Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Anybody use .38 wadcutters as carry load?

I talked to a friend awhile back and he said he sometimes carried his .38 with 148 gr. wadcutters. He's shot them into wet newspaper and water jugs and likes what he sees. Accurate and low recoil too. I've handloaded and shot them but, never thought of them as a defense load.

They will do the job well.

I don't/can't carry, but I wouldn't feel bad if I shot an assailant with wadcutters. Better stuff for the purpose for sure, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to take a hit center mass from one.

I’ve been known to load the Hornady hollow base wad cutters upside down with a full charge of Bullseye. 140 gr as I recall, and they make a gruesome wound channel for a measly old .38 Special.

I would imagine loading them in either direction would leave a nasty wound channel. I'm loading some 77gr WC's for my daughter to practice with, thinking of loading them double for a carry load for her. Think nasty wound channel times 2...

I also load 148 gr WC's ass backwards with Bullseye. Shoots accurate and hits like a shovel !!!

There's a lot to be said for a chunk of soft lead moving at a sedate velocity. I sometimes wonder if we're overthinking this whole business.

THIS^^^^

30 cal., 230grns, Bhn 10+/-, at a velocity that some might call pedestrian, 1100fps, soft damp sand.....

Oh yeah, when it comes to defense loads, pretty much everybody over thinks it. I'll probably use wadcutters in my Taurus 605 2".

The hollow base wadcutters if you load them to fast will sometimes break in two inside the bore and leave 2 holes on target. I freaked my uncle out pretty good one day with this. I loaded 7.0 gr. Herco. I knew it would probably do that. I dropped down to 4.0 gr. for my normal target shooting.

Full charge 38 special wadcutters. 148 grain solid base hard cast wadcutters over 3.5 grains Bullseye.
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2011/11/ed-harris-revisiting-the-full-charge-wadcutter/

HBWC's fragile skirt limits muzzle velocity (and performance).

It's all a moot point where I live due to no kinds of carry being allowed. (Oh the joys of living in a state which is essentially red but governed by a small area/high density blue liberal population.) Two loaded pistols are indoors with me: a .45 loaded with 230JHP's, and a .38Special stuffed with dead soft wadcutters. Range time mainly sees .38 wadcutters, .22's, and .45 lead SWC's.

So Maryland provides you with police protection all the time! That’s pretty awesome…

I’m tired of the government deciding that it’s illegal to carry and protect yourself when they decide.

Will the 38 wadcutters drive thru the car door to tag the turd shooting at you from behind it? Right side up or upside down? Just asking...mb

If you're shooting through the door to stop the guy that's shooting you from behind

Just to be sure, there are NO States that provide protection from assault. Further LEO are under NO obligation to defend/protect you from such....

This is by no means a slam on LEO, but for the most part they are around to investigate and clean up the mess...... It is a rare opportunity when they are at the right place at the right time!

Indeed. Pretty much what me and my pards reckon on. Still and all, if caught carrying it's a surefire ticket to time spent in "stoney lonesome"- and not worth the risk of becoming a felon and losing all my attendant rights. Solution: just avoid the sh*thole places in the state and be done with it. And don't say "just move to a state with friendlier gun laws". How many of you would pull up stakes and move a thousand miles or more from family and friends to start over from scratch? Even if I could afford to (which I can't), at my age I won't do it.

Better to be judged by 12 instead of carried by 6. And today's evil spills outside the shi*thole places ( at least in NC ) and is hard to avoid at times. If heading to Mogadishu ( Durham ) or Little Chicago ( Charlotte ) its best to plan accordingly.

I carry Mackay's 38 wadcutters in my model 60s in 38 spl. Used to carry 125 factory hp. But Mac said these penetrate better than 125s in a short barrel.. His experience compared to mine is 1000 to 0.. I will take his word for it. But if I knew was was headed for trouble, I would have other guns. The model 60s are so easy to carry for one not comfortable with the Glock system of pistols.

better than a sharp stick.

I used to carry Buffalo Bore 38 spec Hard Cast Wadcutters va when I carried a 38 cal snub nose for my pocket gun.

blammer, lots of experience in this field?