anybody use wadcutters in revolver (IDPA, Steel, etc)?

[throttletony]

Do any/many people run wadcutters in REV (SSR) or other competitions?
I know that the design may be slower to reload -- no big round nose to guide into the chamber mouth-- that's the downside.
The upside is accuracy. I'm assuming that, in general, the small accuracy gains are outweighed by the slower reloads.

All that aside, do you ever see wadcutters shot from revolvers in ANY competition? Just curious.

 

[mssmith44]

Good question. The difficulty in reloading is too much to bear in a match with reloads on the clock.
Even Semi wadcutters are too slow.
In Steel challenge matches they could be used because there are only 5 targets.
Bianchi style matches where you are limited to six at a time and accuracy is really needed, wadcutters are used
For IDPA and USPSA and ICORE where speed is really the king round nose is the only way to go.

 

[Bosshoss]

Wadcutters MAY be more accurate out of a gun that is set up for them. Most revolvers are as accurate with other bullet profiles as wadcutters.
Wadcutters probably are still popular in bullseye shooting.
Steel, ICORE, USPSA, IDPA are speed events and while accuracy is important we have to be honest and say we are shooting at big targets. Round bullet profiles make the reloads faster and more consistent.
We don't shoot off a rest or bench at matches we shoot in various and sometimes awkward positions.
I have shot quite a few different revolvers(lots actually) and don't recall any that I could out shoot with decent ammo from a standing position.
Much more to worry about in the games you mentioned than squeezing out that last little bit of accuracy.

 

[RevoWood123]

Wadcutters MAY be more accurate out of a gun that is set up for them. Most revolvers are as accurate with other bullet profiles as wadcutters.
Wadcutters probably are still popular in bullseye shooting.
Steel, ICORE, USPSA, IDPA are speed events and while accuracy is important we have to be honest and say we are shooting at big targets. Round bullet profiles make the reloads faster and more consistent.
We don't shoot off a rest or bench at matches we shoot in various and sometimes awkward positions.
I have shot quite a few different revolvers(lots actually) and don't recall any that I could out shoot with decent ammo from a standing position.
Much more to worry about in the games you mentioned than squeezing out that last little bit of accuracy.

Every time I have hit something other than an X or an A it was not because the ammo I was using was less accurate. They will always hit the As and Xs when I'm not on a timer and nerves are calm.

 

[Six Forty-Two]

I guess if you were really wanting to use them, you could load your first cylinder with the wadcutters before the clock starts. Then the reloads you could use round nose if you are concerned with speed.

 

[bulletsmith]

Are wad cutters really that more accurate? I know they make nice holes in paper.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Are wad cutters really that more accurate? I know they make nice holes in paper.

THIS.

Wadcutters are NOT more accurate. They just punch cleaner holes in paper making the marks they leave behind more pronounced. (think about using a hole punch vs pushing a sharpened pencil through the paper... hole punch has cleaner edges)

Its just a WAG, but my gut says over the long haul, wadcutters are NOT more accurate due to aerodynamic factors. How is a flat face that could catch air more streamlined (and in theory more accurate) than a nice pointy missle?

We could be splitting hairs at these distances, but intuitively WCs would seem less accurate overall.

 

[Leo]

For low velocity loads (like 600fps) , hollow base wadcutters are more accurate. With low pressures, flat based bullet designs may not obliterate enough to make a good gas seal and uniform pressure. The hollow base spreads easily.

At normal velocity levels, I believe that any advantage disappears. My revolvers shoot the same accuracy with "FBI load" Cast round nose, and Semi Wadcutters loaded to that level, as they do with flush nose wadcutters at that level. I would think that the powder puff loads would not be used in action games because you need the power to slap down steel.

 

[RevoWood123]

Leo you are correct. Most action games require minimum power factor of around 120-125, and besides the wadcutters being much slower to reload, any accuracy gained from them would be negligible at the velocities required to push a 148gr wadcutter bullet to the proper power factor.

 

[Old Dog]

I have to agree with Leo and Revo. I shot NRA bullseye using .22, .38 spl., and .45 acp. Ran Soft hollow base wad-cutters in mild .38 spl loads for 2 reasons; they were cheap and made nice round holes in paper which made it easy to score. Accurate enough for me and didn't have to knock down anything. Also, while I used speed loaders it was not a timed event so no issue there. Used SWCs in the 1911 because they would still feed, and left better holes than RNs. WCs would not have fed in the 1911.

 

[Bosshoss]

Man haven't heard this much talk about wadcutters in years.
The range these are used at(50 yards or less) the lack of a pointed nose doesn't come into play.
So why use wadcutters?
The wadcutter has a huge amount of bearing surface to engage the rifling and stabilize. The hollow base wadcutters are nose heavy and that helps stabilize them.(like a badminton shuttlecock)
Round nose bullets and Semi wadcutters are tail heavy and destabilize faster(in theory). They also used double ended wadcutters that were more balanced and some swore by them.
Wadcutter guns had different forcing cone cuts and a faster twist to spin them even faster to help stabilize them.

I used to have a Ransom Rest years ago. I had a K frame that had a bull barrel and was set up for PPC.
25 yards 6 shots with wadcutters you could completely cover the 6 shot group with a quarter.
6 shots of round nose you could cover with a half dollar. So yes the wadcutters were slightly more accurate but with me holding the gun in my hands and standing up there was no difference.(practical accuracy or inaccuracy if you will)

Any of the games that require a reload on the clock you will need RN bullets.

 

[VERT]

I don't shoot them in competition but I have a couple of bags of 38 Wadcutters for my revolvers. Dad loaded them up for me and I love plinking with the things. Very light load and great for introducing new shooters to a revolver. If I ever shoot steel with my K frame I will use them.

148 grain plated Xtreme over 3.7 grains of HP-38 makes 102 PF out of a 4" barrel