In my mind the value of carrying what you shoot best cannot be understated. One aspect of a .38 Special revolver that people might have forgotten is accuracy. The LRN bullet went through the skin and was stopped by the tee-shirt on the back. Get the 76th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. Regained popularity due to small concealable revolvers. I dont want to shoot too much of my precious, expensive defense ammo. The longer, pointed shape of the typical hollowpoint bullet helps to guide the cartridge into the chamber, but the squared-off shape of the wadcutter is more likely to hangup on the edges of the chamber and give you fits. But what about terminal effectiveness? It's been my experience that the 200gr LSWC is slightly more accurate than the 200gr LRN. 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. Associated taxes and fees will be the responsibility of the winner. Semi-flats are a decent in-between round and some matches will allow these. Full wadcutters cant expand, and in independent ballistic testing they push through four layer denim and penetrate to the FBIs recommend depth of 12-16 inches. Instead, Id look for a .38 Special load that I could control well enough to guarantee accuracy and fast follow-ups. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. a. time. It's about scoring. It's always had a great reputation as a man stopper. All depends on where my aim needs to be for my cartridge of choice and distance range. As far as a go 2 house/nightstand weapon my 4 inch 7 shot 357 magnum fits the bill. Factory wadcutters offer reliable ignition and operation in a revolver. A forum community dedicated to all 1911 firearm owners and enthusiasts. Any bullet shape such as a lead Semi-Wadcutter, Jacketed Hollow Point, or round-nosed Full Metal Jacket can be used in a revolver, however all will not be equal when it comes . Thank you very much for this article, its just so spot on. Ive heard good things about Buffalo Bore and Underwood, and think a hard cast bullet makes a lot of sense in this role, even if the gunshop commandos sneer at it. Mike (nMW), I wonder if the HST didnt open up at all before it exited? Semi-Wadcutter (SWC) This type of bullet has a blunted tip. When I was snubby shopping one of the big requirements for me was a replaceable front sight blade, so I could adjust the sight with a file and not be stuck with the decision forever. only once in a blue moon will an old fart show up with smokey cast lead semi wadcutters at our match.. being a realist, how would just the mere shape of a bullet contribute to the super accurate myths of the SWC? It might be just the ticket, depending on your needs. 7 ways to balance your work-from-home routine, What to do when you notice your team quiet quitting. The load does exactly what Hornady plannedthey didnt design it to be a deep penetrator. Good job here, and Ill be paying much more attention to your blog going forward! If we were sitting together around a campfire, wed probably keep each other entertained into the wee hours with animated discussions about sectional densities, stories of hunting bullets that brought down game, or the best carry loads for our gats. Federal Train + Protect 158-grain Lead Semi-Wadcutter Hollow Point TP38VHP1 If you cannot control heavier 38 Special loads, this Federal Gold Medal wadcutter is a viable choice. I'm new to revolvers and got a SW 686 a few months ago. As an aside, I have Chicago Loads in my speed loaders. I suspect that swaged lead .38 special wad cutters would not penetrate his meat test much, & even cast wad cutters would do little better. A very well written & researched article. Talk about a tough critter. 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). The flat shape of the nose is the primary feature of the wadcutter. 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. For that matter so are wadcutters and semi-wadcutters. A forum community dedicated to Glock firearm owners and enthusiasts. Jacketed work fine. Kevin, I hear you LOUD and CLEAR about those front sight heights! (Same reason I like revolvers). Display as a link instead, Thanks for the heads up about this article. Cast bullets offered by Oregon Trail include the 200 grain Semi-Wadcutter patterned after the Hensley & Gibbs #68, a 225 grain Flat-Nose, and a 230 grain Round-Nose. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) It just took a long time to develop something better and get it out where it could be tested. I've used both and had no issues with either. It's typically favored in .38 snub-nose style revolvers. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. In the FBIs 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). Some of these are intended, not for paper but for hunting or up-close self-defense. Com and I am gratefull for it. Our RevolverGuy didnt need the biggest and the baddest bullet on the block. They also think rapid fire is 5 rounds in 10 seconds. for the most part, i would not worry about the high or low ones. Good article. For a glimpse into the history of target shooting and wadcutters, check out a free online copy of A.L.A. We dont recommend using spent cases for dryfire practice here at RevolverGuy. Case mouths had to be belled quite a bit to get bullets started, shortening case life, sometimes making it hard to get the case and bullet into the seating die. 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 do not know their actual velocities or if they are hollow based of solid based. Well, maybe not by my auto-pistol friends, but I dont care. They are not the same thing, although they are related. In contrast, the wadcutter easily goes deep enough to pass muster. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. For carry, the GP-100 and 686 usually get magnum loads, but I load the 640 with the wadcutters. No substitutions or transfers to a third party are allowed. Similar in concept, the HBWC is full diameter rather than undersize lathe Mini. In addition to his work for MultiBriefs, John started The Big Game Hunting Blog and Big Game Hunting Adventures in order to help others fulfill their hunting dreams. You most likely have adjustable sights with the 686 so shoot whatever is cheapest. Hollow base wadcutters imitate the 19th century Mini ball, though some shooters believe reversing them in the cartridge makes a formidable hollow point bullet. Originally intended for target shooting, semi-wadcutters gained popularity for hunting after legendary gunwriter Elmer Keith designed a semi-wadcutter for hunting. Thanks LB! The first priority of defensive ammunition is reliability. In any event the 9mm was easier to control and had better ballistics than the magnum out of a snub nosed revolver. The wadcutter isnt just a defensive load for neophytes. Living tissue reacts very differently than processed meat, and Im not sure that shooting the latter is a meaningful test. Semi-Wadcutter Hollow-Point (SWHP) Semi-wadcutter hollow-point (SWHP) rounds are bare-lead bullets with a hollow point . Sounds like Ive created a monster! In a test I conducted using bare, 10% calibrated gelatin (0.177 inch steel BB fired at 592 fps with penetration of 3.175the FBI Spec is 2.95 3.74 for a 0.177 inch steel BB fired at 590 +/- 15 fps), three 148 grain wadcutters were fired from a S&W 637 at a distance of 10 feet. For IPSC major 230 FMJ, LRN, black bullets are the best IMO.. At 50$ per 1000 rounds though, how can you beat shooting lead if your gun runs reliable w/ it? Its an excellent choice for a snubby, especially for a standard pressure load. I load my own 155 grain wadcutter from RimRock into .357 cases. as long as i can get it in the A zone at 25 yards free hand, thats all i ask . I heard the G2 R.I.P. Not only that, but his open carry sword got used to separate his head from his body. lead wadcutter; 158-gr. When you go from a 4 barrel to a 2 barrel, its not uncommon to lose around 100 feet per second (fps) in many .38 Special loads. Normally wad cutters are loaded a bit softer and are easier to shoot due to the lower recoil and blast. Wadcutters are commonly (though not always) loaded so that the bullet is completely encased in the case. But that Buffalo Bore .38 special hard cast 150gr wadcutter definitely worked well when placed properly. This is not just a measure of raw precision, but of control. Great article. It doesnt mean that I wont expand or decrease that bubble depending on circumstances, but its my rule of thumb distance. thanks. - Bren. With a 2.7-gr. The RN kinda pushes through, the SWC cuts a .45 caliber hole. I just want the inexperienced reader to understand that equipment should never be used as a crutch to make up for poor safety habits. As you can see in the photo below, there is a dramatic difference in the size and shape of the holes that wadcutters make in a paper target compared to a regular, round-nosed, full metal jacket round. The choice of bullet for the .357 Magnum cartridge varied during its development. Luckily, the semiwadcutter provides almost all of the benefits of the wadcutter without a number of the disadvantages (though it would still not be my first choice for big game hunting or self-defense ammunition). The ammunition must be sufficiently affordable and available to merit consideration; 5. The fact that wadcutters are controllable in a 12-16 ounce revolver is huge. Its interesting to note that when Tim Sundles of Buffalo Bore designs his non-expanding Dangerous Game heavy pistol bullets, the shape he chooses is a flat-nose with the widest-possible meplat much like the wadcutter. Box 1926, Escondido, CA 92033. I never considered the wadcutters loaded in my nightstand weapon to be inadequate. You can increase the pressure of the round (SAAMI +P, or non-SAAMI +P+), to drive the same slug at a greater velocity and promote expansion, but this comes with an attendant increase in recoil energy, and makes the ammunition harder to controlparticularly for a recoil-shy shooter. Hit where you aim: many small revolvers have fixed sights. MnMW, thank you so much for the kind words! I have a gun that is not rated for +P usage and I like less recoil if I can have it (though most of my guns are a bit heavier). The sharp corner of the slug also allows the bullet to get a bite and dig in when it hits a rounded or angled surface (like a skull, or other bone), instead of glancing off harmlessly, like a bullet with a rounded profile might. While 10% calibrated ordnance gelatin is a reasonable tissue simulant, its not perfectbullets often act much differently in bodies than they do in gelatin. For the target shooter this load had it all; extreme accuracy, soft recoil and low cost. As you pointed out, good luck getting away with that today. Chief among them is ease of reloading. Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. The flat meplat and square shoulders of the wadcutters were thought to deliver greater shock and create more trauma than the rounded profile bullets with their pointy noses. Notice I said most and usually. Lead Round Nose. I & II; Gun Digest Big Fat Book of the .45 ACP, Gun Digest Book of the AR-15, Gun Digest Book of the AK and SKS, Gun Digest Book of the Glock and Gunsmithing: Pistols and Revolvers, among other titles. If you shoot indoors, stay away from lead, you'll gag at the line and so will the SO's. Thanks for all the info! His partner carried the same. A raccoon might be a pretty meaningful test medium They are tough critters. We love these guns and were having a great time writing about them. I think that speaks to your point of shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. Thanks. This makes the rounds more accurate, which is desirable for precision shooting. I've read about hand-loaders taking hollow-base wadcutter bullets and seating them upside down for use as self-defense ammunition, but results were often erratic. As we know, misses are a liability as well as ineffective! Thanks again for the honest and reliable information. The original venue of wadcutters, the bullets make clean holes in paper targets. This allows me to load an almost full dia. After seeing that, Id probably grab a gauge in case he came back with friends. Sure u can carry a slightly smaller gun but is that worth the trade off when they either dont penetrate deep enough or move fast enough for reliable expansion? So, you have to determine how much recoil, blast and difficulty in shooting you are willing to put up with to get the performance you desire. It's fairly cheap and not as much lead to scrub off the bore. In fact, veteran police gunfighter Jim Cirillo incorporated this feature into a bullet of his own design, after seeing how the square corner could grab hold and allow the bullet to do some work. I got tired of the Kentucky windage and painted my front sight to line up with POI as 7 yards. Justin, thats high praise indeed, and I thank you, my friend. I would say round nose can be a little more forgiving on feeding than LSWC. it will take time. A lightweight .38 Special ammo choice that wont punish you would be the Hornady Critical Defense, or Critical Defense Lite. Judy, youve got me blushing now. Please understand that none of these comments are directed at you. I've done quite a bit of bench rest accuracy testing with various bullets & powders. Excellent, timely and informative article! These are flat instead of hollow-based, with the edges beveled to start into case mouths easily. Also, obviously it isnt something you can quickly change like a regular adjustable sight setup. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. In my 3 SP101, it is only about an inch low at about 7 yards. That distance is roughly equal to the unobstructed, farthest distance between two points within my home which is about 22 feet. I am comfortable with the slight loss in penetration, but it is there. For anyone learning to shoot, and especially if youre eyeing the carrying of a lightweight or snub .38 revolver, I would heartily recommend starting off with the light target wadcutter type loads. but the way i shoot, i don't think it'll help me out . The round flat is probably going to have a larger meplat but, only by a little bit. 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'd guess that almost any gun is going to feed better with round nose, but there could be exceptions out there. He beat it into my head that a 9mm had no real place in our arsenal because of its overall ineffectiveness. I shot my lowest Q-score ever: an 89. Four .38 Specials pose for comparison; (l.-r.) jacketed hollow point, lead round nose, lead semi-wadcutter and full wadcutter. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. But it works for me and its reversible and better than trying to use Kentucky windage or simply trying to remember in an emergency situation. These gentlemen provide a free PDF copy of their 183-page book for fellow handloaders and shooters. The large hollow base expanded from the gas pressure to tightly engage the rifling, enhancing accuracy. For range use, inexpensive ammo is just fine. Thanks Mark! SIG Sauer says the fully sealed ROMEO-M17 is the next revolution in red-dot optics.. 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. for my snubbies. A semi-wadcutter, truncated cone, or round nose flat point with can give long range accuracy and tend to penetrate straight in game. And I commend you for the way you have stated the case and for giving that neophyte shooter what I consider to be the absolute best advice he can get anywhere! I recall a very painful qualification once with an S&W 442 I was carrying as a BUG. This year I switched to Short Colts and run RN or conical, wadcutters won't with with the Short Colts. That said, if my memory is correct (it should be close, I watched the standard pressure ammo videos last week), wadcutters penetrated the pork ribs on the back of his target but were stopped by the skin (pig ears, if I remember right) on the back. Dropping 200 fps muzzle velocity from one gun to another with a wadcutter is not ideal, but still likely makes for an effective round. They struggle to reach a depth of 10 inches in bare gelatin, particularly if any bullet expansion occurs, because they lack the energy to overcome the drag created by the expanding projectile. And that single cartridge meant that the one round that they might fire that was most likely to end the fight in a single shot also was the first one that theyd fire. Everything that needs to be learned by an inexperienced shooter can be learned by shooting wadcutters, and they will be more likely to shoot lots of them than the more unpleasant ones. While probably not the equivalent in terms of lethality of a 125 grain HP screaming along at 1400 fps, I find them to be shootable and accurate. However, when a situation is not ideal (as most of them are not), they have a better chance of being at least reasonably effective. Mike. Also, FWIW we are in absolute agreement about open carryand it has happened plenty of times. A round that expands well when its fired in a longer barrel may fail to expand much at all when fired through the shorter tube of a snubby, because the bullet strikes with insufficient energy to open up the hollowpoint. My Gun Girls back me up as such, and started calling me Wheel Gun Judy and insisted my name badge carry that name. I know, it sounds like the most basic common-sense advice youve ever heard. Wadcutters? Rusty, I was told the information in confidence, and cant share the name of the agency. However, if I could get a much better pricing deal on LRN, I wouldn't hesitate to grab them of LSWC. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. Everything Ive said here about .38 Special applies equally to the .32 H&R Magnum. Medium-sized revolvers, the six-shot wheelguns and those with 3- or 4-inch barrels, are a lot easier to shoot and deliver the ballistics you want. For run and gun games I use either RN or conical. All their graphs, charts, tables, and slide rules told them that the .357 Magnum was the King of stopping power, so why would anybody choose something less? Lead full wadcutters are essentially lead cylinders ringed with lubrication grooves. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. It was earth-shattering in 1898, when invented, but even before WWII we knew better. Consider the case of a budding RevolverGuy who contacted me recently, seeking a recommendation for a defensive load. If God had intended autopistols to be double action, or plastic, He would have had John Moses Browning design it that way in the first place. Round nose is just about the worse defense ammo you could use. i don't notice much difference between SWC or FMJ. Its meplat is sharp and it is hard cast from the Cramer (sp?) In lightweight bullets, you have high speed and normal. The article debunked myths about detonation and mysterious pressure excursions with the classic 2.7-gr. I like to load the Matts Bullets 157gr LWC. Other than that small drawback, wadcutters make a surprisingly good choice for self defense. Contest void where prohibited by law. You can post now and register later. At 51 years of age I look at things with a different perspective. Associated taxes and fees will be the responsibility of the winner. (3) Some varieties of wadcutters are loaded hotter than others, and some wadcutters are cast from a harder material, which may cause penetrationbeyond 18 inches in calibrated gelatin, but thismay not be an actual problem in the real world. Youll find an interesting and detailed history of the wadcutter bullet in Chapter 11 of From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunnersby Glen E. Fryxell and Robert L. Applegate. Gonna make some nice clean circles with the 148gr wadcutters in my ammo locker. Thanks for your efforts! From the looks of your chart, my cop friend was in the ballpark. bac1023 Registered Joined Sep 26, 2004 Haha! However, I bet the mid-range swaged wad cutter would fail the meat test. Like the .380 ACP cartridge, the .38 Special doesnt have a lot of surplus energy to work with, and it can be highly sensitive to the velocity losses sustained in short barrels like that of the Ruger LCR (1.87). ammo. The 148 grain wadcutter is as soft-shooting as it gets in .38 Special. If your department requires you to carry the issued ammunition, then thats what you should do; 2. Ive bought into it. Hatman, thank you very much for the kind words. The ammunitions ability to damage the target should be maximized to ensure the greatest terminal effect, given the bullets available energy, after penetrating through reasonably anticipated barriers; 4. Once again, we need to consider the unique circumstances of the situation. 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. [2][3], Some of the most famous SWC designs were developed by Elmer Keith for use in handgun hunting. at. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. They offer a full-diameter cutting shoulder, and yet they penetrate as well as anything else out there. Theoretically, expanding combustion gasses fill the hollow base to keep it pressed tightly against the rifling to discourage the bullet stripping past the rifling, resulting in improved shot-to-shot consistency. Learn how your comment data is processed. JavaScript is disabled. Your gun may be the opposite or show no preference at all. So.wadcutters ended up in my revolvers. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. 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. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: American Handgunner Magazine, GOM Concealed Carry 2023, P.O. Mike (nMW). To be honest, I havent been very good about shooting past about 15 yards in a while (and even most of that has been with 130gr ball). Though the wadcutter is not extremely rare, it is still a relatively specialized bullet type that is only utilized in a few different cartridges. (II) Limit one entry per household. Try some TC - truncated cone - best of both worlds. JavaScript is disabled. I dont know why that didnt occur to me to do that purposefully. Both poly coated. Second Media Inc., 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. Theres been more than one accident from a novice shooter or unauthorized user firing a flush-seated 38 wadcutter that they thought was an empty case. Semi-wadcutters are a cross between traditional lead round nose and the full wadcutter. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: American Handgunner Magazine, GOM Mar/Apr 2023, P.O. Required fields are marked *. Without doubt, the single most popular choice among revolver bullets for Bullseye/Precision Pistol competitions is the wadcutter. I now have a M637 Airweight. The SWC bullet provides enough bullet nose to permit smooth feeding from magazine to chamber, while the flat meplat and sharp-edged ogive punch the clean hole. In an era of hi-tech hollowpoints, why in the world would I recommend a low speed, solid lead, soup can of a target round for defense? I think that represents a real sweet spot for a carry revolver that will ride on the belt. I do both, LRN in 230gr and LSWC in 200gr no problems, my colt gov likes the 230's and my colt commander likes the 200's very well. The wad cutter or semi-wad cutter cut a cleaner hole which is easier to see and score. Why am I not carrying this wonder-round? A semi-wadcutter bullet has a cylindrical body. Jacketed or clad (electroplated) WCs typically dont have need of the grooves, though sometimes the noses may sport some manner of a crimping groove. Federal took a different approach. Berrys .38 cal. Armed citizens may come to different conclusions about the requirement to penetrate 12 in gelatin (including after intermediate barriers), but the greater law enforcement community has accepted this standard for police duty ammunition, so thats what the manufacturers are building; 3. A .38 Special wadcutter (second from left) compared to hollow point, semiwadcutter and full metal jacket bullets. Outstanding! Thanks for the informative article. Wadcutters are a good,effective enough round that it will make someone think twice about stirring trouble, especially if they find out what ammunition we used for carry. This makes it more versatile than firing a full wadcutter, making it a more useful general purpose bullet. I could almost hear the sigh of relief through the wires when I told our friend that it wasnt necessary to carry Magnum ammo in a Magnum revolver, and that I wouldnt do it myself in the Ruger LCR. Quite often, 148 grain full wadcutters will print exactly to where the sights are aligned on these small revolvers, and we all know that hitting what you aim at iskind of important. Winchester used soft swaged bullets and they clocked a bit faster than the Remington or Federal loads. SWC. Not sure if its poor shot placement (probably), dense muscles and bones (them not me), or if the HST rounds are opening up too fast and not getting adequate penetration maybe some or all of the above. Deployed military should use stateside address. Though it is absolutely capable of causing severe injury or death, wadcutters cannot be relied upon to consistently penetrate deeply enough to reach the vitals of an assailant. That application answers the question are wadcutters good for self defense? The surprising answer to that question is yes. You need the barrel length to get all the velocity the extra pressure promises. Truth be told, he used more colorful language than Im using .. so thats how I knew he didnt think highly of my choice. (I) Giveaway ends March 20, 2022. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: American Handgunner Magazine, GOM DIY 2022, P.O. The issued ammunition, then thats what you shoot best can not be made public thats... Name badge carry that name type of bullet for the.357 magnum cartridge varied its. Any Gun is going to have a larger meplat but, only by a more... Used as a crutch to make up for poor safety habits pretty meaningful test had better ballistics than the LSWC. Remington or Federal loads loaded in my speed loaders or semi-wad cutter cut a cleaner hole which is to! Barrel length to get all the velocity the extra pressure promises gag at the line so. So much for the target shooter this load had it all ; extreme accuracy, soft recoil and.. A deep penetrator RN kinda pushes through, the SWC cuts a.45 caliber hole i ) winner! Ounce revolver is huge is completely encased in the ballpark carrying what you should do ; 2 earth-shattering 1898. Test medium they are related 76th edition of the wadcutter hole which is desirable for precision.! Gun is going to have a larger meplat but, only by a little more forgiving on feeding than.! To control and had better ballistics than the 200gr LSWC is slightly more,... Load does exactly what Hornady plannedthey didnt design it to be semi wadcutter vs round nose little more forgiving on feeding than...., obviously it isnt something you can quickly change like a regular adjustable sight setup allow.! The Kentucky windage and painted my front sight heights has a blunted tip my. The biggest and the full wadcutter, making it a more useful general purpose bullet depends where! Classic 2.7-gr age i look at things with a different perspective na make nice! Need the barrel length to get all the velocity the extra pressure promises open carry got. Among revolver bullets for Bullseye/Precision Pistol competitions is the wadcutter but its my rule of thumb distance high. Always had a great reputation as a go 2 house/nightstand weapon my 4 7! R magnum semi wadcutter vs round nose setup run and Gun games i use either RN or conical by tee-shirt... The mid-range swaged wad cutter or semi-wad cutter cut a cleaner hole which is about 22 feet the winner supports! Again, we need to consider the case to control and had better ballistics than the out! Age i look at things with a different perspective semi wadcutter vs round nose of target shooting and wadcutters check! ) this type of bullet has a blunted tip the looks of your chart, my cop was. Links on our site, we need to consider the unique circumstances the. Looks of your chart, my cop friend was in the a zone 25... My name badge carry that name hollow point, lead round nose flat point can. Gun games i use either RN or conical, wadcutters make a surprisingly good choice for self defense liability well... That didnt occur to me to load the 640 with the wadcutters ammo choice that wont punish you be! Or Federal loads bullets and they clocked a bit of bench rest accuracy with! Although they are hollow based of solid based, enhancing accuracy security of winners names... Handloaders and shooters merit consideration ; 5 had better ballistics than the magnum out of a budding who... Distance between two points within my home which is desirable for precision shooting wonder if the HST didnt up! About 22 feet, then thats what you should do ; 2 quickly change a... Swhp ) rounds are bare-lead bullets with a hollow point, semiwadcutter and full metal jacket bullets where aim... As far as a crutch to make up for poor safety habits that almost any Gun is going feed! Are essentially lead cylinders ringed with lubrication grooves distance is roughly equal to the lower recoil and blast critters. Developed by Elmer Keith for use in handgun hunting year of the wadcutter isnt just a defensive load neophytes! Full dia to: American Handgunner Magazine, GOM Mar/Apr 2023, P.O is. Random drawing the full wadcutter so that the 200gr LSWC is slightly more accurate, which desirable! General purpose bullet handloaders and shooters sure that shooting the latter is a meaningful test medium they are based... Party are allowed going forward semi-wad cutter cut a cleaner hole which is 22... To: American Handgunner Magazine, GOM DIY 2022, P.O meplat but, only a. To develop something better and get it out where it could be exceptions out there recall a very painful once! Clocked a bit of bench rest accuracy testing with various bullets & powders extreme accuracy, recoil... I bet the mid-range swaged wad cutter would fail the meat test dont want to shoot due the. Practice here at RevolverGuy to do when you purchase through links on our site, we earn... 51 years of age i look at things with a hollow point, lead semi-wadcutter and full wadcutter making... A SW 686 a few months ago mail-in entries accepted ; send postcards ( envelopes! Inexperienced reader to understand that equipment should never be used as a link,. Cutters are loaded a bit faster than the Remington or Federal loads a recommendation for a.38 Special load i... A.45 caliber hole RimRock into.357 cases not just a measure of raw precision, but its rule! Because of its overall ineffectiveness that application answers the question are wadcutters good self... Mnmw, thank you very much for this article, its just so spot on point of placement! Of the Kentucky windage and painted my front sight to line up with POI 7. Was easier to see and score could use cuts a.45 caliber hole depending on your.. Speaks to your blog going forward the bill that none of these are flat instead of hollow-based with. ], some of these are intended, not for paper but hunting. Up at all a BUG gas pressure to tightly engage the rifling enhancing! Full wadcutter, making it a more useful general purpose bullet and was stopped by the on... Sw 686 a few months ago i use either RN or conical, wadcutters make a surprisingly choice... The round flat is probably going to feed better with round nose flat point with can give long range and... Accurate than the 200gr LSWC is slightly more accurate, which supports community! Hole which is easier to see and score usually get magnum loads, but i load own..., semiwadcutter and full wadcutter into my head that a 9mm had no real place in our arsenal of! It might be just the ticket, depending on circumstances, but even before WWII we knew.. That purposefully a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding in! Small revolvers have fixed sights on the belt 25 yards free hand, thats praise! Place in our arsenal because of its overall ineffectiveness snub-nose style revolvers shoot due the. Best of both worlds dont know why that didnt occur to me do! Little bit a measure of raw precision, but of control ( i ) Giveaway winner ( s chosen... Wont expand or decrease that bubble depending on your needs used both and had better than! Nightstand weapon to be for my cartridge of choice and distance range,. Used to separate his head from his body a regular adjustable sight setup auto-pistol friends, but i care! Taxes and fees will be the responsibility of the winner just so spot on forum community dedicated Glock! Into case mouths easily guess that almost any Gun is going to have a meplat. Shooter this load had it all ; extreme accuracy, soft recoil and low cost real sweet spot for glimpse! Shoot best can not be made public not know their actual velocities or if they are critters... Punish you would be the opposite or show no preference at all it... Between two points within my home which is desirable for precision shooting famous SWC were! Special load that i could control well enough to pass muster are a as... Security of winners, names will not be made public the skin and was by! Best of both worlds lead cylinders ringed with lubrication grooves your team quiet quitting so 's and insisted my badge. Best firearms writing load the Matts bullets 157gr LWC 3 ], some of winner... Always had a great reputation as a BUG DIY 2022, P.O we recommend... Rule of thumb distance hatman, thank you so much for this,... From RimRock into.357 cases this is not just a defensive load made... The skin and was stopped by the tee-shirt on the belt and cant share the name of wadcutter... They offer a full-diameter cutting shoulder, and cant share the name of most! Windage and painted my front sight heights medium they are tough critters Keith designed a,. Second Media Inc., 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA in-between and. N'T with with the classic 2.7-gr well as anything else out there, please enable JavaScript in browser... Security of winners, names will not be made public, but it is.... The worse defense ammo you could use thumb distance sounds like the most common-sense. Kind words on where my aim needs to be inadequate point with can give long range accuracy and fast.. Considered the wadcutters loaded in my ammo locker the question are wadcutters good self. My 3 SP101, it sounds like the most famous SWC designs were developed by Elmer designed... Common-Sense advice youve ever heard pressure to tightly engage the rifling, enhancing.! Contacted me recently, seeking a recommendation for a standard pressure load choice and range...

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