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Thread: airweight reload

  1. #1
    Member Moonshot's Avatar
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    airweight reload

    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?

  2. #2
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moonshot View Post
    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?
    Another Airweight loaded with WC. Calling @Mike Pipes.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Hambo View Post
    Another Airweight loaded with WC. Calling @Mike Pipes.
    You beat me to this!
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  4. #4
    Site Supporter NPV's Avatar
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    Remington Golder Sabers are decent I can get a box of 50 for under $20. Though they are pretty stout and POI would likely be different as they are 125 gr. Winchester T/D or PDX1s would also be good backups they are a little less punchy than the Golden Sabers and again lighter bullet weight. Very smooth to reload though.

    Come to think of it Speer Gold Dots Short Barrel load is 135 gr. so it would have a similar POI to your wadcutters, I'd give them a try.

    I figure if you've just discharged 5 rounds under duress and are loading up to send additional lead downrange the felt recoil difference of the +P loads aren't going to be felt the same way they would be at the static range.
    Last edited by NPV; 04-25-2018 at 02:47 PM. Reason: Edited to Add Gold Dots

  5. #5
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    Hornaday 158 grain standard pressure XTP for me. Shoots to POA in my old snubs and the bullet noses don't get smashed in pocket speed strip carry like the 158 grain LHPs sometimes do. My newer 442 snub gets Ranger 130 grain +P bonded rounds for initial load and speed strip reload.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter Irelander's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GJM View Post
    You beat me to this!
    Me four. I use Rem Target WC.
    Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
    Because I owed a debt I could not pay.

  7. #7
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    I also carry WC’s when carrying a snub, for all the usual reasons.

    For the reload however, IMHO being able to reload reliably and effectively outweighs the other factors. Not that I really expect a successful reload to happen until after the fight is over, but I figure I might as well leave the possibility open. My speed strip is normally filled with DPX, which has a nice tapered profile, and the POI isn’t that much different in my guns. I also appreciate the copper projectile, as it provides the means to avoid carrying exposed lead in my pockets.

  8. #8
    Site Supporter jandbj's Avatar
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    90 grain hornady 38 spl standard pressure loads with the pink gummy bear bullets make for a good speed strip reload.
    https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...ding-box-of-25

  9. #9
    Federal HST in the gun, 110gr Critical Defense standard pressure reload


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  10. #10
    Member Frank R's Avatar
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    Last edited by Frank R; 04-25-2018 at 11:59 PM.
    US Navy Veteran
    1961-1965

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