Do any of you use 38 Special Wadcutter for SD?

Shot a box of Federal 38 sp 130+p Micro today in my Kimber and SP101.

Very accurate and a pleasure to shoot.

Got 6 rounds in my Kimber right now, but will probably stick with 357 magnum in the SP101 …. for now.

Got some other ammo that I am going to try when it gets here.

Nanuk, Thank you for your service.... Army here...Vietnam 68/69.
 
I have done a lot of shooting and testing of WC bullets in 2 liter coke bottles filled with water. Standard target loads aren't too impressive. But when I use LEE 148gr solid loaded to 850fps and up I get some pretty spectacular results from a snubby gun. Not as pleasant to shoot but I feel well armed with them.

I have also tested the reversed HB WC loads. I don't like them. Sometimes they expand if they hit dead on but increase the range just a little and they start to tip. And when they tip the hollow base mashes flat and the wing off in the water bottles and come out the sides. No thanks.

I like a solid WC bullet about 800-850fps. More power than target loads but still easy to shoot and all the penetration you could ask for without ear splitting muzzle blast.

I am not spending a dollar+ per round of factory defense ammo.:mad:
 
emphatic yes to 38 wadcutters in a lightweight revolver. why? because i can reliably hit with them. concussive shock from a near miss or shrapnel wounds from a proximity fuse while shooting stouter ammo doesn’t exist.


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The resident manager (a crusty old retired WWII infantry master sergeant) at a large suburban gun club I belonged to many years ago swore by hand loaded reversed hollow-base wadcutters for defense loads.

I piddled with a few variations I cooked up but never formed any real conclusions as to efficacy.
 
The standard factory load .38 wadcutter is target ammo. The slugs are swaged lead, which is rather soft, and velocities are advertised as mid 800s from 6" barrels.

They are accurate, pleasant to shoot, low recoil loads. They are not, despite the full bore diameter flat point, considered to be good manstoppers at target load velocities.

The regular swaged wadcutters are not well suited to higher velocities, either.

The are neither big and heavy nor light and fast. Simply put, they are the worst of both worlds for defense against human attackers.

Dandy for small critters though, with proper shot placement.
 
If I recall correctly, the fbi load was a 158 gr. Semi wadcutter in both .357 and .38. It would be my preferred load in the short barrels.
 
The usual "FBI load" was a .38 Special +P soft swaged lead hollowpoint. Semiwadcutter shape got it listed as LSWCHP. I don't recall mention of them using Magnums or solid SWC.
 
Here are the results of the testing of my "FBI Load". Bullet in the middle at 840fps, and bullet on the right at 945fps. Both came out of my S&W Model 19 snubbie.

Don

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Not since I discovered the Speer Gold Dot Hollow Point round that expands like mad out of a short-barreled revolver like my S&W 042.

That's all I carry now.
 
I carry Speer .38+P 135 GDHP in my Mod.19. But that ammo is not recommended for a S&W Mod.12 and I prefer to not shoot +P in my Mod.14, so looking for a good standard pressure load that’s better than target ammo. Buffalo Bore 158 gr LSWCHP is probably the answer there — “979 fps (336 ft. lbs.) -- S&W Mt. Gun, 4-inch barrel”
 
+1 "Not since I discovered the Speer Gold Dot Hollow Point round that expands like mad out of a short-barreled revolver like my S&W 042. "

I switched over to the Speer short barrel ammo in my 38's and have been happy with the results. I did see the new Federal WC loads in the store yesterday but have not shot any yet.

Now I do run a lead wad cutter in my 32 revolvers, I worked up a load I liked and run it in them with out any problems.
 
USSR , can you elaborate on this photo ? ( post # 7 with hydra shocks ) I would like more info please.
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That's the original Hydra-Shok bullet as developed and sold by a couple of guys in my neighborhood (Watkins Glen, NY). The bullets were made by Alberts Corporation out of New Jersey, which has long been out of business. When the 2 local guys sold the rights for the Hydra-Shok to Federal, Federal in their wisdom :rolleyes: never produced the bullet as designed, that is as an all lead bullet. Their Hydra-Shoks are all jacketed bullets. I bought about 1500 of the Alberts produced Hydra-Shok bullets from the nephew of one of the original Hydra-Shok guys who passed away. Oh, and they REALLY, REALLY expand at low velocities out of snubbies.

Don
 
Yes , thank you very much. I’m a huge fan of 38 snubbys and wad cutters. I would love to have some of those in my line up. Wish i had a mould for those. :D Again thank you for the education. Merry Christmas
 
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I have a Question and please excuse my ignorance. I use 158 GR. semi- wad cutters in my model 38 snub nose. The gentlemen I purchase the gun from , gave me the box of them. Said they would be perfect for home defense. Curious for more input. Thank you Semper Fi 97-01

Charlie
 
I use 158 GR. semi- wad cutters in my model 38 snub nose. The gentlemen I purchase the gun from , gave me the box of them. Said they would be perfect for home defense.
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The 158gn swc WAS the gold standard years ago. The JHP’s of the day would not expand at the velocities generated by snubbie barrels. So, we chose the sharper profile of the SWC and the weight increase over the JHP’s of the day.

Today, there are a number of bullets designed to expand and perform from short barrels. These “modern” offerings perform better then the 158SWC ever did.

Semper Fi back at ya...86-92.
 
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