38Special Ammo questions (Newbie questions)

T

twoblink

New member
So I'm about to enter into the world of wheel guns!! (insert golf clap here)

So I'm reading the ammo sections of my catalogs and I'm not understanding a few things, hopefully someone will clear it up for me.

First, what's a "Wadcutter"??

Second, what's the lightest load I can get in a .38Special? I see a few choices, I almost always assume the heaviest grained bullet is going to be the softest in recoil, true?

Third, the catalog says "38 Special LRN 158grn" What does "LRN" mean???

Fourth, what should I be starting my very small-framed girlfriend off on?

Thanks guys!
Albert
 
A wadcutter is a bullet that has a profile not unlike a roll of lifesavers. It's flat across the nose (or at most has a slight projection towards the center of the bullet).

It was designed to cut a clean hole (a wad) through a paper target to make the hole easy to see from a distance.

Wadcutters are generally considered to be target bullets, and thus are often loaded in pretty light rounds.

Generally cartridges loaded with wadcutter bullets would be an excellent choice to start the GF with, as they tend to have very light recoil.

LRN means Lead Round Nose.

The lightest load you can generally get in a .38 Spl. is a 110-gr. bullet, but 125-gr. is a lot more common. These are usually jacketed bullets loaded for self-defense, and as such can pack a pretty good kick. Not the best choice for the GF's first shooting session.

"I almost always assume the heaviest grained bullet is going to be the softest in recoil, true?"

Well........ maybe.

If you take two cartridges with the same amount of powder, and put in bullets of different weights, the one with the heavier bullet will produce more recoil. That's the laws of physics.

However, due to variations in the amount and types of powder used, you can have heavier bullets (wadcutters are normally 148-gr.) with very light powder charges, and thus low recoil, and lighter bullets with very heavy powder charges, and thus heavier recoil.

Generally, anything marketed as a "target" round (which includes most wadcutters and semi-wadcutters) are generally lighter loads. But not always.

As for what to start the GF with, the range where I used to work carried 110-gr. semi-wadcutters (SWC) with VERY light powder charges. They were wonderful for introducing non-shooters to the sport, as recoil was almost nonexistent.

As I noted, you should be OK if you start her with wadcutter target reloads.
 
Mike's right on the money with his answers, as usual. I just wanted to point out the "Web Acronyms/Firearms Terms" section up there at the top of the page you are viewing. Several members went to a lot of trouble putting it together and it is a great resource for terms and such.
 
Just one caution: lead bullets (typical wadcutter or semiwadcutter--SWC--or LRN) make for DIRTY guns. You will need to develop a love for chiping lead off the gun, out of the cylinder and barrel and scrubbing off the tons of carbon crud from the bullet lube. Try copper plated or jacketed. I used to buy ammo with copper plated bullets from a trusted commercial reloader and now reload them myself. I like the fact that cleaning guns with friends allows some time to reflect and socialize, but I HATE scrubbing lead.
 
A step further on "wadcutter". For scoring in formal target shooting, a clean cut round hole is best. Those holes reminded shooters of the holes cut in cardboard by the device used to punch out home made shotgun wads for loading shot shells. The device was called (surprise!) a "wad cutter", and the bullets took on the name.

Jim
 
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