Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Buffalo Bore Ammunition 38 Special 150 Grain Lead Wadcutter

A good option for the Ruger LCR?

Absolutely. It's hard cast, so that large, flat, square shouldered, meplat is retained as it's driving through flesh and bone, and since it doesn't expand, lots of energy remains to drive it deep. It's an excellent choice for a snub nose .38 Special.

^^^This! ^^^

I carry that load in my S&W Bodyguard.

My load of choice for my M38 Airweight Bodyguard. I use the Buffalo Bore 158 gr. +P SWC hollow point in my steel K-frames.

The best load in my opinion. Just shoot one into a thick phone book and see the results.

Thanks

Wadcutters are far more effective than many realize.

In fact I recently loaded up some for my .44, and at close range (50 yards and under) they are quite accurate.

A couple years ago a small local police department here got information a suspect wanted in a shooting incident was holed up in a house in their jurisdiction. They rolled up in front of the house and the shooter popped two shots from a 2" Taurus .38 through a window at them. I happened to be there for a public relations gig for a fall festival and heard the shots just up the street. I responded to assist. After the thing was over one of the local officers commented that the shooters gun "Only had target wadcutters in it. Thank goodness for that!" One of those .38 wadcutters went through the front glass window of the house, through the side window of a Crown Vic and buried up in the passenger front seat head rest. Thank goodness there wasn't a passenger in that car.

I've often wondered what a warmly loaded wad cutter would do on game.

They are fun on rabbits. I am running 3 grains of Clays and a 148 grain Wadcutter, and they smack rabbits with far more authority than your basic .22.

mac, any supposition how one out of a .rr would work on Deer?

schidt .44

I honestly don't know.

While wadcutters seem to give great short range performance, I don't think they have the longer range accuracy of a typical good semi wadcutter.

That said (and this is purely guessing) I think that they would be just fine at 50 yards and in.

Mine however are only 185 grainers, and the intended live targets will be small game.

10-4

This guy has an interesting take on the question.

The BB load is 850 fps. Not too much of a good thing in my estimation. Here's a blurb from the BB website about the load-

utilizes a very hard cast 150gr. WAD CUTTER bullet. The bullet is made hard, so it won't deform or mushroom. It cuts/crushes a "cookie cutter", full diameter hole in human flesh just like it does on a paper target. It penetrates deeply (roughly 14 to 16 inches in human tissue) and its full diameter profile maximizes blood loss as it cuts and crushes (not slips or slides) its way through tissue. Although I've never been shot with a full profile wad cutter bullet, I must assume that the initial impact of that wide flat nosed bullet, is crushingly formidable. As a teenager, I took to the woods on a regular basis and killed many a critter with heavily loaded 38SPL wad cutters'. The effect of a full profile wad cutter on small game was obvious and amazing, compared to regular round nosed bullets. That flat nose, literally hammers living things. These bullets are hard and properly lubed and will NOT lead your barrel. Note my velocities from real world "over the counter" revolver s- NOT TEST BARRELS!

Shot placement is king, penetration is queen, all else is gravy...