Page 2 of 21 FirstFirst 123412 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 203

Thread: wadcutter in snubbie

  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck Haggard View Post
    What ^those^ guys said.

    WCs work well against heavy clothing, plywood, sheetrock, etc. Car doors and windshields not so much.

    I've done testing at our range involving plywood and such, similar to what the author did in this article; http://www.dynamicforceinstitute.com...Wadcutters.pdf

    before I started carrying WCs in my BUGs. I'm comfortable with the level of penetration for what I want my BUGs to do.

    Totally non scientific (except that it's repeatable and such....) but a Remington "Target" WC from my 642 will go through the side of a brand new steel 55gal drum and still exit a water filled gallon milk jug. It will also go through a pine 2x4 and through two water filled milk jugs.
    By comparison, I've had 230 grain Golden Sabers NOT go through two water filled milk jugs (and have had Win. 127 +P+ go completely through them and far down range because they didn't open).

    And those Remington wadcutters are pretty soft loads.

  2. #12
    Very Pro Dentist Chuck Haggard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Down the road from Quantrill's big raid.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeep View Post
    By comparison, I've had 230 grain Golden Sabers NOT go through two water filled milk jugs (and have had Win. 127 +P+ go completely through them and far down range because they didn't open).

    And those Remington wadcutters are pretty soft loads.
    I'll throw out that in my sad little milk jug tests those bullets might have gone through more water, but I didn't have enough milk jugs to see if that was the case.
    Last edited by Chuck Haggard; 11-25-2014 at 06:07 PM.

  3. #13
    I have a really old box of S&W brand 148gr WC's from an era when the ammo tax was $0.03. They're nickel cased, in excellent condition & I've fired 10 of them & they all work. Would it theoretically be ok to use these? I'm new to the WC in a snubbie theorem, but it sounds good.

  4. #14
    Site Supporter MGW's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Kansas
    Those Remington target WCs seem to be almost as difficult to find as short barrel gold dots.
    “If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi

  5. #15
    It is kind of pathetic that we are talking about target wad cutters as realistic carry ammo in a snub nose .38, given how far ammunition technology has come in calibers such as the 9 mm.

    However, for now it seems to me to be a usable solution (though one that also raises the question that is raised on another thread about whether to go to a small 9 mm as a BUG).

  6. #16
    Very Pro Dentist Chuck Haggard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Down the road from Quantrill's big raid.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeep View Post
    It is kind of pathetic that we are talking about target wad cutters as realistic carry ammo in a snub nose .38, given how far ammunition technology has come in calibers such as the 9 mm.

    However, for now it seems to me to be a usable solution (though one that also raises the question that is raised on another thread about whether to go to a small 9 mm as a BUG).
    Physics is a bitch.

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck Haggard View Post
    Physics is a bitch.
    Maybe, but I'm not sure that it is physics as much as economics. The ammo companies would have to look at new materials to see if they could design a bullet that would reliably open at the lower velocities, and who uses a .38 these days besides old guys and people who have a nightstand gun that they shoot a few rounds out of every few years? It's why .38 target ammo is relatively expensive these days. When I started shooting, .38 ammo was the cheapest center fire cartridge out there, and WC ammo was one of the cheapest loads available.

    Still, I have to admit that I like firing wad cutters--soft shooting; they make easy-to see holes; and other people on the range these days stare at them and ask where the bullet is.

  8. #18
    Very Pro Dentist Chuck Haggard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Down the road from Quantrill's big raid.
    You can only do so much with the ballistics that a snub .38 is capable of, it's that simple. Same-same for other pocket pistol choices such as the .380

    I hear you ref ammo trends. I recall when one could not go into a gun shop and be unable to find boxes and boxes of .38 target ammo, and WCs could be had anywhere.

  9. #19
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Georgia
    I think its hard to accept that the heaviest hottest load we can find is not as effective as a soft shooting accurate round.

  10. #20
    Hillbilly Elitist Malamute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Northern Rockies
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeep View Post
    .... and other people on the range these days stare at them and ask where the bullet is.

    Magic bullets.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •