Wad-cutter in snub::
I use a HOLLOW-base wad-cutter with the hollow part forwards. NOT a +p load, but close. It sometimes does not penitrate far ,BUT, it has a H--L of a knock-down force. This is my defence load for a Ruger Speed-six. One NICE item, it does NOT go to far when it hit something solid,like walls,etc.
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I was loading them that way in the early '70,s.
Wouldn't like to get hit by one [xx(]0 -
And? What is it that you wish to know? Please be advised hand-loads used for self defense are a very bad idea for civil liability reasons. Revolvers shoot a chambered round from a cylinder into a forcing cone & down the barrel. This gap has raised questions about velocity especially with heavier bullets as compared to barrels with chambers. Snubbies are usually effective at 20-50 feet. With 3/4' of barrel length. So if you're asking if it'll work effectively with a shorter barrel than your speed six than it's reasonable to believe it'll work. but having the cup forward & leaving a boat tail at end will most likely cause some more loss of pressure but I haven't tried it. Hmmm... 0 -
....Please be advised hand-loads used for self defense are a very bad idea for civil liability reasons..... Not even close to being true....this issue has been beat to death in other threads.
I agree about the possibility of losing pressure when reversed....but I think wadcutters would make a nasty wound either way. For "short" cylinders (some small frame S&W and Taurus), wadcutters are especially useful.0 -
Factory loads are best for self defense because of their extremely high quality & consistency. A dud, light load, or double load in a reloaded round may be unlikely, but it is statistically more likely than in a factory round.
Any increase in effectiveness, real or imagined, is a distant second in importance.
Neal0 -
For self-defense, I'll stick to bullets designed to punch holes in people, rather than ones designed to punch holes in paper, thanks.
Edit: There is a lot of room to argue what's "best" in a lightweight snubnose and why. Do you want a light bullet or a heavy one, a fast one or a slow one, etc.
I'm just going to state categorically that while I may not know what the "best" bullet choice is (and it could reasonably vary from shooter to shooter), I'm quite certain it is NOT a simple wadcutter bullet designed to cut a hole in paper. These have been fairly extensively tested on game animals and contrary to popular misconception, they do NOT cut a perfect cylindrical hole in tissue or give extra-special penetration or wounding effect.
If you wouldn't rely on something like this to kill a 150lb "deer" why are you going to rely on it to protect your life from an angry armed 200 lb human?
If you want a hollowpoint type bullet, then why not get a bullet with a pre-scored hollowpoint DESIGNED and proven to expand at snubnose velocities, rather than some bubba-backwards-loaded wadcutter designed simply to grip rifling for accuracy?
If you're picking a 148 grain wadcutter load for defense because its a fundamentally heavy solid bullet, then why not pick an even heavier 158 grain non-wadcutter bullet?
As to other factors, in my experience, the difference in recoil between "+P" and non "+P" ammo is negligible, even from lightweight guns. If you check the ballistic tables, usually the +P ammo gains another 75 fps from a snubnose (if that much) compared to the non +P. I think the biggest practical difference between the two is that the ammo makers usually load better bullets into their "+P" defense loads.
Again, I'm not going to suggest which exact brand/type of ammo is "the best", but I will again stipulate that the best choice for the overwhelming majority of adult shooters is going to be a .38+P "personal protection" type of ammo in either 125 or 158 grains from a major manufacturer.0 -
".....HOLLOW-base wad-cutter with the hollow part forwards. ......"
Yeah, I used to do that too, many years back. I came to the realization that it was more trouble than it was worth.
Today, my ideas vascilate regarding what is best for protection from a caliber .38 Special Smith and Wesson Airweight revolver.
I have loaded and carried=:
-- 125 grain RNFP lead slugs (handloads) lightly loaded for minimal recoil
-- light +P JHP, which I do not like to fire from my alloy framed, light weight revolvers because of the recoil and potential to (in time) cause damage to the weapon.
-- 130 grain Win. RNFP-FMJ standard velocity white box target rounds.
I know all this is inconsistent with the conventional thoughts, but I know where every round I fire goes. I am tending to like the idea of the light, RNFP-FMJ cartridge for its recoil properties and its higher penetration potential. I feel that whatever I shoot is going to do the job. I have no doubt that the +P loads, with JHP bullets has more knockdown potential if hitting in a non-vital area. Others will urge you go that route, so consider all opinions.
Oh yeah.....something that I consider near last or place way down on MY list of priorities is the idea that, "it does NOT go to far when it hits something solid, like walls, etc.". I DO care where my slugs go alright, but to me, if a bad situation arises, known friendlies in the line of fire or behind an assailant, my angle of fire and hitting the assailant all rate higher than worrying about hitting a wall with unknown damage potential behind it. If I were to pull a gun, I would already be, at a minimum, 90+ percent committed and I consider weapon control, getting back on target instantly and penetration very high priorities when choosing ammunition.0 -
I tried those in the 70's and at close range they are impressive. At any distance (20 feet) theu are catching too much air in that big hollow and they wobble and yaw all over so you have no idea where they are going. As I recall that is the "real" reason the old hydra-shok company put the post in the middle of the "scorpion" round, which was a hollow base wadcutter loaded backwards - it blocked a lot of the air from getting in and sending the bullet into another area code. 0 -
CASE and Point: I fired my 148 gr. HBWC/ installed backwards into a livestock carcasus, AT SHORT range, 7-8 foot. Bullets went in only 4" on beef, ALL mushroomed to over 3/4". The hanging beef swung a lot. Maybe NOT to accurate, but deadly at close range. 0 -
Originally posted by WinMike
....Please be advised hand-loads used for self defense are a very bad idea for civil liability reasons..... Not even close to being true....this issue has been beat to death in other threads.
If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
~ ~ ~ Anatole France
Of course all wisdom rests in "other threads"
I will use factory loads for self defense, thank you.0 -
Originally posted by WinMike
....Please be advised hand-loads used for self defense are a very bad idea for civil liability reasons..... Not even close to being true....this issue has been beat to death in other threads.
If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
~ ~ ~ Anatole France
Of course all wisdom rests in "other threads"
I will use factory loads for self defense, thank you.0
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