How is the recoil impulse on this round for those of you who have shot it. Is the recoil close to the old hydrashok or is it much softer like the HST Micro? Asking a someone who carries a j-frame and is looking for a soft shooting load for fast follow up shots, which i previously had with the HST .38.
I find it slightly softer shooting than 135gr Gold Dot +P. I’d say in between the Gold Dot and wadcutters running 750 fps out of a 2”. This is all in Airweights.Originally Posted by APPDMike
Don't find it bad and is my choice for many reasons.
130/132 FMJs for training and similar POI
I've never shot the old HydraShok. The current HS Deep ran 858 fps from my M49. From my 642, Ranger Bonded 130s went 830 fps and Golden Sabre 125s went 941 fps. Both Remington and Federal wadcutters went ~680 fps from my M49. Power factor ([bullet weight in grains x velocity in fps] / 1000) for the HS Deep is 111.5; 107.9 for the Ranger, 117.6 for the GS, and ~100.6 for the wadcutters. Power factor gives you a rough comparison of how they'll recoil in the same gun. Wadcutters will recoil the least, while the GS will recoil the hardest and was zero fun in my 642. I'd carry wadcutters in both of my snubbies except for the fact that the 642 is regulated for 125-130-grain ammo so it gets the Ranger Bonded in the cylinder and reloads; the 49 gets wadcutters in the cylinder and American Eagle 158-grain RNLs in the speedloader and speed strip.
How fast do you want your "fast follow-up shots" to be? Have you tried them on a timer?
"Everything in life is really simple, provided you don’t know a f—–g thing about it." - Kevin D. Williamson
Honestly, it just want be able to follow more quickly than if we were shooting say 158gr FBI load. I feel like it takes longer to get back on target with the heavier loads.
The Remington version of the FBI load runs about 780 fps from a snubby, which gives it a power factor of about 123.4, so it'll recoil more than the other loads I've mentioned. Still, I'd rather shoot that than the Golden Sabre load because of the way the recoil feels to me. The FBI load feels like a hard shove while the GS feels like a slap. That's entirely subjective. FWIW, the Remington version of the FBI load is what I carry in my 3-4" K frames.
"Everything in life is really simple, provided you don’t know a f—–g thing about it." - Kevin D. Williamson
I was issued the .38 129 grain +P Hydrashok for years, but I guess I'm way behind. I had to look up the Hydrashok "Deep" version. Velocities of the old 129+P Hydrashok, and performance in Lucky Gunner's testing, are both pretty lackluster. Chronographed velocity from my 2" revolver is slightly less than from Lucky Gunner's 2" test gun. Even in a 16.5" rifle barrel, the 129+P Hydrashok only averaged 1002 FPS. But I realize modern bullet design allows good expansion, etc. without the necessary higher velocities of yesteryear.
Bottom line; Haven't tested the "Deep" version, but recoil with the old 129+P load is pretty soft no matter what it is shot out of. The new Deep version would have to display pretty mild ballistics to be softer shooting than the 129+P type..
As someone mentioned in another thread, grip to hand fit is pretty critical in how recoil feels. Also, recoil is very subjective, especially with a non-reciprocating slide.
Any of the combination of aluminum or aluminum and scandium J frames are vastly easier to shoot with target wadcutters. Not the Buffalo or double tap etc. wadcutters but ones that are in the 650 to 700 ft./s. Then choose a reload with a rounded or pointed tip for easier loading.
148 wadcutters hit a couple inches low at 10 yards with one of my J frames and they hit spot on with the other. I don’t think a couple inches off at 10 yards is a dealbreaker but to each their own….not sure those hydra shocks will hit at point of aim of either.
Anything in the low to mid 800 ft./s in a 12 to 15 ounce gun will be violent. And often break your grip which dramatically slows down follow-ups.
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