.38 Special LRN

[kannonfyre]

Do you guys have a favourite brand of .38 Special 158gr LRN standard velocity practice ammunition?

Factors to consider are cost, shot to shot consistency, accuracy, amount of perceived dirtiness and off hand shooting accuracy.

So...with regard to the above criteria, does Winchester USA brand surpass the LRN practice offerings from Remington, Magtech, Sellier & Bellot...? Or Do others produce better LRN standard pressure shooting loads?

 

[ugaarguy]

I've had good luck with the Black Hills 158gr LSWC reloads. A local shop sells them at a good price and IMHO they have better quality lead bullets than the WWB and American Eagle target loads.

 

[Jim March]

The LRNs are just SO useless for anything other than plinking/practice that if I can find more or less anything else at a similar price I'll buy them. I can't even see LRN marks in a target very easily at 15 yards or more...anything flat-faced does a better paper-punch.

LSWC (Keith-style profile or similar) can be pressed into defensive use in a pinch and work much better than LRN. Full wadcutters are mild and accurate and can be used for small game loads in a survival situation. And so on. I rarely see LRN even offered for sale much.

 

[bpisler]

Nope, i prefer LSWC's for practice and 95%
of those are my own reloads.I found that
most factort RNL rounds are soft lead and
very messy and a pain to clean up.

 

[RON in PA]

While I shoot mostly my own reloads I have shot a fair amount of Remington UMC 158 grain RN ammo. It's dirty (but most lead 38 special is) and not as accurate as my handloads, but it always goes bang. Recently however all I see for sale in places like Walmart and Dick's are 130 grain jackete ammo. Now we're talking wimpy.

 

[S&WIowegan]

WWB 130 grs.

Not only are the 130s wimpy, they won't make minor for various shooting sports What's more, they have a nasty bark and blast which probably means Winchester uses a fast powder. Not good ammo in my opinion........but then I'm a dedicated handloader.

Bob.

 

[asknight]

+1 on the Black Hills LSWC!

 

[kannonfyre]

Educated Guesses about muzzle velocity

It's been tough getting chronograph data (since I don't own one) and the folks over at fiocchi HQ have been very evasive, but I'd like to ask for an educated guess from you guys:

Based on your experiences (if any) shooting maroon/purple box made in Italy fiocchi "standard velocity" .38 Special 158gr LRNs as compared to other LRN target loads from other manufacturers, is it safe to say that since the fiocchi seems to kick harder than other rounds, it should be going AT LEAST 800ft/s out of a 4" barrel?

Narrative comparisons between cowboy ammo .38 special ammo (158gr at 800ft/s) and the made in Italy fiocchi LRN are welcome.

 

[AirForceShooter]

For plinking:
Georgia Arms .38 Special, 158 Gr., LRN @ 775 fps.
Accurate and clean in both my Ruger Blackhawk and the Rossi .357.

AFS

 

[MCgunner]

I've never bought a round nose load in .38. The only store bought ammo in .38 I ever remember buying is a box of Nyclads which turned out to be very inaccurate, a box of WWB 125gr JHPs which are accurate, but hit very low, and a box of Remington hollow base wadcutters which were unreal accurate. Over 90 percent of my shooting with .38 special is with cast wadcutter reloads or 158 grain SWC reloads. I also reload a 105 grain SWC light load that my .357 carbine likes and also shoot it in my Taurus M85. It hits low, but I have an elevation wire in the front sight to compensate for it.

My wadcutter load is frugal on powder and super duper accurate to plink with. I have never desired anything with a round nose.

 

[Doug.38PR]

Winchester 150 gr LRN is what I typically shoot with that type of bullet. Recently I have moved towards Remington LRN 158 gr. Prefer it over the 150 gr

 

[minuteman1970]

I use the Black Hills reloads.

 

[_N4Z_]

CCI Blazer 158gr LRN, el cheapo @ 7 bucks for a box of 50.

Smokey, dirty, no recoil to speak of even off hand. They make holes in paper. They are accurate out of my gp100, but then pretty much everything I've tried is. (luv that gp )

Useless? Well I still would NOT step up to be hit by one. Imagine one of those to the head would be life threatening at the very least. Just my semi educated guess though.