Ballistic gelatin test results : Buffalo Bore 125gr Speer Low Velocity JHC

[Brass Fetcher]

Special thanks to Buffalo Bore Ammunition for sponsoring this test.

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Cartridge : Buffalo Bore 125gr non +P Speer Low Velocity JHC (Part # 20E)

Firearm : Smith and Wesson 642 with 1 7/8" barrel length

Block calibration : All depths corrected (From 10.8cm @ 615 ft/sec)

Shot 1 - Impacted at 937 ft/sec, penetrated to 12.5" and expanded to 0.528" average diameter. Recovered at 124.1gr weight.

Shot 2 - Impacted at 928 ft/sec, penetrated to 12.2" and expanded to 0.512" average diameter. Recovered at 124.2gr weight.

Shot 3 - Impacted at 949 ft/sec, penetrated to 12.5" and expanded to 0.525" average diameter. Recovered at 124.1gr weight.

Shot 4 - Impacted at 944 ft/sec, penetrated to 12.0" and expanded to 0.510" average diameter. Recovered at 125.3gr weight.

Shot 5 - Impacted at 943 ft/sec, penetrated to 11.6" and expanded to 0.515" average diameter. Recovered at 124.4gr weight.

 

[Jim March]

Ah. Yeah. That'll work .

Interesting that they're "skewing" like that but, it shouldn't hurt wounding any.

From the "OK but barely adequate" penetration we see these are very likely running less raw power than the 158 standard velocity. Did the recoil on these feel particularly mellow, compared to the 158 standard pressure Buffbore?

In theory, they should feel very mellow to shoot. I kinda had these pegged in my head as a "granny gun" load and a very, very good one.

POA should be different from the 158s. No guesses about accuracy comparison between the two...Tim says the 150 hardcast will kick both the other's butts.

Man, here's the cool part. ANY ONE of these three new standard pressure defense loads would have re-written the book on what you can do with standard pressure 38Spl. Three? Gawd, Tim, you friggin' ROCK.

John, thank you again for your testing.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

I felt that the recoil was about the same as the standard pressure round. To give some idea, the 642 weighs 15oz and has that smallish, round grip. The recoil felt to me to be equal to a Glock 19 firing +P ammo - not bad at all, but you know that the gun has gone off.

 

[Jim March]

Hmmmm...but, how does this 125 standard pressure compare to the Buffalo Bore 158 standard pressure? Or, for example, the Remington 158+P?