I carry 148gr wad cutters in my backup gun (and on very rare ocasions my only gun) - a 642 no lock. My current ammo is Federal, but I still have some Remington boxes left over. They are easy to shoot, even with my non-dominant hand, they are accurate - shooting POI very close to POA, and the reduced recoil allows for rapid follow up shots. Perhaps the most important reason is they are easier for my wife or daughters to shoot, should I have to give one of them my j-frame in an emergency. I have no confidense that any HP - even a modern +P - will open up from a sub-2" barrel, and I understand from one of Doc's posts that a HP that fails to open up causes less wounding than a WC.
My question here is what do you all recommend as a reload? Wad cutters suck for reloading in a hurry and while under stress. I know from previous posts that many who load WCs in their Js as primary use SBGDs as their reloads, others used CD, PDX or DPX.
I notice all of these choices are +P, and while the cartridge profile makes for an easier reload, the +P negates all the WC advantages I listed in my 1st paragraph, plus I still have no confidence they will open up. If +Ps were OK for my reloads, they would be equally OK as my primary load.
What round would you all recommend for a reload - from both speed strips and speed loaders, that will have similar recoil , sufficient penetration, are manufactured from a large commercial outfit with .gov contracts (no boutique loads) and will have similar POI to my 148gr WCs?
The only option that I can think of (and this is my current reload) is a 158gr LSWC (non-HP). It's not perfect, but it's close. Is there a better choice?