Jacketed .38spl with same POI as wadcutter?

[peterb]

I’m carrying target 148gr wadcutters in my 442, but they make for slow reloads, and I don’t like carrying bare lead in my pockets. Any suggestions on a jacketed load that would shoot to the same POI? I know I have to experiment, but narrowing the possibilities would be helpful.

[Lester Polfus]

I routinely carry 148 grain wadcutters in my Smith 638. I think every 158 grain JHP load I've tried has hit in pretty much the same place, or at least any difference in POI has been lost in the noise of my shooting inputs out to 25 yards.

[Bobcat]

There are copper plated 148 gr wadcutters.

I bought a 350 pack of them a while ago.

Pretty hefty kick in my M60, but there's no exposed lead. These are similar but not exactly what they look like.
https://choiceammunition.com/product/38-special-148-grain-plated-wadcutter-100-hand-loaded-3/

[RichY]

Every gun is different, so this may not work in your revolver, but in my S&W 442 I have wadcutters in the revolver and Hornady standard pressure Critical Defense 110 gr. loads in speed strips. At seven yards both loads hit pretty much to point of aim. The Hornady load is also on Dr. Robert’s list of snubby loads.

I tried two other loads that shot slightly low — they were still in the X ring, but prefer the milder recoiling standard pressure Critical Defense. They were the +P version of the 110 gr. Critical Defense, and the Winchester Ranger 130 gr. +P.

[23JAZ]

Every gun is different, so this may not work in your revolver, but in my S&W 442 I have wadcutters in the revolver and Hornady standard pressure Critical Defense 110 gr. loads in speed strips. At seven yards both loads hit pretty much to point of aim. The Hornady load is also on Dr. Robert’s list of snubby loads.

I tried two other loads that shot slightly low — they were still in the X ring, but prefer the milder recoiling standard pressure Critical Defense. They were the +P version of the 110 gr. Critical Defense, and the Winchester Ranger 130 gr. +P.
I am carrying the same exact loads and have gotten the same results in my 442 Pro.

[Duelist]

Every gun is different, so this may not work in your revolver, but in my S&W 442 I have wadcutters in the revolver and Hornady standard pressure Critical Defense 110 gr. loads in speed strips. At seven yards both loads hit pretty much to point of aim. The Hornady load is also on Dr. Robert’s list of snubby loads.

I tried two other loads that shot slightly low — they were still in the X ring, but prefer the milder recoiling standard pressure Critical Defense. They were the +P version of the 110 gr. Critical Defense, and the Winchester Ranger 130 gr. +P.

I am just using the standard pressure 110s because I actually have some, and don’t have any wadcutters. Same same in speedstrips.

[scott]

Every gun is different, so this may not work in your revolver, but in my S&W 442 I have wadcutters in the revolver and Hornady standard pressure Critical Defense 110 gr. loads in speed strips. At seven yards both loads hit pretty much to point of aim. The Hornady load is also on Dr. Robert’s list of snubby loads.

I tried two other loads that shot slightly low — they were still in the X ring, but prefer the milder recoiling standard pressure Critical Defense. They were the +P version of the 110 gr. Critical Defense, and the Winchester Ranger 130 gr. +P.

I'll third this. The standard pressure critical defense hit pretty close to winchester western super match in all my j frames.

[jetfire]

My Federal Target Match 148 grain wadcutters shoot to almost exactly the same POI as Federal 130gr FMJ .38 Special out of my 3 inch LCR. So...that’s pretty much what I carry for reloads, since with those little baby guns my first concern is penetration.

[Moonshot]

I had been using the Winchester 130gr JHP "defend" round (1/2 of their "train and defend" series). It's a standard pressure JHP round that groups fairly close to the POA of my WCs in my 642 (at least if I do my part), but does offer more kick than my WCs, making the transition from carry load to reload a little difficult (especially if shooting weak handed).

The Winchester has a little more mass than the Critical Defense for penetration, which I like, however I have no illusions as to its likelyhood to expand from a 1 7/8" barrel (I expect it won't), but it feeds well from a speed loader and a speed strip.

The biggest problem I've identified with them is the cost - over $1 per round. Kind of makes practice difficult. For this reason I had switched to 158gr SWCs, but they perform about the same as LRN, so I'm still looking for that magic reload.

If the 110gr non +P CD really groups tight and hits to the same POA (more or less) and isn't priced out of consideration, it may be a valid alternative. Wish I could speed up my reloads with WCs from a speed loader or speed strip. Lightly chamfering the cylinders helps, but it's still not as fast as other options (at least not yet - I keep practicing).

[rathos]

Gold Dot 135 grain Short barrel +P shoots to the sights on my 442. The choice ammunition jacketed wadcutters linked above work well, but they are harder to load. The winchester bonded 130 +P works pretty well but tend to be a bit off at further distances (25 yards +).