Jeez; this thread should be retitled, 'Under the Chestnut Tree!' There are so many hoary chestnuts here: light vs. heavy, lead vs. jacketed, momentum vs. energy, frangible bullets, even the backwards loaded hollow base LFWC!!
I would be amazed if anyone were able to derive any useful information out of all the contradictory posts.
Well, here goes my attempt at giving you something to take home. Shoot a good jacketed hollow point, somewhere around 125 to 150 grains. Remember that the basic construction (large, blunt meplat, lots of lead exposed) of a revolver bullet favors expansion, but even so, you shouldn't count on it. Want to shoot a 158 gr. LSWCHP? I don't have a problem with that; I consider it an acceptable alternative. I cast many a Lyman #358156 U-HP over the years (I started reloading more than 40 years ago). This is a gas checked 150 gr SWC hollow point. It was the basis for the infamous .38 spl. load that appeared in early Lyman manuals (it was developed by Elmer Keith); I won't mention the specifics of the load, as it developed VERY HIGH OVERPRESSURE. That the guns held together was a tribute to S&W's large frame handguns' strength.
Frangible bullets are an abomination. Only fools use them. You don't want to shoot someone with shot unless you are using a shotgun. Bullets that break up into pieces aren't doing their job either. A bullet is supposed to put a large hole through whatever it hits. Your target bleeds to death; that is the mechanism of bullet wound mortality in the vast majority of cases.
Light bullets? Heavy bullets? Should you use those with more momentum (mass x velocity) or those with more energy (mass x velocity squared / 2)?
Answer: use the largest bullet you can shoot accurately. You want to punch the largest hole through vital organs that you can.
Worried about penetrating too far? Don't be. Any handgun cartridge is a marginal performer on a human being. Few will inflict through-and-through wounds through the torso of a human. In 20 years in the Emergency Dept., I never saw this, and I saw a lot of GSW's. Besides, there are good reasons why overpenetration is not an issue. First, you should be concerned with saving your life, not accidentally hitting innocent bystanders, an extremely remote possibility. Secondly, if you have an exit wound on your adversary, it is another place to bleed from, so it is to your advantage.
Backward loaded hollow base wadcutters? I thought I had heard the last of THAT about 25 or so years ago. If driven to sufficient velocity (not an easy thing to do with the markedly decreased space for the powder charge), the bullet expands in the gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone, mangling the 'front' of the bullet, yielding horrible accuracy. Plus they don't expand worth spit. Hmmm...in the '96 Am. Handgunner? I get that mag. Will have to look it up, but trust me, this has been tried before, and doesn't work. That is NINETEEN ninety six, right?
There are no golden bullets, let alone silver bullets. Shooting a marginal handgun like a .38 spl. snubbie almost guarantees that you will find yourself in this situation after shooting the badguy five times in the chest: having to use your knife on him when you grapple with him, and hoping like heck that he weakens from blood loss before YOU get weak.
Want to try a larger caliber snubbie? GOOD!! That is the spirit; remember, use the LARGEST caliber you can shoot accurately.
Is what rings your chimes a .40 caliber LSWCHP bullet weighing 190 grains at 1100 fps? GOOD!! If that is the largest caliber you can shoot accurately. Go ahead and borrow your granddad's old .38-40, then, as that caliber will yield those ballistics. Lyman #40168 HP. The cartridge has been around for over 100 years. So, what sounds new and hot today may actually be something that has been around for a long time, and while effective, has not revolutionized combat handgunning.
As always, questions, comments and criticisms are welcomed.
Walt Welch MD, Diplomate, American Board of Emergency Medicine, NRA Life since 1972