WC ammo

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I was reading an article that was written about .38 WC ammo and in the article it is stated that 148 gr WC AMMO can be used with good effect in HD! Anyone care to comment on this? I for one never considered using it for anthing but range practice, and i'd be afraid if used as such might just p... of the bg!
 
Wad cutters can make good self defense ammo as they are designed to cut caliber size holes with sharp edges. Most are loaded @ low velocity so you will need to hand-load some at higher velocity for SD work. Search the forums, I have also seen many well written articals on these in several gun mags.
 
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I have bought 300 rds of S&B 148gr WC FOR PRACTICE, just how effective would they be at say close range
 
If I recall correctly, the S&B wadcutters are rather mild. They would be adequate and better than the typically loaded lead round nose. However, I would spend a few bucks and get some ammo designed for self-defense. If you are having trouble finding ammo, then they'll have to do.

The wadcutters used to be recommended for snubbies because expansion from short barreled revolvers was difficult to achieve with hollowpoints due to decreased velocity. Today, there are hollowpoints that expand adequately even at reduced velocities. Speer Gold Dots come to mind. Speer makes a 135 gr. Gold Dot specifically for short barreled handguns and Buffalo Bore uses Gold Dots in both standard and +P ammo for short barreled guns.
 
They would probably have more shock affect than, say, a lead roundnose bullet loaded to the same velocity. There would be no official claims of effectiveness beyond their accuracy and power to punch a hole that is clean, in pulp paper targets, because that is what they are intended to do. If they were loaded hot enough, and if the lead alloy is soft enough, they might even flatten out more or rivet on the end upon meeting sufficient resistance. I suppose they would be a last resort defense round for someone that has problems with recoil and effects of shooting more powerful ammo. I suspect alot of the claims made for SD are more speculation than substance. Other than the fact that the flat nose profile does perhaps transmit a bit more "shock". If they were great, though, some company making revolver ammo would have expanded on the theme and make SD wadcutter loads. I myself would load them a bit hotter than target grade. Target MV might be like only 5-700 fps. Just enough to get them all the way thru the paper with minimum recoil and boom. Some folks have loaded the factory made hollow base wadcutter bullets backwards, in effect making a mega-mouth hollowpoint bullet. Seems that they would be velocity sensetive though. Overload and they might over expand and come apart without sufficient penetration.
 
Before good hollow points came along, WC and SWC were the preferred SD rounds in .38 spcl. Even police carried them.
 
ammo

Trying to find SGD 135 FOR SNUBIES is like looking for the perverbial neddle in a hay stack now days! I've looked for several weeks and dealers just shrug when asked if and when they will have those in stock again! Suppose i'll just make do with hyra-shok HP that i still have a few of, least till the panic buying subsides.
 
A range-load wadcutter, fired from just about any handgun it is safe to do so, will drill a hole through ballistic jelatin almost exactly 0.35" wide and at least 12" deep. From a snubby, Remington's 158gr +p LSWCHP (the best 'FBI load' in my opinion) will drill a hole almost twice as wide and almost 12" deep through a similar block of ballistic jelatin. I rest my case. (For both cartridges, see www.brassfetcher.com).

Cordially, Jack
 
Years ago, we loaded hollow-based wadcutters base forward in light .38 loads. Penetration was not ideal, but expansion was explosive. This may still be a viable alternative for a low recoil load for SD.
 
Trying to find SGD 135 FOR SNUBIES is like looking for the perverbial neddle in a hay stack now days!
Click to expand...

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_57&products_id=215

When my wife got her CC permit, she picked out a S&W 638 as her CCW. She didnt mind it with WC's, but REALLY didnt like it with +P JHP's. For the first few months she carried the 638 with a copper plated DEWC loading from http://mastercast.net/amo.htm It is loaded a bit hotter than most WC's, but not to +P levels. I beleive the plated DEWC bullet is from berry's...for the handloader, you could make some interesting loads w/o fear of barrel leading!
 
Buffalo Bore makes a 150gr wadcutter for self defense. It's made of very hard lead and travels 868fps out of a 2" J frame. I have not tried it but it looks like it would do the job.
 
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