#RevolverCurious

[revchuck38]

I carry wadcutters in my LCR, and 135gr +P Gold Dots in my L-Frames.

I'm curious as to why you've chosen the .38 GDs as opposed to the .357 version. I've only gone through a 20-round box of the .357s, but my impression was that their blast and flash wasn't that big a deal compared to full-power Magnums and not much more than the +Ps.

[jetfire]

I'm curious as to why you've chosen the .38 GDs as opposed to the .357 version. I've only gone through a 20-round box of the .357s, but my impression was that their blast and flash wasn't that big a deal compared to full-power Magnums and not much more than the +Ps.

With the dot on my gun, I like to have my practice ammo and my carry ammo hit to approximately the same POA/POI. Carrying Magnums and shooting 38s makes that almost impossible, so I decided to compromise and go with the 38s. The 135gr +P Gold Dot and my favorite 130gr FMJ American Eagle hit as near as makes no difference at 10 and 25 yards.

[revchuck38]

Got it.

[GAP]

The logic behind wadcutters in the little j-frames is pretty straightforward. It goes like this:

1. Magnums offer marginal performance gains over +P JHP rounds in exchange for unacceptable levels of recoil and muzzle blast.
2. +P JHPs are unlike to expand when fired out of J-frame/LCR revolvers and offer harsh levels of recoil, plus sometimes don't hit to the fixed sights.
3. 148gr WC offer acceptable levels of recoil, and in 100% of tests will meet the FBI penetration standards after defeating 4LD. Plus, they frequently print right behind the front sight, which is what we want.

I carry wadcutters in my LCR, and 135gr +P Gold Dots in my L-Frames.

Do you like the hardcast Buffalo bore wadcutters or mainly stick with the Federal gold medal target loads?

[Chuck Whitlock]

The same can be said about the 9x19. If it weren't for the boatloads of R&D money thrown at it recently, it would still be true. .38 Special hasn't benefitted from the same level of R&D.

Wadcutters are recommended for snubbies because they're more controllable and penetrate to FBI standards. I'm unaware of anyone who recommends them in larger guns.

There aren't any .38 Special loads on Doc's list because Doc's list is limited to 9x19, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. He mentions a couple in his .38 vs .380 thread, but that's specifically for snubbies.

Based on the initial reports of the Hydra-Shok Deep's performance in the .380 loading, I am cautiously excited to see what a .38 Special loading will do.

[blues]

I may try the wadcutters in the future, but for now it's Winchester RA38B since I have a pretty good supply. (130gr bonded +P)

[Rex G]

Had I been allowed to carry magnums, I would likely have stayed with the revolver a lot longer than most cops did. But magnums are plain nasty in carry sized guns,

and get characterized often as a .38 with a flashbang attached to it. Maybe...

And why do I want an AIWB for my skinny model 10?

1. If it is “nasty,” well, embrace the nasty. The user can be stress-inoculated, prepared for the sound and fury. Be Zeus/Jupiter. Proper grips/stocks, and a high hold, minimize muzzle flip.

2. Skinny-barrel revolvers are very comfortable, for me, @ traditional IWB and AIWB. Even a full-lug GP100 is OK, too.

[mmc45414]

I think it would be cool to have a 357 load with a 0.357" 147G2 going the same speed as our pistols with a fast enough powder not to light the curtains on fire. There have to be dozens of us that want a factory load like that!!!

[SCCY Marshal]

And why do I want an AIWB for my skinny model 10?

Because they carry great and, especially if roundbutted and bobbed, are probably the best dehorned medium frame handguns ever made.

Being generally agreeable with most ammo during a shortage, requiring less critical support gear (like magazines) than autos, probably having the best design ever for dryfire practice, and posessing a world class trigger all help.

I also like the comment about lack of an easily tripped magazine release while the ammo is also connected to the gun. I think paddle mag. releases mostly solve it
Heel clips certainly did long ago. And it's mostly a pocket gun concern if going by situations likely to cause a problem. But it is a fairly significant part of the revolver's appeal to me.

I'd also add to consideration to how well a revolver tucks away. Long, relatively heavy trigger, cylinder that binds under pressure (as from belts, legs, and cushions), dehorned profile, ability to run with a buggered grip on them, and lack of slide to bump out of battery all leave the revolver more open to unconventional carry modes than most-any autos. If it's under my thing at the bank drive-through, my .357 has the cylinder bound and won't try popping a mag. free like even a 92D as one quick example.

There's also the highly subjectibe yet absolutely vital metric of how well a gun fits your lifestyle on a holistic level rather than specific bits plucked for isolated intellectual comparison. My round butt model 10 snub tucks away in Baramis better than even a G42 while giving me a fistful of steel the size of a G26 with very similar capability to place shots out to 25+ yards. It is very easy to get along with on an administrative level, has the same cross-platform training familiarity between sizes as GLOCK, and I can hand it off to someone else with much more confidence it will work than any auto I've previously met. Plus it makes me feel good which has nothing to do with a performance board discussion but is real and does matter to me.

And I hunt in a state with 357 Magnum as a minimum handgun power level. Putting on a Model 57 carries much less additional practice concern for me than if I still carried an automatic day-to-day. Streamlining two very important bits of practice is super nice, especially when travel and ammo availability are compromised.

[Rex G]

What I don't quite get about the current wave of interest in carry revolvers is they're almost all going to use .38 not very Special.

I like revolvers and shoot them well but the .38 across it's life as a service weapon was considered marginal. Only a couple of loads ever got it off it's face and on to it's knees.

Notice that when discussed as a BUG load, a lot here carry and advocate softball wadcutters.

The late, great Pat Rogers seemed to regard the old NYPD lead SWC as performing adequately, if one shot it accurately. I take that to mean hit important things, not just somewhere in the vague big middle.

I do carry target wadcutters, in guns that would hurt my aging hands, especially my gimp right hand, if I used hotter stuff. Airweights and Airlites, in particular.