.38 ammo question - from my mom.

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

Kenpo

Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2007
Messages
132
Location
Mesa, AZ
I know the whole "best ammo for self defense" thing gets discussed often. I have searched, but my criteria is making it a little bit more difficult to find answers.

Almost all the recommendations on the forum suggest something "+P" for .38 special.

The issue is, that my mom was wanting a small and simple revolver for concealed carry. I got her a S&W 642, which she likes very much. However, being a small gal the +p rounds are a little sharp in terms of recoil. She is not recoil sensitive at all, but her follow up shots are impaired.

Thoughts or suggestions? Of course, I probably wont be able to find any of the ammo you suggest, but that's another issue.
 
there is nothing wrong with standard load .38 special.. they are going to make a hole, hollow points will expand on impact... combine that with accurate and faster follow up shots, and you have a combination that is far deadlier than a .38 +p that misses its target... it isnt all about FPS...
 
Thanks for the quick reply. What would you recommend in standard load, by way of bullet weight? Any company producing particularly good ammo for .38? I assume any of the reputable brands do a great job.
 
any reputables... hard to say beyond that as some guns shoot different ammo better... same with the bullet weight... it all depends on what the gun likes... 125 grains do the trick for me... as do the 158's though they are a bit stouter...for follow up accuracy, I would go with the lighter bullet weight.... in the end, it isnt going to make a whole lot of difference... what you give up in bullet wieght, you gain in speed... if you get a good hollow point personal defense load, it will do the trick, I dont care if it is a .22... (not my first choice). I suggest buying a few boxes with different bullet weights and letting her try them out...find what the gun likes and what she handles the best.
 
Two rounds for self defense I like in the .38 special are below. I normally like heavy bullets (158gr in this case), but I really like Speer products, so would have no problem with this one:

1) The speer Gold Dot short-barrel

http://www.speer-ammo.com/products/short_brl.aspx

2) The Hornady XTP

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=686149

Two other things that might help her:

1) Check her grip. Make sure she's taking a proper two-hand Weaver grip, with both fore-aft tension in her grip as it is supposed to work. This can help her reduce perceived recoil, control it better.

2) Have her practice dry-firing. This will let her see if she is flinching, and train in a good grip and trigger action without guesswork.
 
An often overlooked milder .38 Special load thatwould be a great defender is a 148gr full wadcutter normally sold as target ammo. It starts at a full .357" OD - and has a great enough mass to make a substantial wound channel while not slapping the stew out of your hand. It likely won't shatter a shoulder or pelvis - or exit your home's wallboard and siding to offer coollateral damage to your neighbors.

Of course, I keep my 642 Airweight CCW and 2" 10 and 4" 64 house guns loaded with the most effective defensive rounds, the Remington R38S12 158gr LHPSWC +P rated rounds. My wife is 5'10" - and, even in the 4" 64, she isn't fond of that round. As it is a SHTF round, we keep it. If she would carry a 642, I'd likely load those 148gr wadcutters, which, in Remingtons, were ~$31/50 the last time I looked.

Stainz
 
Instead of going with another type of ammo, try putting larger grips on the 642/442. Using larger grips will take away "some" of the concealablity, but with mine I can still hide it in the front pocket of my jeans. With larger grips the recoil is tamed and follow up shots are very reasonable. Good luck in your quest.
 
Magsafe Defender is made in non +P 38 Spec. and is supposedly a good self defense load. It does hit a little low compared to standard ammunition and it's expensive. However it also has less recoil than standard ammo.

I had my snubbie Mag-na-ported ($95) and the recoil reduction was noticeable.
 
You make no mention what ammo that you have tried nor the bullet weight.

+P is a good round with a 158 grain bullet. Keep in mind that I've little exerience with various factory loaded ammo products as I cast and load all of my ammo. I do have a few onhand factory jacketed bullets (NOS & Win) in 158 and 125 grain that I use for CCW use, sometimes.

But for instance if recoil is too harsh using a 158 gr bullet then try a 125 gr or even 110. Naturally as the bullet weight decreases felt recoil will decrease as well. Also keep in mind that as bullet weight decreases velocity increases so its not a bad trade off.

Do keep in mind that Point-of-Impact/PO Aim was designed around the 158g bullet. However since most confrontations happen within 15 feet, POA/POI shouldn't be a hugh factor for CCW, but on paper.

As was mentioned above, a lead SWC or WC is a good CCW load if not better IMO when it comes to expansion @ 7-800 fps.

Myself I do prefer the 158g over the lighter weights.

Nice choice for a CCW revolver.

Good Luck
 
I normally like a heavy bullet in all calibers but for a reduced recoil 38SP +p the corbon DPX seems to be a very good round. My wife shoots them in her 642 without any problems which is not true for most other +P loads. Penetration for this light bullet at least in testing is very good as well.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/110 grain Cor-Bon DPX.html
http://www.brassfetcher.com/Cor-Bon 110gr +P DPX all copper hollowpoint (Heavy clothing test).html
http://www.brassfetcher.com/Cor-Bon 110gr +P DPX (From a Derringer).html
 
She is not recoil sensitive at all, but her follow up shots are impaired.
Click to expand...
This is very important, as you should never count on one shot to stop an attack. A lower-powered load that hits the target is better than a 20mm cannon shell that misses. If +P recoil in the little revolver is excessive, by all means find something more comfortable to shoot. Even Dirty Harry admitted to using "light specials" in his .44 Magnum. :p
 
As a SD load, the Corbon DPX for 38 has the Barnes expanding copper bullets might be a good carry choice:

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0060839216731a.shtml

They're as expensive as heck, but make for a nice high velocity bullet and only 110 grains. I practice with a few (usually in the 357 variety) every time I go to the range just to make sure I feel comfortable with them. I have them in a speed loader in my pistol box (in both 357 and 38).

I would also suggest she practice a lot to improve on follow up shots.
 
Yet one more option, and one that I've been looking at closely of late, is the new Hornady Critical Defense ammo.

http://www.hornady.com/story.php?s=786

110 grain bullet, but you won't ge the advertised velocity out of a 642, but these are guaranteed to mushroom, and they're available in +P and non-+P variants for .38 Special.

I have yet to see them anywhere, so I have no idea of cost, but they are intriguing.
 
I have an old 1950s S&W Model 37 snubbie that I'll only use std 38 Spl loads in.

There are some very effective rounds still available:

Federal Personal Defense 110gr Hydra-Shock

Hornady JHP/XTP

Buffalo Bore (two loads):

158gr Lead Hollow Point - good expander

150gr Hardcast Wadcutter - good penetrator

Any of these would work well in a self-defense situation and their standard pressure powder charges will keep recoil very reasonable.
 
A heavy bullet will add to the felt recoil. I would suggest the newly re-released standard pressure 125gr Federal Nycad .38 Special round. It is one of the best non+P SD rounds available anywhere on the planet.
 
All,

The advice and recommendations are appreciated. It's nice to get a good running list to evaluate. I'll be picking up a few different boxes to let her test out.

Thanks.
 
Add Crimson Trace Grips

I would add the Crimson Trace Grips to the J frame for your mom. I will help with dry fireing as it will show her how the gun moves when she pulls the trigger. I a defensive mode she may not have time to line up the sights. See the video on the Crimson Trace web site.
 
Guys, the OP specifically asked for recommendations for ammo that wasn't rated +P yet you are telling him to buy +P ammo. Come on now... Help the OP out with what he asked about... :uhoh:
 
If Federal is still making the "Personal Defense" standard pressure 110-gr. HydraShok load, this was quite mild to shoot in my Colt Agent. Expensive to practice with, though.
 
007BondJamesBond007, we were at one of the local gun shops the other day and a fella in their had a 642 with the Crimson trace grips. My mom really like them. He said he found them online for $150.00. I'll be keeping my eye out.

Thanks to everyone else for the ammo recommendations.

My mom really likes shooting my CZ P-01, and my S&W .40, she just isn't comfortable with the manual of arms. It became obvious that clearing jams etc was gonna be a bit of a curve. Especially with the slide on the CZ. She is really liking the little, easy to carry and use 642.
 
Definitely use the lighter bullets in standard pressure.

Federal Personal Defense H-S 110gr
Winchester Silvertip 110gr
Federal Personal Defense Nyclad 125gr
Speer Gold Dot 125gr
Federal Gold Match Wadcutter 148gr

Also, a larger, three finger grip will go a long way toward reducing felt recoil.
 
Also, a larger, three finger grip will go a long way toward reducing felt recoil.
Click to expand...
That's a very good point. There are suitable inexpensive grips available from Pachmayr, Hogue and a few others if you want to stick with rubber.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

DMK
  • Locked
Need a light recoiling carry gun for mom
Replies
20
Views
763
Black Snowman
B
B
  • Locked
Helped my Mom get her first gun!!!
Replies
9
Views
526
Gunsnrovers
G
P
  • Locked
Effective .38 / .38+P defense rounds with modest recoil?
2
Replies
28
Views
4K
skoro
skoro
V
  • Locked
Wadcutters for .38 Special SD loads?
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
10K
suemarkp
S
T
  • Locked
Low Recoil .38 SPL Options?
Replies
14
Views
1K
Sistema1927
Sistema1927
Back
Top