Testing Buffalo Bore Full Wadcutter Self-Defense Loads

I recently did ballistics testing of the Buffalo Bore standard pressure .38 Special,150 grain wadcutter and their 200 grain .44 Special standard pressure wadcutter heavy self-defense loads.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a full wadcutter is a bullet that has a completely flat face that is often seated flush or nearly flush with the cartridge’s mouth. Bullseye competition shooters originally used wadcutters in revolvers because this design leaves a sharp, round hole in paper targets making them easier to score and increasing the likelihood of cutting a line and therefore getting a higher score. Smith and Wesson as well as enterprising gunsmiths eventually designed or modified semi-automatic pistols to feed .38 Special wadcutter bullets.

Learned gun pundits such as Jeff Cooper and Jack P. Lewis recommended loading wadcutter bullets for self-defense during the 1970s and 1980s. In Lewis’s Law Enforcement Handgun Digest, he discusses loading the Speer 148 grain .38 target hollow-base wadcutter backwards in the case.(1)

Of course, we have progressed since we used dry sand as a ballistics testing medium. Buffalo Bore loads their .38 Special with a hard cast 150gr. wadcutter bullet. Buffalo Bore states that they cast these bullets “hard” so they will not deform or mushroom when passing through soft tissue. This bullet design cuts or crushes a .357 full diameter hole in human flesh just like it does on a paper target. According to Buffalo Bore, “. . . it penetrates deeply (roughly 14 to 16 inches in human tissue) and its full diameter profile maximizes blood loss as it cuts and crushes its way through tissue.” (Note: I have no idea how Buffalo Bore came to this conclusion. Human tissue testing seems rather out there; therefore, I seriously doubt that the bullets were tested on human tissue).

Be that as it may, I tested the Buffalo Bore 150 grain wadcutter .38 Special load with 10% calibrated synthetic ballistic gelatin. I fired the bullets from ten feet through a double thickness of a corduroy jacket material with a layer of five-ounce dress shirt material inside the jacket. I did this to simulate a scenario where the bullet had to penetrate from a side angle.

I fired all the shots from a Smith & Wesson 342PD Titanium Centennial .38 Special and achieved an average velocity of 849 feet per second (fps) from the two-inch barrel. Through this lightweight pistol, the recoil was brutal. The average penetration was twenty inches in the ballistic gel. Although this exceeded the FBI standard of 12-18 inches, if the nominal penetration in the synthetic gel is greater than the FBI standard, we can adjust the penetration by multiplying by 0.85 to reach a standardized penetration of seventeen inches.(2) (see below)

.38 Special

I also tested the Buffalo Bore Anti-Personnel .44 Special Ammo with a 200 grain, hard cast wadcutter in 10% calibrated synthetic ballistic gelatin. I fired these rounds from a S&W Model 696 with a three-inch barrel and achieved an average velocity of 935 feet per second (fps). Although a heavier bullet at a higher velocity, recoil was much less brutal from this pistol. Once again, the average penetration was twenty inches in the ballistic gel which we can standardize to seventeen inches (see below).

.44 Special

As I expected, all recovered bullets retained almost 100% of their initial weight. The .38 Special bullets had an average retained weight of 147.70 grains (98%) while the .44 Special bullets had an average retained weight of 197.67 grains (99%). (see below)

So, do I recommend these bullets for everyday carry? Yes, I do and I have started carrying them when I carry my revolvers. The one downside to full wadcutter bullets is the potential challenge associated reloading a flat-nosed bullet in the revolver. Although my cylinder chambers are chamfered, I still suspect reloading under stress would be difficult. I carry rounder-nosed hollow points for reloads.

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(1) Law Enforcement Handgun Digest; Lewis, Jack, 1924-2009; published 1980

(2) The tissue stimulant the FBI uses in their ballistic tests is Kind & Knox or Vyse 250-A ordnance gelatin. A standard FBI protocol ballistic gelatin block for testing ammunition is composed of porcine gelatin mixed at a 10% concentration. This is dissolved in 140 degrees Fahrenheit water and then refrigerated for 2 days. It must pass a strict calibration criteria to be valid as a test medium. The cooled gelatin solidifies and becomes a flexible solid with mechanical properties similar to human muscle tissue. A 10-percent porcine gelatin block matches living muscle tissue’s low-velocity flow characteristics and has a density like mammalian muscle tissue.

While the FBI has the resources to conduct testing with porcine gelatin, most private citizens wishing to test ammunition do not. Ballistic gels made from natural gelatin are typically a somewhat clear yellow brown color and are generally not re-usable. Therefore, most private testing is done with Clear Ballistics gelatin. This gelatin is 100% synthetic, so it doesn't require any special storage and can be remelted. An additional benefit is that the gelatin is completely transparent and shelf-stable from -10 F to 95 F (-23.3 C to 35 C). Thus, it is much easier to use than the FBI standard gelatin; however, it does not accurately mimic the FBI formula. Bullets fired into the Clear Ballistics gelatin often demonstrate a penetration that is approximately 20% greater than a bullet fired into the FBI standard gel.