.38 Special +P LSWCHP 158 gr Remington VS. Winchester

[Matt King]

Who makes the .38 Special +P LSWCHP 158 better, Remington or Winchester?

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Scroll down through the link below and there is a comparison of them shot into water:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38 Special Expansion Tests.htm

The link below compares Remington's 158-gr. LSWCHP +P with Corbon's DPX and Speer's 135-gr. Gold Dot.

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

In short, it appears that when fired from 3" bbl's or longer, there's not much difference. From the short snub bbl's, I prefer Remington.

Best.

 

[grimjaw]

I haven't been able to find the Remington load locally, but I've clocked the Winchester out of a 3" barrel. Not at all impressive through the chronograph, but it might do well on tissue.

http://grimjaw.net/ballistics.htm

jm

 

[Matt King]

Thanks for the advice.
The Revolver that I will be using the 38 Special +P LSWCHP 158 in, is a Smith and Wesson 586 .357 revolver w/ a four inch barrel. Since it appears that there is not much difference between the two when fired from a four inch barrel, I will go with whichever one I can find cheaper.

 

[jad0110]

The Remington is made of a softer lead than the Winchester, so it will probably expand more reliably, though the Winchester won't scum up your barrel quite as much. I prefer the Remi.

Check out this article, just scroll down to the 38 Special heading:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_3_48/ai_82551648/pg_4

I bought my Remingtons (R38S12) from:

http://east.outdoormarksman.com/adv...0f915817264228d7d315f&search_in_description=1

Though the ammo can be found a little cheaper elsewhere, I found the shipping rates to be more reasonable than many other sites which more than makes up for the difference.

Note that Remington refers to this round as a Lead Hollowpoint, which can be confusing. The R38S12 is a LSCWHP, the famed FBI Load.

 

[Jim March]

Both are better than the Federal of the same type, which is out of production but still turns up at Ammoman and gun shows. Cor-Bon used to make one too, and it was hot as hell...1,000fps from a snubby and was known for severe barrel leading.

Buffalo Bore has the same recipe as the old Cor-Bon but with a gas check (basically a copper base-plate heat shield) to reduce the leading. The BuffBore is without doubt the finest round of this type ever made, but it's pricy and (in my opinion) only for use in relatively strong 38Spls guns and of course any 357Magnum.

The Remmie and Winchester variants are a great way to keep an older gun in service. While rated "+P" they're not going to be very hard on the gun. I would shoot small amounts of these in, say, an older Colt Detective Special or old S&W M&P that was in otherwise good condition as per "the checkout" (see stickied thread this forum). I shoot mild amounts of them in my late '70s Charter Arms Undercover 38, another gun not normally known for being able to take a lot of +P.

I would NOT shoot Buffalo Bore or Cor-Bon 38+P of any type through my old Charter.