I have a really old box of S&W brand 148gr WC's from an era when the ammo tax was $0.03. They're nickel cased, in excellent condition & I've fired 10 of them & they all work. Would it theoretically be ok to use these? I'm new to the WC in a snubbie theorem, but it sounds good.
Those Remington target WCs seem to be almost as difficult to find as short barrel gold dots.
“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi
It is kind of pathetic that we are talking about target wad cutters as realistic carry ammo in a snub nose .38, given how far ammunition technology has come in calibers such as the 9 mm.
However, for now it seems to me to be a usable solution (though one that also raises the question that is raised on another thread about whether to go to a small 9 mm as a BUG).
Maybe, but I'm not sure that it is physics as much as economics. The ammo companies would have to look at new materials to see if they could design a bullet that would reliably open at the lower velocities, and who uses a .38 these days besides old guys and people who have a nightstand gun that they shoot a few rounds out of every few years? It's why .38 target ammo is relatively expensive these days. When I started shooting, .38 ammo was the cheapest center fire cartridge out there, and WC ammo was one of the cheapest loads available.
Still, I have to admit that I like firing wad cutters--soft shooting; they make easy-to see holes; and other people on the range these days stare at them and ask where the bullet is.
You can only do so much with the ballistics that a snub .38 is capable of, it's that simple. Same-same for other pocket pistol choices such as the .380
I hear you ref ammo trends. I recall when one could not go into a gun shop and be unable to find boxes and boxes of .38 target ammo, and WCs could be had anywhere.
I think its hard to accept that the heaviest hottest load we can find is not as effective as a soft shooting accurate round.