.38 spc snubbie ammo Speer Vs Cor Bon

[Evil Stepdad]

From looking through this forum, the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +p seems to be a popular round for a 2" .38 special snubbie.

What about Cor Bon's DPX 110gr JHP. The December issue of Combat Handguns clocks this round at 1000fps out of a 2" barrel, which is more than the 850fps or so of the Speer.

Any thoughts on one vs the other?

 

[JERRY]

my choice for a .38spl in any barrel length is the remington 158gr. lhp +p or the cor-bon DPX 110gr.

but thats just me.

you have to be able to fire the gun accurately and with speed for the round to work......this is something only you can decide.

the speer round is not bad, better than most for a snubbie, but it doesnt show me anything over the two loads i mentioned.

 

[Jim March]

The Cor-Bon DPX, Remmie 158+P lead hollowpoint and Speer 135+P are all good rounds.

I'm a little bit leery of the light weight on the Cor-Bon but that's just guesswork on my part, it'll probably be fine. The Barnes all-copper slugs are all coming out with high marks and Cor-Bon is certainly loading them hot enough.

I find that the 135 Speer in 38+P flavor is very accurate in my snub and the same projectile in 357 is the most accurate slug I've seen in my 357. Since they print to about the same place in both calibers in my 357, I've standardized on the Speer 135s in both calibers. But all three are very valid choices in 38+P/snub ammo.

Right now I'm in Memphis TN testifying in an elections fraud trial tomorrow AM. My CCW from WA state is good here and the only gun I had available for this trip was my Ruger New Vaq with a 4.68" tube. In a fanny pack it's stoked with the Speer 135 38+P with reloads available in both that and the 357 flavor. I do not feel undergunned .

(My motorhome is getting an engine swap several hundred miles away from where I left for Memphis, and it's got my snubbie in it.)

 

[symr00]

I'd be leery of anything under 115gr for self defense. Stick with what's been proven like the 158gr LSWCHP or Speer's 135gr SB ammo.

 

[1 LT MPC]

In my snubbies that will shoot +P, I use only 158 lswchp + P ammo. Some of my snubs don't handle +P very well, so I use 148 gr. full sharp shoulder lead target wadcutters. Expansion is a problem out of a 2 inch barrel, plus P or not. :banghead:

 

[JERRY]

Expansion is a problem out of a 2 inch barrel, plus P or not.

not with the three loads previously mentioned.....

 

[Marshall]

Feast thy eyes upon the data of our own Mr. Stephen Camp.

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

 

[RandyB]

Marshall thanks for the site information and thanks to Mr. Camp for the wrtie up. I found it informative. I've been carrying the 158 LHP +p for years, but was going to go with the CCI since I have heard good things from them and I like them in my other guns. The Barnes bullet does have me interested as I became a fan of them from deer hunting. I do believe that Cor-bon might end up getting their first purchase from me.

 

[Jkwas]

I have a 357 snub, and I swear those 38spl corbons are more brutal on my hand than the 357 rounds! They must load them them with plutonium or something because I couldn't even get thru the box of 20.
I prefer the gold dots or remington jhp.

 

[1 LT MPC]

This quote was taken from Tactical Forum--I could not copy the pictures.
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I've been using the search function and have been finding alot of discussion on 38 Special 158gr LHP fired out of 2 inch barrels. These bullets have been praised for their effectiveness when fired out of 3 or 4 inch barrels. However, they have trouble expanding at 2 inch velocities.

I remember reading somewhere (forgot where) that the 158 gr LHP was found to be effective in actual shootings when fired from a 2 inch barrel. This got me thinking about a possible explanation for the reported effectiveness of the LHP bullet that is related to the findings here on wadcutter bullets.

The following picture shows various bullets fired through ballistic gelatin with and without denim. Notice that the front of the fired, unexpanded 158gr Remington LHP looks similar to the fired 148gr lead Winchester WC except for the hollow cavity. The nose of the LHP has very slightly expanded to full bullet diameter. I have done my own testing using water filled, fabric covered, plastic jugs and have observed similar results. Sometimes the hollow cavities of the LHPs, fired from the 2 inch gun, actually belled out a little past bullet diameter and the edges remained fairly sharp.

I believe that the 38 Special +P 158gr LHP, when fired from 2 inch barrels, performs similarly to a 148 gr full wadcutter lead bullet. The main difference between the two loads is the higher velocity of +P 158gr LHP. I have no problem controlling this +P load in my S&W M 60 which is equipped with boot grips.

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Posts: 58 | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged |

 

[Evil Stepdad]

Feast thy eyes upon the data of our own Mr. Stephen Camp.

Thanks for the link, that is exactly what I was looking for!

 

[Jim March]

What 1 LT MPC makes sense in those cases where the 158 doesn't expand. And it's one reason I've taken an interest in handloading the Penn Thunderhead 230gr "monster wadcutter from hell" in 357Mag cases at around 1,000fps.

That said, a LOT of data says the Remmie 158+P LHP does work out of snubbies - usually. But as 1 LT MPC guesses and I think he's right, even the "failures" ain't half bad.