Magtech .38 Special 148 Grain Lead Wadcutter – 50 Rounds (Box) 38B

Punching clean, scoreable holes in paper is the whole job of the Magtech 38 Special 148gr lead wadcutter, and it does that job better than almost anything else in the caliber. Fifty rounds to the box, 148 grains of flat nosed lead, and a mild 710 feet per second that barely disturbs your sight picture. This is bullseye ammunition in the oldest and best sense of the phrase.

Why the Magtech 38 Special 148gr Wadcutter Wins on Paper

A wadcutter is a flat fronted cylinder of lead that cuts a full diameter hole through a target rather than tearing a ragged one. Scoring rings become unambiguous, and a shot that touches a line is obvious to everyone standing at the bench. Competitive bullseye shooters have used this profile for generations for exactly that reason.

The load is built around control rather than power. Muzzle velocity is 710 fps and muzzle energy is 166 ft/lbs, which in a steel framed revolver feels like almost nothing at all. Recoil that mild lets you call your shots honestly and keeps the sights from leaving the target between trigger presses.

Features Target Shooters Notice

• 148 grain lead wadcutter bullet seated flush for a clean, full caliber hole in paper.
• 710 fps muzzle velocity and 166 ft/lbs of muzzle energy for genuinely mild recoil.
• Brass cases that are reloadable and easy to prep for the next round of target loads.
• Fifty rounds per box, which covers a standard bullseye course with spares for sighters.
• Magtech 38 Special 148gr loads are packed to the same recipe lot after lot, which matters when you are chasing a score.
• Consistent factory loading from Magtech, so groups reflect your hold rather than the ammunition.

Specifications and What They Mean at the Line

Caliber is .38 Special, bullet weight is 148 grains, bullet type is lead wadcutter, and the case is brass. Quantity is 50 rounds per box. Those numbers describe a deliberately soft load, which is precisely why the Magtech 38 Special 148gr offering shows up on so many club match tables.

Low velocity has a practical consequence worth understanding: point of impact will sit differently than a 158 grain service load in the same revolver, usually a little lower at distance. Sight in with the Magtech 38 Special 148gr load you actually intend to score with, not with something borrowed from the next bench. Once you know where it prints, the consistency of the load does the rest of the work.

Practical Use, Storage, and Reloading

The Magtech 38 Special 148gr wadcutter is a slow fire load built for slow fire disciplines. It shines at 25 yards on a bullseye target, in a revolver with a decent single action trigger, shot at a pace that lets you follow through. It is also a superb teaching load for anyone who flinches, because there is almost nothing to flinch from.

Semi automatic pistols generally will not cycle wadcutters reliably, so keep this one for revolvers unless your gun is specifically set up for the profile. Lead bullets also mean you should brush the bore at the end of a long session before leading has a chance to build. A few minutes of maintenance keeps groups tight over the life of the barrel.

Save the brass. Magtech 38 Special 148gr cases come back in excellent shape because wadcutter loads run at low pressure, and brass treated that gently can be reloaded many times over. That is exactly why match shooters guard their target brass so jealously. If you want more of the same, our ammunition catalog keeps the rest of the range day covered.

Buy a few boxes of Magtech 38 Special 148gr wadcutters, store them somewhere cool and dry, and shoot them at paper you actually care about scoring. Nothing else makes a target look quite so honest. This ammunition ships straight to your door wherever state and local law allows.