Gordon
Member
SOME +p rounds are fine.
"For defense or target? Factory .38 wadcutters are usually very weak, with impact force of well under 200 ft. lbs. The wadcutter bullet itself is fine, but you might want something with a little more power."
Now Mr. Cosmoline, don't dis the midrange wadcutter for defense. SOME brands are anemic, some have 700+fps in a 2" barrel. Please refer to the gelatin test of .223 in this forum where he got 14" of penetration with them. They have a nasty way of cookie cutting a bleeding hole too. The light recoil in a snub gun, coupled with the great accuracy lets you rip off a stream of them quick with little recoil recovery and lets tyro's shoot well. BTW I slaughter animals with them (to 200 pounds) and they work very well.
I will CONFESS I carry Rem 158 grain SWCHP +p in all my .38s that are CCWed, however. Then again I am an A ticket shooter who has been at it 40 years.My wifes 36 is loaded with Winchester wadcutters.
"For defense or target? Factory .38 wadcutters are usually very weak, with impact force of well under 200 ft. lbs. The wadcutter bullet itself is fine, but you might want something with a little more power."
Now Mr. Cosmoline, don't dis the midrange wadcutter for defense. SOME brands are anemic, some have 700+fps in a 2" barrel. Please refer to the gelatin test of .223 in this forum where he got 14" of penetration with them. They have a nasty way of cookie cutting a bleeding hole too. The light recoil in a snub gun, coupled with the great accuracy lets you rip off a stream of them quick with little recoil recovery and lets tyro's shoot well. BTW I slaughter animals with them (to 200 pounds) and they work very well.
I will CONFESS I carry Rem 158 grain SWCHP +p in all my .38s that are CCWed, however. Then again I am an A ticket shooter who has been at it 40 years.My wifes 36 is loaded with Winchester wadcutters.