.38 spl ammo

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monotonous_iterancy

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Lately I've been researching self-defense loads for a 2" .38 +p snub-nose. I've been reading a lot of conflicting information. Some people say hollowpoints are best, others say wadcutters. One side says +p rounds are the way to go, another says that regular .38 spl rounds are best because a 2" barrel isn't long enough to burn all the powder and take advantage of the +p capability.

Some say that the old FBI load is all they need. A few people say that it doesn't really matter what rounds you use so long as you can shoot accurately enough with it to save your life.

What should I be looking for? I understand that one must find a compromise between power, recoil and whatnot, but can someone sort out fact from fiction for me.
 
I load 'Critical Defense' +p into my 3", but I have doubts about the utility of +p in a short barrel - and I haven't had to shoot anybody, so don't know how effective it is. I'll let you know. ;)
 
Speer Gold Dot .38 Special +P 135 grain Short Barrel.

Look it up, watch some gel tests, get back to me. :cool:
 
+1 on Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel. If you can't find the Speer, Hornady Critical Defense would be a good choice too.
 
Modern defensive ammo is pretty well engineered. I think anything from a major maker that says 'short barrel' on the box would be a pretty safe bet.
 
what cooldill said... for summer (for me)

fall and winter I carry the 158-gr. +P SWCHP to defeat heavier clothing.
 
In some calibers, out of certain barrels, you'll often here than almost any hollow point ammo will be good defensive ammo, and in some cases that's true.

But, for .38 special when fired from the short ~2" snub nose barrels, it isn't true at all. It takes a properly designed hollow point to expand well, AND penetrate well from these short barrels. It also helps in general if recoil is kept under control, and muzzle flash is minimized. Well, I've done a heck of a lot of research on the subject since my EDC is a S&W 642 and I wanted the best defensive load I could find, and I've come to the conclusion that the Speer Gold Dot 135 grain +P Short Barrel is the best there is.

Check out this gel test from renowned YouTube ballistics ammo tester TNoutdoors9:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k890Rio2oBY

12 and 3/8" penetration, expansion of .54". I have fired this load many times in my S&W 642. What I've noticed is very subdued muzzle flash, and recoil is totally manageable and not painful in any way. This kind of performance couple with the manageability of the load, the excellent quality control, and affordable price (see below) is just not something you see everyday in this caliber out of these short guns.

This load is packed in 20 and 50 round boxes. The 50 round boxes are supposedly sold to Law Enforcement agencies, and sometimes you can find them for sale on the civilian market for much less per round than the 20 round commercial boxes. Right now, here's a great deal on the load in the harder to find 50 round boxes:

http://sgammo.com/product/38-specia...er-gold-dot-135-grain-hollow-point-ammo-53921

OP: It's your choice as to what ammo you pick, but I strongly suggest you consider this most excellent load. Have a good day! :D
 
It does perform well, but I fired this load side by side in my 642, both round loaded in the cylinder.

The Golden Sabers had a dramatic white muzzle flash, the Speer Gold Dots had almost none at all. Recoil was similar. Again, the Golden Sabers to work well from my research but in a defensive load having a low muzzle flash is important to me as most defensive encounters happen at night.
 
Some people say hollowpoints are best, others say wadcutters.
Click to expand...

Just use both! I like Buffalo Bore's offerings. They have both +P and standard loads with a 158gr SWCHP. The HP cavity is DEEEEEP! And the lead is on the soft side. If anything is gonna expand at 38 velocities, I would think that this would be it. And if not, you still have the positive characteristics of a (semi)WC.

The +P variety is a bit overzealous for a lightweight snubbie IMO. I tried that, which actually does chrono around 1000fps, but switched to their standard pressure load for carry. Even that is on par with most other manufacturers' +P loads.
 
mboe794 said:
Just use both! I like Buffalo Bore's offerings. They have both +P and standard loads with a 158gr SWCHP. The HP cavity is DEEEEEP! And the lead is on the soft side. If anything is gonna expand at 38 velocities, I would think that this would be it. And if not, you still have the positive characteristics of a (semi)WC.

The +P variety is a bit overzealous for a lightweight snubbie IMO. I tried that, which actually does chrono around 1000fps, but switched to their standard pressure load for carry. Even that is on par with most other manufacturers' +P loads.
Click to expand...
+1.

Deaf
 
.38spl defense rounds ....

The topics of defense rounds & "power" has been hotly debated for many years both on web forums/message boards then in printed gun magazines in the 1970s/1980s/1990s/2000s.
In short, there are a few great .38spl +P & +P+ rounds out there for snub revolvers.
You can pick what works best in your firearm or what meets your needs.
I've owned & packed a few .38spl DA only/snub revolvers since the early 1990s.
Here's what Id suggest to a new gun owner; Corbon DPX, Speer Gold Dot 135gr +P HP, Hornady Critical Defense, Glaser Safety Slug silver, DRT .38spl load, Winchester Defender brand .38spl +P or PDX1 130gr, Buffalo Bore 158gr lead SWC-HP +P, MagSafe SWAT.
Some cops & gunners dislike frangible or exotic loads like DRT or Magsafe. I don't suggest them for all defense uses but they do have limited applications & offer low recoil. I shot a few .45acp SWAT MagSafe rounds out of my Glock 21 gen 04 model & it was loud. :eek:
The loud blast may scare off a crook if you don't hit him first.
Speer Gold Dot T&Eed the 135gr +P .38spl with the NYPD firearm training unit for sworn personnel to carry with back up revolvers or S&W J frames.
I used Speer Gold Dot and Buffalo Bore with my .38spl revolvers in the 2000s. Id feel safe with either brand.
I would not carry or use any handloads or reloaded .38spl ammunition for personal defense. Only use factory rounds.
For context, Id research the FBI protocol T&Es. How a .38spl round does against common barriers like wood, auto glass, fibers/clothing, leather, etc is important.
Id also suggest looking into Bianchi speed strips or Tuff Products Quik Strips. Carrying at least one 5/6 round strip or speedloader is a good idea.
Some CCW license holders or gun owners say; "hey, so what" or "I don't care." but if you want to have added safety, start to carry spare ammunition.
Rusty
www.drtammo.com www.sgammo.com www.shopcorbon.com
 
Right now I'm shooting Speer short barrel 135gr .38 Special +P ammo and the FBI Load too. It depends on which J frame I'm carrying because some are more accurate than others with those 2 rounds. I also carry standard pressure Federal Nyclad ammo in an old Chief's Special and Colt Detective Special.

My point is, most of today's SD offerings will do a good job, find the one or two which are accurate in your revolve and carry that ammo. Since most bullets need to hit a set velocity to expand reliable I would carry a +P load to be sure. Don't worry about all the powder burning in a shorter barrel, just worry about accuracy and performance.
 
What should I be looking for?
Click to expand...

Any of the top shelf hollowpoint offerings from quality manufacturers will serve well. It's easy to overthink this point.

I think. ;)
 
Any of the top shelf hollowpoint offerings from quality manufacturers will serve well. It's easy to overthink this point.
Click to expand...

Well, not so fast.

Due to the OP having a .38 special snub nose with a 2" barrel, there are numerous .38 special hollow point factory loads that will not expand AT ALL from said short barrel. There are some that will expand, but will fall a bit short on penetration. Other designs are not appropriate at all for the task. The .38 snubs struggle with velocity, and you've got to have the right "formula" of velocity and bullet design for them to perform at their best.

Technically, any hollow point load from any manufacturer could work just fine, they'll all kill... but IMHO why not carry the most effective all around load you can get when your life is on the line? Every little bit helps.
 
it doesn't really matter what rounds you use so long as you can shoot accurately enough with it to save your life.
Click to expand...

This is what is critical, a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44. If you can't shoot the gun accurately, all you have is a noise maker that doubles as a paperweight.
 
This is what is critical, a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44. If you can't shoot the gun accurately, all you have is a noise maker that doubles as a paperweight.
Click to expand...

Yeah no kidding.

Let's give the OP the benefit of the doubt and assume that he can, in fact, shoot accurately.

If you can connect, might as well connect with the best bullet you can. A hit with a .44 is better than a hit with a .22, providing they're both hits in the same place. Just by nature of it being a .44 or .45, does not in any way automatically equate to wild marksmanship by way of the shooter. Frankly I hear this comment all the time, it's an old cliche that rings true... till it gets turned around by the logical assumption that not all shooters turn in to hopelessly awful shots when they get their hands on anything more powerful than a rimfire handgun.
 
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Overthinking .....

I don't think you can overthink a self defense issue, :rolleyes: .
As posted, the shorter; 2-3" barrel designs of the .38spl: +P, +P+ may make performance harder but some bullet designs/engineering can do well in snubs.
A small frame .38spl will always have lower muzzle vel & lower KE levels compared to bigger DA revolvers like the .44spl or .357magnum.
There is no secret formula or magic bullet you can buy to carry in a snub .38spl +P revolver.

FWIW, the frangibles and pre fragmented defense rounds like the Glaser Safety Slugs & DRT are meant for a short range(0-3ft) frontal shots or shots fired to the subject's chest/torso not lateral hits from the side or thru arms/shoulders. One round from a .38spl +P frangible may create a "one shot stop" but don't always count on it. To carry extra rounds or speed loaders is important.

Rusty
 
I see that SGAmmo has the 135gr +P Gold Dot .38 Specials back in stock again. I'm debating picking up a couple of boxes. I've already got some Remington 158gr +P LSWC that I normally load when I carry my Ruger LCRx, and I've also got a box or two each of the 125gr +P Golden Sabers, 125gr +P XTP from Hornady and even some 129gr +P Hydra-Shoks. It's not like I'm hurting for carry ammo, especially as I normally carry an HK auto. The old FBI load has a good track record but I'm intrigued by the GDs too.
 
I like using the most effective round I can get for self defense. But I also keep in mind that in a self defense situation, you are probably shooting at point blank range. A hit with any bullet is going to do some significant damage.
 
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