Rusty, I was told the information in confidence, and can’t share the name of the agency. In fact, the abbreviated power of a 148 grain wadcutter might conceivably offer a greater level of mechanical reliability than a high-pressure round that abuses the gun with greater force (causing problems like timing issues or endshake) and increases the risk of primer flow, bullet pull, internal lock engagement, or sticky extraction. And if Jim Cirillo thought it would do the business, that’s good enough for me. Haha, thanks for the encouragement to others to support us! Idaho Department of Fish & Game, State Agency: First of all, a huge THANK YOU to our Patrons. I have a Ruger LCR 327 for myself and possibly my wife. David, the .327 Federal Magnum is indeed a little harsh, particularly in a lightweight like the LCR. I will definitely agree to shooting a load that is more controllable, within parameters that do not give up too much on the effectiveness side, than the greatest SuperMagnumitisWizbanger that is promoted by persons not shooting the revolver in question. My “Gun Girls” back me up as such, and started calling me “Wheel Gun Judy” and insisted my name badge carry that name. Justin. Logistics. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, State Agency: Now in my later years I’ve rediscovered the joy of .38 Special target loads with full WCs. Winchester used soft swaged bullets and they clocked a bit faster than the Remington or Federal loads. Some of my fellow bullet nerds are thinking that I lost my marbles right about now. First, recoil is minimal with .38 Special WCs. Arizona Game & Fish Department, State Agency: It must absolutely go “BANG” when we want it to, and it must not interfere with the proper function and operation of the gun; 2. I also have a Model 37 Airweight Chief which is fed only wadcutter. For use in my Model 52 and a few of my revolvers chambered for the .38 Special, the Hornady 148-grain hollow-base wadcutter (HBWC) is a good choice. In other words, the round is completely cylindrical. Carl, I share your pain, at least a little, at 47! ... Speer 14, says in a S&W Model 14 with a 6″ barrel, their 148 grain LHBWC seated flush in a Speer case, with a CCI 500 primer, gives 690fps with 2.7 grains of Accurate #2 (improved) and with a maximum velocity of 789fps using 2.9 grains. But since I generally find ammo I like I don’t change very often anyhow. I have several S&W Model 12 Airweight .38 Specials in both 2-inch and 4″, both with round butt. It can reach the desired 12 inches of penetration in bare gelatin without difficulty, even when fired from a snubby. The wadcutter may not be the “ultimate manstopper” of gun magazine cover lore, but for some shooters, it hits the sweet spot between penetration, power, accuracy and speed. While the protocol isn’t perfect, it’s still the best measuring tool available, and has served well as the industry’s standard for decades. Tell ya what, Greyson. Normally, a loss of this magnitude wouldn’t be all that critical for a handgun round, but in the case of the .38 Special fired from a 2” revolver, that loss can move the bullet out of its “performance envelope” and rob the bullet of the minimum energy needed to perform as its designed. Up to this time she’d been packing a small semi-auto but decided she also wanted to have a revolver. A VERY appropriate writeup for a category of gun that is one of the more difficult to master – the snubbie. It shot a velocity of 755fps with factory Federal Match .38 SPL, 148 hollow based wadcutter. I think his idea of the “precious effect” has been very relevant for me. John’s “Trail Masterpiece” — a 3″ M60 — handles a wide range of his WC handloads. Ok, the following is my version of a lazy-poor-man’s (or woman’s) front sight “regulation/adjustment”, it’s simple and reversible. The bullet nerds were trying to be helpful, but they didn’t do a very good job of reading the situation and tailoring their advice for our friend. Wadcutters will strike closer to point of aim than light turbo speed bullets until manufacturers give us front sight height options (Too much to hope that new .38 revolvers would ship with 2 front sights- a 100 gr. When we looked at the most likely jacketed hollowpoint options in .38 Special and .357 Magnum, none of them fared well when we measured them against these priorities for our friend. The bullet nerds may not like it much, but it will do the job if you can do your part.So, don’t be too quick to dismiss the .38 wadcutter as a defensive round. I don’t want to shoot too much of my precious, expensive defense ammo. For the non-handloader I would highly recommend buying a case of name-brand US manufacture 148-grain wadcutter and marrying it to a pair of Airweight revolvers, 2″ and 4″ as primary carry and backup or “New York Reload”. The wadcutter can be fired in flyweight, alloy/polymer guns without causing you pain and physical damage, and can also be safely fired in guns that are not rated for +P pressures (like many older Smith & Wesson and Colt revolver models). Two asides: I was trained at the FLETC in handgun and combat shotgun by Jim Cirillo. Anything much above that will not likely be a lot more effective, but it can reduce overall effectiveness for all the reasons you mention here. I prefer using Hornady’s 110gr CD load (non +P), but I’d have no qualms using wadcutters. That said, I do notice more difference in my LCRx, where it is about 2-2.5 inches low. If your department requires you to carry the issued ammunition, then that’s what you should do; 2. I wasn’t the ballistic nut and as informed as now and that it was just me having an issue with qualification which was always more difficult than with the service 4 inch Model 10. Instead, I’d look for a .38 Special load that I could control well enough to guarantee accuracy and fast follow-ups. The picture below is of a cast 148 grain 38 Spl double-end wadcutter. Before there were effective hollowpoints available, shooters were loading hollow-base WCs upside down for self-defense. Since reloads are a statistical rarity in armed citizen confrontations, this limitation might not be as significant as it first appears, but it’s still an  important consideration when choosing wadcutters for defense. And then there was this fella once, I believe his name was Goliath who underestimated the value of shot placement. Versandkosten Warenkorb. For now, I’m going to be reloading for a 38 Special with Speer 148 grain HBWC’s. Lots of wisdom here for all who favor small revolvers; consider giving wadcutters a serious look. FMJ target. The fact that wadcutters are controllable in a 12-16 ounce revolver is huge. I also use .38 special wadcutters from Choice Ammunition, which they claim are hard cast but low velocity (experience with them tells me this is true, maybe +/- 700 fps?). Thank you again for your work and keeping revolvers alive! Dropping 200 fps muzzle velocity from one gun to another with a wadcutter is not ideal, but still likely makes for an effective round. A .32 H&R Magnum round would be excellent alternative, and I think a wadcutter bullet in that chambering would also be an excellent choice. Winchester’s 231 or WSL are also good powders for the .38 special. In fact, several credible sources have told me that the really “switched on” officers in many Southern California agencies would load their duty guns with 148 grain wadcutters in lieu of the issued, 158 grain round nose lead, because they were more effective at stopping bad guys. No Magnums for me in a lightweight snub, thank you very much. You can only do so much inside a .38 Special case within SAAMI limits. Although I can shoot Speer’s 135 gr Short barrel loads in .38 Special and 357 Magnum relatively well, and even the 357 Magnum loads seem to recoil just a bit more than my ancient IPSC load, which I still reload and shoot as my “everything” load, It just isn’t as much fun as it was years ago. Some of the “low recoil” hollowpoints that are commonly touted as solutions for recoil-sensitive shooters were considered, but found to be lacking. State Agency: They just waddle-trott on up into the woods, cruising by my propane tank thereby avoiding any further attempts at pest control. John uses 148-grain WCs from Matt’s Bullets, Oregon Trail and Hornady — The LRN bullet went through the “skin” and was stopped by the tee-shirt on the back. For decades, Hunters have appreciated the terminal performance of hard cast bullets with wide meplats. (38 S&W) 9mm/380 Misc. And those easy-to-see adjustable sights are great for older eyes. Now, around our property I carry either Buffalo Bore or Underwood .38 special 150gr hard cast wadcutters. A bullet that looks like an “overpenetrator” in gelatin might turn out to be just fine in the real world, where it has to defeat a non-homogenous, clothed target. I chose to go with the Hornady load largely because I wanted the easier reloading and didn’t want to juggle two different loads. There’s some pretty serious professionals out there who rely on it in their own guns, mostly because it has little recoil and they’re not convinced that the terminal ballistics are significantly handicapped. 38 Special 148gr CPWC *NEW* Copper Wad Cutter. Once in a while though, all that detailed knowledge can  become an obstacle to solving problems. Yep, raccoons are tough critters. I really can shoot wadcutters and be taken seriously? Most accurate powder dosage for flat base / solid base wad cutters, was 3.25 grains Bullseye. Both arrived on the scene at about the same time. The .38 S&W is slightly larger in diameter both as to case and bullet than the more modern .38 Special. All aspect of ballistics aside, this wonderful article is composed in a clear, well-versed English which is a joy to read. Bullets do unpredictable things in living targets, so picking a good test medium is very difficult, but I think the gelatin is about as good as it gets right now—especially if we combine it with data gleaned from real shootings. Thanks LB! The .357 Magnum earned its laurels when fired out of heavy, steel frame revolvers with 4 and 6 inch barrels, but when you put that much horsepower into a flyweight snub, it takes a very accomplished shooter to hang onto the reins and control it. I should probably give 25 yards a try with the Hornady. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, State Agency: In the FBI’s estimation, a bullet that penetrates less than 12 inches of calibrated gelatin risks being unable to reach the vitals, and is unfit as a police duty round.(2). Again, great point; I just wanted to add another perspective. I do not know their actual velocities or if they are hollow based of solid based. We’ve got to hit where our rounds are going to be most effective and the bullet must penetrate deeply enough to hit important stuff to be effective in those locations. Along with this thought, I confess to shooting a WFN lead boolit loading of the 180gr variety in my revolvers, simply because it is VERY controllable in my revolvers for me, along with being more accurate than I am on occasion. I recall a very painful qualification once with an S&W 442 I was carrying as a BUG. If you’re 2+ inches off at 7 with the 2” gun, I wonder what that would look like at 25, too. In my 3″ SP101, it is only about an inch low at about 7 yards. Factory wadcutters offer reliable ignition and operation in a revolver. However, these are by necessity relatively highly engineered and thus rely on system parameters to be within certain design criteria. I won’t attempt to referee that discussion in these pages, but will simply note that the FBI feels 12 inches of penetration in 10% calibrated gelatin is an appropriate minimum for a law enforcement bullet, and the industry has responded with ammunition that meets the expectation. The Hornady HBWC was utilized three different ways — loaded as normal with the hollow base over the powder charge, upside down with the hollow base serving as a large-cavity HP and also loaded over black powder for use in antique .38 S&W Top-Break revolvers. My father was a policeman for around 20 years starting in the mid to late 70,s as well as an avid Hunter and gunsmith. As a reload, I like the 160gr RN Flat, loaded to the same power level. I’ve always been fascinated by ballistics, and particularly terminal ballistics. How about loading with wadcutters, and throwing a speed strip of the Hornady CD’s in your pocket? Mike (nMW), I wonder if the HST didn’t open up at all before it exited? They speed load fine and also have a flat meplat. Mike could tell. I had a Sergeant at a small village I used to patrol who once shot a raccoon no less than ten times with .45ACP Winchester Ranger SXT. In the new FBI test protocol, a handgun bullet was evaluated for its ability to penetrate, expand, and retain weight after being fired through a series of intermediate barriers into calibrated gelatin. Both arrived on the scene at about the same time. Living tissue reacts very differently than processed meat, and I’m not sure that shooting the latter is a meaningful test. As you pointed out, good luck getting away with that today. I have to confess that I’m not familiar with Paul’s “meat test,” but if it involves shooting butchered chunks of meat, then I’m going to have to agree with Stuart. The laboratory tests indicate that hardball should have poked through like an ice pick, but the reality on the street was quite different. Bravo! It wouldn’t take much to help us out! Not sure why. That’s all good fun, and sometimes it can even be useful (for more than starting bar fights). As a side note, I shot PPC a lot in the 80s and found that a slight chamfer on the cylinder charge holes made reloading any bullet shape, particularly wadcutters. I was not there, but I have to wonder about his shot placement. Jon, I understand the concern, but think the real issue is poor safety habits. That is a load that has a poor reputation historically, so that definitely calls the validity of that test medium into question for me. For powders I use Alliant Bullseye, Unique and Red Dot as well as Winchester’s 231. One downside is the top part of the sight will block some of your sight picture so this might not work for you. Judy, you’ve got me blushing now. In my experience, what you have stated here is spot on! I only remember seeing RNL. I use wadcutters as my first 5 in a Model 36. 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