My snubs are loaded with DoubleTap 38 special Match 148gr Hardcast Wadcutter right now. So far so good. A little more "oomph" than most match wadcutters but nothing objectionable. Supposed to be 740 fps out of a 2" barrel but my chrono testing did not work out.
A 105 over 2.0-2.5 is not even tiring to shoot in my 642, and is a hoot in a K or N frame. The 6” 28-2 doesn’t even seem to recoil. I don’t do that often, but it is a good way to get a recoil shy shooter (or shooter with an arthritic wrist) to shoot a real gun instead of just a .22.
This path was suggested to me by a gun shop owner who sells a lot of reloading supplies to cowboy action shooters: gamer .38 loads for .357 single actions might be all the way down to 2.0gr BE under a 90 grain lead bullet. Just a puff of smoke with no recoil.
This question is somewhat relevant so I suppose I'll throw it out there.
To those mentioning carrying SWCs as reloads - I'm assuming you do this viewing the revolver as a self-defense tool at least in addition to a hunting tool, if reloading at speed is a concern. I've recently bought a .38 LCR, and with ammo availability being what it is, the only ammo available for carry and practice for the foreseeable future will be trusted handloads. Wadcutters in the gun plus SWCs for reloads is my plan for now until I can buy factory ammo, but is there a line of thought that prefers lead SWCs even when .38 JHPs are an option? I'm familiar with the practice of wadcutters in the gun for best possible low recoil .38 performance and JHPs as a "fast" reload that gives something up in performance as a compromise. Just wondering if there's a reason to use SWCs instead.
I prefer carrying JHPs as a reload because then I’ve got copper jackets as the primary contact in my pocket instead of soft bare lead - lead contact and damage concerns. I prefer to use Hornady Critical Defense 110gr standard velocity when I can get it b/c the performance is good and it’s pretty shootable.
All the bullets have to do is get there. A .38 hole in a major vessel or heart is a BIG enough hole trust me!
Theory is an SWC with a large meplat and sharp shoulder should offer similar penetration benefits to a full wadcutter design albeit generally with higher recoil. Personally I generally go with XTP JHP's for reloads to avoid the exposed lead issue and various tests I've seen showing deep penetration from snubs. In a snub .38 mostly you have to select for either penetration or expansion and penetration in my read is the more important if you can't have both.
no one sees what's written on the spine of his own autobiography.