heavy wool coat far enough to do much more than infuriate an angry assailant? Don
I'd shoot a .38Spl +P if I were you. Sub 2" barrels do not help ballistic performance a bit.
Practice and learn to control a suitable round.
My "plinking" load for my SP101 .357 is fun to shoot but is a mouse fart by comparison with the ripping Buffalo Bore 158gr JHP carry ammo. Don
Edited to add: Don't what ammo you bought from SG Ammo but perhaps Fiocchi? If so, it's a wonder it gets out the barrel. Fiocchi lists 730fps/148gr out of a 5" NV (non vented pressure barrel). Even with a 5" revolver barrel, velocity is severely degraded going to a snubbie. Find another round.
Would it even get through a heavy wool coat far enough to do much more than infuriate an angry assailant? Don
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http://https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/wadcutter-ammo-self-defense/
Lucky Gunner has a very good article weighing the pros and cons on using wadcutter ammo for self defense. I have carried it off and on for years and am back to using it now in my 642.
Hits count and this ammo allows for fast follow up shots.
I do admit to carrying Gold Dot 135+P for ease of reload.
Lucky Gunner has a very good article weighing the pros and cons on using wadcutter ammo for self defense. I have carried it off and on for years and am back to using it now in my 642.
Hits count and this ammo allows for fast follow up shots.
I do admit to carrying Gold Dot 135+P for ease of reload.
RichCapeCod
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Consider this round from Buffalo Bore:
.38 Special hard cast full wadcutter, 860 fps from a 2" J-frame
Standard Pressure Short Barrel Low Flash Heavy .38 Special Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Rich
.38 Special hard cast full wadcutter, 860 fps from a 2" J-frame
Standard Pressure Short Barrel Low Flash Heavy .38 Special Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Rich
HardToHandle
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I have been shooting Magtech 148gr wadcutters myself and planned they would be my .38 carry ammo this winter in my 442 (replacing ~125gr soft points). My holdup was the wadcutters didn’t shoot to point of aim, usually being inch plus south at 10 yards.
On my last Brownells order, I bought some of the powderpuff Hornady 110gr Critical Defense hollow points. They shoot to aim point in today’s testing. Recoil was maybe a twitch more than the wadcutters, but I was pleasantly surprised. I will need to go through several boxes to be confident, but was very impressed on paper and on the range. Only downside is the cost... Wadcuutters win there.
On my last Brownells order, I bought some of the powderpuff Hornady 110gr Critical Defense hollow points. They shoot to aim point in today’s testing. Recoil was maybe a twitch more than the wadcutters, but I was pleasantly surprised. I will need to go through several boxes to be confident, but was very impressed on paper and on the range. Only downside is the cost... Wadcuutters win there.
kthom
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Take a look at the standard pressure 150 grain hard cast full wadcutters in 38/357 caliber sold by Buffalo Bore. These loads are claimed to make over 800 fps in a 1 7/8" barrel J Frame and be fully safe to shoot in the bargain. Shooting these produces more recoil than the standard target strength wadcutters that may range from high 600's into low 700 fps range.
I carry five of these in my EDC J Frames with a 158 grain SWCHP or a Speer Gold Dot 135 grain JHP for short barrels used as a reload since they feed more quickly and easily without fumbling as much. I carry these reloads in a 2X2X2 waist belt pouch or in a speed strip carrier. These BB full wads are more than competent for personal protection in a J Frame. They will penetrate sufficiently (and more than some other factory loadings) while cutting a full diameter hole. I have shot a tough old jackrabbit with one of these and when the bullet struck, it sounded like a fastpitch softball hitting the catcher's mitt, FWIW. More impressive was the response present displayed by the tough old rabbit. That's not a larger critter, but the full wad put it down right there, only with very serious disassembly present! As a comparison, I've had these run off and die after being shot through with a +P premium loading in .38 Special.
These rounds are not cheap, but I have no negatives to report about them. I've seen many LEO's who carried the regular target full wadcutters first up in their duty weapons over the years. Some had actual experience with them. They trusted them. And as is documented, Jim Cirillo who had significant experience with the NYPD in stakeout squads was prone to carry full wadcutters for that duty. Don't discount the full wadcutters out of hand as personal protection worthy carry loads!
Edit: I see RichCapeCod has listed the link for the round I am recommending here.
I carry five of these in my EDC J Frames with a 158 grain SWCHP or a Speer Gold Dot 135 grain JHP for short barrels used as a reload since they feed more quickly and easily without fumbling as much. I carry these reloads in a 2X2X2 waist belt pouch or in a speed strip carrier. These BB full wads are more than competent for personal protection in a J Frame. They will penetrate sufficiently (and more than some other factory loadings) while cutting a full diameter hole. I have shot a tough old jackrabbit with one of these and when the bullet struck, it sounded like a fastpitch softball hitting the catcher's mitt, FWIW. More impressive was the response present displayed by the tough old rabbit. That's not a larger critter, but the full wad put it down right there, only with very serious disassembly present! As a comparison, I've had these run off and die after being shot through with a +P premium loading in .38 Special.
These rounds are not cheap, but I have no negatives to report about them. I've seen many LEO's who carried the regular target full wadcutters first up in their duty weapons over the years. Some had actual experience with them. They trusted them. And as is documented, Jim Cirillo who had significant experience with the NYPD in stakeout squads was prone to carry full wadcutters for that duty. Don't discount the full wadcutters out of hand as personal protection worthy carry loads!
Edit: I see RichCapeCod has listed the link for the round I am recommending here.
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I love wadcutters as well. Unfortunately, they’re not nearly as cheap as they used to be, so I roll my own.
Wadcutters are great fun to shoot, accurate, mild recoil, what's not to like? And in the small light-weight revolvers that are so popular these days, they really shine.
As far as carring for SD purposes, I'm not so sure they are a good choice. The mild recoil and accuracy also means relatively low energy imparted to the target......not that I'd want to be shot with one, any more than with a .22LR. In addition, a lot has been written over the advisability of using any handloaded ammunition for SD purposes. It is controversial to be sure, and opinions are all over the spectrum, but in my mind that makes it even less advisable. I suggest carrying good, factory loaded ammo for SD purposes.
As far as carring for SD purposes, I'm not so sure they are a good choice. The mild recoil and accuracy also means relatively low energy imparted to the target......not that I'd want to be shot with one, any more than with a .22LR. In addition, a lot has been written over the advisability of using any handloaded ammunition for SD purposes. It is controversial to be sure, and opinions are all over the spectrum, but in my mind that makes it even less advisable. I suggest carrying good, factory loaded ammo for SD purposes.
HamHands
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I carry Buffalo Bore's 150gr Full-Wad Hard Casts rated @ 850fps for self defense in my M36's... They are extremely accurate and push their advertised velocity out of my M36's. And from the stories told by my older and retired Cop Buddies who had to use them on perps... They all say a full wadcutter pushing mid 800fps or more from a 2" barrel at bad breath distance are certainly an attitude adjuster/fight stopper. Take it for what it's worth and of course YMMV. When I train with them I aim for the region below the navel and above the groin. 2-3 pills there will absolutely ruin a dirtbags day.
S&WsRsweet
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I believe in carrying what you can honestly hit with. Only you know that .
white cloud
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Thank you for your kind reply. Your logic makes a lot of sense to me. Making accurate hits is what counts. There is no law that states our problem will be at contact distance. What I really don't want is to miss and hit a bystander because I am shooting some super duper round I am not ready for. Also, I really wonder how much +P you actually get out of a 1-7/8" barrel.
max503
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I love wadcutters as well. Unfortunately, they’re not nearly as cheap as they used to be, so I roll my own.
Same here. I can change the power level with an easy adjustment on the Dillion press. They shoot better than anything else and you can power them up or slow them down.
wrkerr
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Been shooting and carrying wadcutters for years. Literally tens of thousands cast with my old Cramer mold, but only recently have tried powder coating.
My load of choice has always been 2.7 gr of Bullseye. I know where they shoot and have no worries carrying them. There is only so much one can squeeze out of a 2" .38. I prefer fast, accurate follow-up shots.
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All true. And, if you're carrying an all steel Model 36, 649, or maybe an all steel K frame, just as examples of snubbies that are easy to shoot as opposed to Airweights and Scandium guns, you will not be as concerned with recoil. That's why I switched away from my 642 to my 649, never mind K frames.
But I have no fault with wadcutters - they WILL work for self defense.
This gun a mid 70's 15-3 with some slight modifications is designed to shoot wadcutters. with a 1.2 in dia. Douglas premium barrel and in DA mode, it settles right back on the target, there is no recoil to speak of. I had the work done in 1979 by TNT Arms in North Conway NH. Slick polished action, full Bomar rib, coil spring, reamed charge holes
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Rpg
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The standard 148 gr wadcutter target loads aren’t sexy, they just work very well for sd.
They’re pleasant to shoot, quick to get back on target for follow up shots and facilitate skill acquisition.
Don’t get caught up with ballistic table number crunching, ballistic gel photos, sexy ammo names (eg Black talon, critical this or that) or boutique brands.
Those things don’t reflect real world effectiveness in sd ammo.
Target 38 wadcutter ammo has been working very well in real life sd applications for longer than many of us have been on this earth.
They’re pleasant to shoot, quick to get back on target for follow up shots and facilitate skill acquisition.
Don’t get caught up with ballistic table number crunching, ballistic gel photos, sexy ammo names (eg Black talon, critical this or that) or boutique brands.
Those things don’t reflect real world effectiveness in sd ammo.
Target 38 wadcutter ammo has been working very well in real life sd applications for longer than many of us have been on this earth.
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