There have been some great revolver threads going on lately over in the Revolver Forum, particularly regarding snubs. This got me thinking (and for the sake of this post, I will define a snub as a 5 shot .38 (possibly .357 mag) with a barrel length ranging from 1 7/8” to 2 1/4”.
Ultra-light J-frames are easy to pocket carry and you almost forget they are there.
Air-weights are almost as effortless to carry and handle most .38s very well (although some heavy +Ps aren’t exactly fun to shoot, and extended range sessions can be a problem).
Steel J-frames and the SP101 make shooting even heavy +P rounds easy, and magnums at least tolerable (although I have shot magnums out of a 2” SP101 and it was not fun, and I have decided to not shoot magnums out of any snub). These steel snubs are also a better platform for use as a high round count range or training gun, and if carried OWB or IWB in a proper holster and with a proper belt, the extra weight really goes unnoticed.
For these reasons, I have a 642 I sometimes carry as a bug, another identical 642 as a dedicated range gun, a nice .38 only 640 (my wife’s gun) and I am looking for either a 640-1 / 640 Pro no lock or DAO SP101 for range / training use and for possible IWB carry to replace my 9mm should physical condition or injury make it difficult to manipulate a semi-auto, or if new laws render carrying any semi-auto no longer viable.
Here is my question...
No matter what frame is carried (ultra-light, air-weight, steel), no matter how shootable it is with your chosen load (and again, for purposes of this discussion, that means no magnums), at the end of the day it still only has a 2” barrel (+-). Recoil-absorbing weight and better sights may make shot placement easier, but it’s barrel length that seems to play the biggest role in bullet performance once that bullet hits the target.
Now, if it is true that...
A 2” barrel will not reliably allow a HP, even at +P velocity, to expand (this includes all lead bullets and those designed for short barrels), and if a HP that fails to expand causes less wounding than a WC, and if a 148gr WC provides sufficient penetration, relatively low recoil and very good accuracy (particularly with follow up shots), would it not make more sense to load up your carry snub (even a magnum-capable steel snub) with WCs?
If I were talking about a 4” barrel I would not be asking this question. Even a 3” barrel may provide sufficient velocity for reliable HP expansion through heavy clothing (although even 3” may not provide enough of a velocity boost), but if limited to a 2” barrel (for whatever reasons), would not a WC make a better carry round over a harder kicking +P HP that likely will not expand?