[Drgong]

What are good brands for SD with the .38 Special, today I reserved myself a S&W model 15-5 that will be at least my winter carry gun.
:)

[gripper]

Buffalo Bore ; if you don't mind Plus P and beyond levels of pressure....otherwise ; I'd go with a LSWC HP;maybe a nyclad or equivalent in the 158 grain range. I think that Federal has a Hydrashok loading ;but i may be working from out of date info.
Corbon is a good pick ; as well as Remmington Golden Sabers.

[wnycollector]

I carry Doubletaps 125gr +P gold dot's in my .38's. They are very accurate, with no flash...plus they are reasonable priced ~$28/50.

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_57&products_id=215

[bragood]

I carry federal hydrashok.

[papajohn]

Here is one of many available links on the subject.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38%20Snub%20Ammo%20Test.htm

Mr. Camp is a retired Police Officer who writes well, and has a natural curiosity about this stuff, as do many of us. His research mirrors my own about 99% of the time. In fact, I could have saved myself a lot of time and money by just reading his articles!

It's a good site for lots of handguns-related questions.

Papajohn

[un_lucky]

Even though it says "short barrel" on the box the 135grn speer gold dot does good out of normal barrels. I also like the Winchester white box 125grn +p. It looked good in gello and is available at most of the marts.

[Arrogant Bastard]

Buffalo Bore's 158-gr. LSWCHP +P are considered by many to be among the most effective .38 spl load.

[Deanimator]

I have the Federal 158gr. LSWC-HP +P in all of my .38s and .357s. I don't think Federal loads it anymore, but Remington, Winchester, Buffalo Bore and others load equivalents.

[velocette]

I hope the following, posted on another forum will assist your search for more effective .38 spl ammo.

Went to the local indoor range today to test out the newly purchased Buffalo Bore 158 gr. +P lead GC SWC hollow point.

I used the two snubby J frame revolvers that I carry regularly, S&W 640, stainless steel .38spl & S&W 637 airweight aluminum alloy .38 spl.

They were noticably highly energetic, to be nice about it. In the SS 640, the recoil was stout, controllable but stout. In the aluminum 637, they were downright unpleasant to the point of being painful. Still they were controllable, just not pleasant. Noticable muzzle blast but NO flash was noticed.
These rounds were FAR more powerful than other +P ammo I have tried, to the point that there is no comparison between them. Winchester +p 158 gr SWC HP (FBI load) is a pale sister to the BB rounds. I shot both side by side to prove to myself the point.
In the 640, they printed right to point of aim using the CT laser @ 30 ft.
In the 637, they were slightly above point of aim @ 30 ft. (637 is regulated for 125 gr +p)
Of course, the real bottom line is that if they were unpleasant on the giving end, they will be far more unpleasant on the receiving end. Soft lead hollow point SWC bullets and about as much energy as you can stuff into a .38 spl.

When I finished the BB ammo, it was actually a pleasure to pick up the Kimber SS compact .45 with full power ammo!

[tblt]

speer 135 gr. +p short barrel

[only1asterisk]

speer 135 gr. +p

That's the ticket.

David

[NG VI]

How's the speer 135 SB do out of a 4" or 6" revolver? I've got a couple hundred rounds of it and my fiance won't shoot .357, so that's what I keep in the highway patrolman at home.

[XDShooter07]

It should do fine. They sell a 125 grain +P gold dot for regular barrels. I'm not sure if there's any difference in the powder load between the two rounds. I'm guessing it's just a little heavier bullet to give it a little more impact energy from a short barrel.

Two other good loads are the cor-bon 110 grain dpx...that's an all copper HP with good expansion and the remington 158 grain LSWCHP +P (FBI load).

[ArchAngelCD]

It's my opinion the best round for that M15-5 is the "FBI load". I carry the Remington 158gr LSWC/HP .38 Special +P rounds (Part #R38S12) for self defense. It's time tested and I think your M15 will shoot that round very well.

If you want to carry Jacketed ammo rather than lead then I would suggest DoubleTap .38 Special +P (http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_57&products_id=215) ammo. It uses a 125gr Speer Gold Dot HP LV bullet which is very effective. You get the Gold Dot bullet without the Speer price tag. Speer Gold Dot ammo will cost you $23/20 rounds whereas the DT ammo will cost you $28/50 rounds. Best of both sorta say. At that price you can actually afford to practice with your carry ammo once and a while.

[Nematocyst]

It's always interesting to see the diversity of opinions ranging from 125 to 135 to 158.

My opinion usually depends on what I read last on this topic.

I've got all of those for my x42. Honestly, I'm not even sure which one I've got loaded in it right now.

My sense is, they'd all get the job done ...

[Camjr]

Here's another vote for the Speer Gold Dot 135gr +p rounds. Just to saddle both sides of the fence, the BB 158gr +p LSWC are a really good option as well.

[Loomis]

One more vote from me for the lead semi wad cutter hollow point. 158 grains, +P loading or higher if you can get them.

This round is proven in the field to perform vastly superior to what it is theoretically supposed to do as indicated by lab tests and calculations.

Also, It's been my experience that lead bullets are a little more accurate than jacketed ones. I'm not sure if there is anything to back this up. It just seems that way to me. Lead bullets in an old police revolver with a 5" barrel has incredibly impressive accuracy...in my experience.

[skoro]

In my snubs, I like the Speer 135 gr Gold Dots, Remington Golden Sabers, Winchester 130gr SXT, or Federal 129 gr HST. I think they're all good, effective rounds in a lightweight carry gun.

In my Model 10 4" house gun, that's where I keep the Buffalo Bore +P 158 gr rounds. The heavier revolver with the longer barrel just handles these little monsters a whole lot better. I might try Buffalo Bore's std pressure 38 rounds in my snubs just to see if they're maybe a little more manageable than the +P beast. Test results I've seen on the std pressue 158gr and 150gr loads look good.

[Drgong]

Thanks all!

I will buy a box of Buffalo Bore's 158-gr. LSWCHP +P, which might work well in the 4'' barrel, and if not, go with the Speer Gold Dots.

[armoredman]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/PICT0257.jpg

Work great, accurate as all get out.

[tblt]

I shoot federal 110 gr. hydrashok low recoil out of my older 38

[papajohn]

tblt, that's a good load for the recoil-sensitive among us. I used to load my 3-inch M-65 with that stuff, or the 135 Gold Dot load, when I left my girlfriend home alone.......she was TERRIFIED of shooting magnums in that little gun. It wasn't much fun to shoot with hot loads for me either, but I usually carried 145-grain Silvertips in it, figuring if I needed it, sore hands would be least of my concerns.

When I'm on duty I get lots of people asking about good home defense guns, and I always try to steer the budget minded folks toward a good 38, specifically a Model Ten Heavy barrel, four inches or less. Hard to beat as a HD gun with modern loadings! I carry one because it's what I'm issued, but I don't feel handicapped. It may not have a hopperful of bullets, but I practice shooting at least once a week, and speed-reloading with it. I carry nothing but Speer 135-grain Gold Dots, and issue them to my troops. One could do a lot worse!

PJ

[kmrcstintn]

asking an open ended question like that is going to get you an 'all you can eat buffet' answer; there are just too many to choose from; it also depends on the barrel length; snubby barrels shorter than 3" are finicky since the powder might not burn completely which cuts the velocity & the reduced speeds might compromise a hollowpoint in its ability to expand; most of the older .38 spl loads were meant to be used in guns with 4" or longer tubes; you got the latest & greatest designer loads that cost an arm & leg; you got older loads that are less expensive, yet are on the fence when used in shorter tubes; with all that said...

latest-n-greatest for shorter tubes...Speer Gold Dot 135gr 'short barrel' .38 spl +p

tried-n-true...lead semiwadcutter hollowpoint 158gr .38 spl +p (Winchester has harder lead to reduce leading, but might not expand when shot from a shorter tube; Remington uses softer load and is the recommended load for this variant to use in shorter tubes)

depending upon your circumstances, here are others to contemplate...

Winchester: 110gr Silvertip; 130gr SXT +p; 125gr sjhp +p; Remington: 125gr Golden Sabre +p; 158gr lswchp +p; 110gr sjhp +p; 125gr sjhp +p; Federal: 110gr Hydrashok; 129gr Hydrashok +p; Corbon: 110gr jhp +p; 125gr jhp +p; 110 DPX +p; Speer: 125gr Gold Dot +p; 135gr Gold Dot +p

other manufaturers I don't know alot about: Black Hills; Double Tap; Buffalo Bore; et al

good luck :scrutiny:

[Drgong]

Fair enough kmrcstintn,

BTW it will be a 4'' Model 15 that I will be shooting it out of, as metioned in the posts.

[SCKimberFan]

Papajohn

Here is one of many available links on the subject.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/3...mmo%20Test.htm

Comes back with a server error. :cuss:

[novaDAK]

I use Speer Gold Dot 125gr out of my 4" Smith and also gave some to my mother to test shoot at the range and carry in her 2.25" SP101. It's the low velocity version of the GD bullet loaded to about 1000fps out of a 4", and around 950 out of a snub. I also have some LSWCHP +P (hornady bullets) loaded to about 900fps out of a 4" barrel, but it's a harder lead so I wouldn't trust it out of a snub)...these are loaded by a commercial loader which I trust as much as factory Speer loads :)

[DrLaw]

If it's a snubbie, 195/200 grain round noses over 3.8 grains of Unique.

If it's a longer barrel, the 158 gr. SWCHP lead that others have mentioned here, or Remington petal bullets (I call them that for lack of a better term right now, the bullets have scalloped copper behind the lead) in 125 or 158 grain in regular or +P. Or Speer 125 grain HP or Hornaday XTP reloads in 110, 125 or 158 grain. Smith & Wesson used to have a great cone-shaped hollow point in +P that did wonders on dogs at least (one of the low points of my police career was our department had to dispatch dogs that were at the pound too long).

The Doc is out now. :cool: (having carried on duty everything from round nose lead to super-fancy hollow points)

[SeanSw]

DrLaw, what kind of velocity are you getting with a 200gr lrn from a snubby with that load? I haven't begun reloading and those are curious loads to me.

[Loomis]

They're called "semi-jacketed".

[spiroxlii]

If you don't want to use +P ammo, you should try the Hornady 125gr XTP/JHP loads. They are standard pressure rounds, but they have muzzle velocity and energy comparable to +P loads, AND they expand reliably.

They don't always expand quite as big as the +P hollowpoints, but they consistently expand at least as reliably as premium +P hollowpoints (and they expand more reliably than some cheaper +P hollowpoints). In gelatin tests, they usually achieve a diameter of .44 to .46.

Penetration is comparable to good +P loads too.

http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/pocket_dynomite/

[Z_Infidel]

If you have at least a 3" barrel I suggest Georgia Arms 158 gr LSWCHP+P ammo. It compares to the Winchester loading, not quite as soft as the Remington version so maybe not as suitable for short barrels. I have shot a lot of this ammo and it is reliable and plenty accurate, plus the price is very good.

New:
http://georgia-arms.com/38special158grleadsemi-wadcutterhollowpointp50pk-1.aspx

Reloads:
http://georgia-arms.com/38special158grleadsemi-wadcutterhollowpointp50pk.aspx

[Tortuga12]

Remington Golden Sabre 125 gr. +P in my model 15 right now, very accurate. I also bought a bag of Georgia Arms 125 gr. Gold Dot +P during my last gun show visit. The stuff looks great, but I haven't been able to get up to the range to try it out yet. Unfortunately, I can't find the 158 gr. SWCHP loads here in SWFL, or I'd have some of that, too!

And you know, there's nothing wrong with the good ol' wadcutter in a pinch!

[Noxx]

I'm sold on speer's 135 SB's for my 1-7/8" barrel.