Connie S. lives with her husband on the North Carolina coast.
Around 3 a.m. one morning, Connie’s husband was out of town, and she couldn’t sleep.
She craved fast food and decided to go to a 24-hour fast food joint. So, she got dressed, slipped on flip-flops, and got in her car.
The last thing she did before walking out of the house was grab her Smith & Wesson .38 snub nose revolver.
She placed the revolver within easy reach between the driver’s seat and the console.
The trip to the fast-food restaurant was normal.
But, on the drive back home, Connie noticed three men standing on the side of the street. Unusual, since it was the middle of the night.
As she approached, the three men walked out into the street, blocking Connie’s path.
Then the men surrounded her vehicle, telling her to roll down her window, and trying to open her car doors.
She rolled down her window enough to tell the men to go away, but they became more aggressive and kept yelling at Connie to roll down the windows.
By this point, Connie was holding her revolver in her hand. When one of the men noticed the gun he said, “Everything’s OK.”
Connie continued to tell the men to go away. But they kept trying to open the doors. One man went to the rear and tried to open the back hatch.
Realizing that the men were not going away, Connie raised her .38 and aimed it at the man near her driver’s window.
The man slowly backed away, but his accomplices didn’t see the gun.
The man who had the gun pointed at him told his friends, “Everything is cool; this one can go.”
But the other men didn’t see the gun… and they didn’t back off.
Connie feared that the other men would break into her car, so she fired her gun.
She didn’t hit anyone, however the other two men quickly moved away from her car.
Connie sped away to a nearby police station and reported what had happened.
Police later caught the three men and arrested them for attempted carjacking.
There is no question that Connie’s firearm saved her life that night. Who knows what those three men had planned to do?
And, like Connie, many folks carry .38 snub nose revolvers for self-defense.
People love the .38 snub nose because it’s a small revolver that doesn’t require the strength to rack a slide like you’d need with a semi-automatic pistol.
However, depending on who you ask, .38 revolvers can be challenging to shoot and have a lot of recoil.
This is why a wadcutter round could make sense if you carry a revolver.
What is a wadcutter round?:
A wadcutter round is a cylinder-shaped bullet commonly used in revolvers.
The unique thing about wadcutter rounds is that the face of the bullet is flush with the casing.
These rounds were first designed for competition shooting, because the bullet leaves a clean, round hole in targets, so they are easier to score.
In addition, wadcutter rounds travel at a slow velocity, so they have less recoil compared to other rounds.
Can wadcutters work for self-defense?:
The number one reason you might want to consider a wadcutter round for self-defense is the minimal recoil.
As I mentioned, a .38 caliber snub nose revolver can have a lot of recoil. But using a wadcutter round makes the revolver considerably easier to handle.
Also, when shooting a revolver, it can be difficult to make accurate follow-up shots.
But using wadcutter rounds, the reduced recoil can help with your accuracy on follow-up shots.
And wadcutter rounds do the same thing to a body as it does to paper – punches a nice, clean hole through the target.
So, even though the bullet doesn’t expand, it can easily penetrate soft tissue, and cause damage.
Why you might not want to use wadcutter rounds:
One drawback to wadcutter rounds is that it can be difficult to reload a firearm.
The shape and design of the bullet means it takes more time to reload than comparable self-defense ammo.
Another issue with wadcutter rounds is that they have much slower velocity compared to other bullets (usually only around 500-700 feet per second).
So, wadcutter rounds will be slower to hit the target.
Which wadcutters to try?:
If you want to try out wadcutter rounds, consider ammunition from brands such as Winchester, Remington, or Federal.
But keep in mind…
Using wadcutter rounds with a velocity over 800 feet per second will blunt some of the benefits of using the round. For example, you won’t notice a reduced recoil.
But if you are looking for an easy round to shoot from a revolver, you won’t find a round easier than a wadcutter.
And if you are sensitive to recoil, you should definitely consider wadcutter rounds.
Now, regardless of what concealed carry gun you use, there may be times (as in Connie’s story above) when you’ll need to fire from inside your vehicle.
Because of your body position, the cramped space, being buckled in place, the windows and windshield, the thin metal skin that provides concealment but almost no cover…
Gunfighting from a vehicle is a whole different animal than being out in the open, or in your home.
It’s something you absolutely must be prepared for and you should add it to your arsenal of knowledge.
