cornered rat
Moderator
I have made my choice at last. It is based on the comfort in shooting more than on expected performance. I found that the flash and noise of 110-grain .38 loads in a 2" snubbie requires me to guard always against flinching. While 158-grain loads loaded to max raise the barrel more, the muzzle flash is minimal and noise is much less bothersome. Thus, 158gr JHP will be my choice for the S&W 49. Now I need to see if I can shoot it in the alloy gun as well...
In an autoloader, I would be tempted to go with heavier bullets merely for increased recoil-->reliability of cycling. Will have to test that theory more before i make any changes, though.
In an autoloader, I would be tempted to go with heavier bullets merely for increased recoil-->reliability of cycling. Will have to test that theory more before i make any changes, though.