Best STANDARD Pressure 38 Special Self Defense Ammo

[roaddog28]

I would have to agree with you statement. Most ammo in short barrel snubbies will not produce enough velocity to reliabity expand some brands of ammo. The old Federal Nyclad round would expand because of its design. Sadly, its hard to find the round any more. I have a S&W model 36 no dash 1 7/8 inch barrel. Now a days I will use the Buffalo 150 gr hard cast wadcutter. I don't worry about expansion. I would rather have penetration.
Howard

 

[Waywatcher]

Something that hasn't been said, but needs saying:

Pressure has zero effect on recoil. Absolutely no effect.

A standard pressure Buffalo Bore 158 grain bullet at 850fps hits back with 11.1 ft/lbs of energy.

A Gold Dot +P 135 grain bullet at 860 fps hits back with only 8.8 ft/lbs.

(These figures are using 12oz as the weight of the pistol.)

Gold Dot 135 +P is the best choice.

 

[Rob1109]

Buffalo Bore 150gr. full wad cutter hard cast at 850fps. Check it out!

 

[Waywatcher]

^^^10.2ft/lbs of recoil.

135 Gold Dot +P has 15% less recoil.

 

[Gordon]

Don't think the old flat latch S&W Airweight at 13 oz is that much heavier and I shoot 25 a year Rem 158 gr. SWCHP lead +p loads out of it at qualification time. I did this many years and just suck it up on recoil, I won't be shooting many of those. Sissy on the recoil? Then the 148 WC target load is what you want and it makes a nasty bleeding wound BTW!

 

[Water-Man]

Lots of good choices mentioned. Another I like is the Cor-Bon DPX Barnes 110gr. +P.

W-M

 

[7.62 Nato]

Lots of good choices mentioned. Another I like is the Cor-Bon DPX Barnes 110gr. +P.

W-M

I love Cor-Bon ammo, but doesn't the +P make it NOT standard pressure?

 

[Water-Man]

I use it in an LCR and, to me, it feels like a standard pressure round.

It's not easy to trust +P designations anymore as compared to days gone by.

W-M

 

[skt239]

Jake,

I don't think I've ever shot the 110 Corbons out of the 342, thanks for the info.

Now, I know you're only looking for standard pressure, however, if you ever get the +P itch, Underwood makes a very nice 125gr JHP +P. I've been shooting it recently from an Airweight and I have to say its quite manageable for what it is. I found the recoil to be far less than I expected from a round clocking 1000 fps out of a 3 inch barrel and minimal muzzle flash. I've been raving about their stuff for weeks and even ordered a few boxes of their .357 in the same bullet weight. Just thought I'd pass that along.

 

[s.forktraveler]

i have tried other mfgs. in my airweight but ended up with the 110 corbon you are using -- it is uncomfortable to shoot -- i practice with a lighter load & end each session with 10 corbon 110s -- a police officer at the range told me in the event of an emergency requiring the firing of my weapon the recoil would likely go unnoticed

 

[Deltaboy1984]

The 110 Hordany Critical Defense loads are comfortable out of my Charter Undercover but it weights about a pound vs 12 oz.

 

[DBR]

Bullet pull should be a real concern with the SW 342 and other very light weight revolvers. I tested 125gr Nyclad, 158gr +P SWCHP (Rem, Win and Fed) and several other common 38SPL loads through my SW 342. They all showed some degree of pull by the fifth round. This seems to be less of an issue with the slightly heavier 442/642 models.

The rounds that did not show pull included the 135gr +P Speer HP, Corbon 110gr DPX +P, BB 148gr hard cast wadcutter, and target 148gr wadcutters (Rem, Win, Fed).

Personally, I believe penetration must come first. By this measure the BB hard cast wadcutter is my first choice. If recoil is prohibitive then a 148gr wadcutter is second choice. They actually have pretty good terminal effect and are recommended by some well regarded experts.

Another thing I have noticed is many modern expanding bullets do not track straight after they expand. They tend to turn sideways and can slew several inches off course. I like the idea that a full wadcutter usually goes straight through the target.

ADDED: The 135gr Speer +P HP is an excellent load but it is HOT. Recoil is significant in a light gun.

 

[jdmb03]

I know it's not standard pressure but the God Dot short barrel .38 +p works well in snubbies.
http://www.speer-ammo.com/ballistics/ammo.aspx

 

[Gary A]

DBR wrote "The 135gr Speer +P HP is an excellent load but it is HOT."

I love that round but agree with his assessment. Many older guns were advised to shoot either a limited diet of plus P or none at all in the day when plus P meant a 158 grain lead SWCHP at no more than 18,500 psi. Standards have changed and Speer's own technical manual states that the 135 grain .38+P has a maximum average pressure of 21,500 psi, though an email I received from Speer claims it is actually 20,000. So, instead of a lead HP at 18,500, the Speer load is a fully jacketed HP at at least 20,000 psi. I don't use it in my older non plus P rated snubbies for that reason, though I would if my bacon depended on it. Speer's test gun was a steel framed Model 640.

I won't use the Buffalo Bore at all in these guns because I don't believe it is reasonable to expect something for nothing and I believe it is the back thrust which stretches frames, not the pressure. YMMV.

 

[sixgunner455]

I usually have Speer Gold Dot 125gr Standard Pressure in my J frame. It is as mild as anything I've put through that revolver, low flash, shot-to-shot recovery is excellent, accuracy is as good as can be expected.

YMMV, but I read once that it doesn't really matter much what load you put through your J-frame/2" belly gun, because most of it isn't going to be going very fast or expand very much, so the important thing is to find a load that you can stand to shoot, and that is accurate.

With that in mind, I have often thought that the wadcutter option might be the best, except for reloading in a hurry. But that won't matter for the load that is actually in the gun while you pack it around.

 

[Hapworth]

I usually have Speer Gold Dot 125gr Standard Pressure in my J frame.

Just curious -- why not Speer's GD Short Barrel version? Also, I think the Speer GD 125 is +P.

YMMV, but I read once that it doesn't really matter much what load you put through your J-frame/2" belly gun, because most of it isn't going to be going very fast or expand very much, so the important thing is to find a load that you can stand to shoot, and that is accurate.

I think there's truth to that with some loads, but a few have proved themselves (like the FBI load, which is why it remains so popular), and others more modern loads specifically made for short barrels put up good numbers, too.

I'd say the trick is experimenting with the proven loads -- all discussed in this thread -- and find the one you and your gun "like" the most.

 

[sixgunner455]

Just curious -- why not Speer's GD Short Barrel version? Also, I think the Speer GD 125 is +P.

Speer makes a variety of Gold Dot loads in .38 Special, including a 125gr standard pressure. Why that load? Several reasons: it's standard pressure, and I don't like shooting +p in my j frame. The 135gr short barrel load is a +p load. A 125 gr standard pressure load recoils less than heavier, hotter loaded bullets. I load a 125 gr lead round nose bullet for practice, so I'm practicing with a load that feels the same as my business loads. And finally, I got a really good deal on 3 boxes of 50 rounds years ago, and like I said, I don't shoot the business loads all that often. I snapped those LE sized boxes up in a heartbeat, and have used them ever since. This was before the short barrel load even existed, see. I'm running out now, but I see no reason to switch. The stuff is accurate, and runs in my gun. In fact, most of the time, that's what I have loaded in my K frame as well. Just simpler to keep one load. Another reason I use it is, it really makes a mess out of melons. *shrug* It works.

I'll be making an order from here, even though that's a LOT more per box than I paid for all three boxes I bought originally. But those guys stock it, which most places don't.

Finally, numbers on defense loads in a little gun like this aren't impressive, no matter what the load is, unless you like shooting .357 out of them. I won't do that, so I just stick with something that has proven to me to work, and drive on. I had to kill a deer once at close range with a pocket handgun, since it was the only thing I had with me. It was a standard velocity, 125 gr Speer Gold Dot. Shot placement and penetration = bang/flop. Any handgun, and any bullet, would have done basically the same thing, I realized. Ever since, I haven't stressed over this too much.

 

[Dudemeister]

I know the OP mentioned the gun was marked "Jacketed loads only", but assuming that is more of a warning against repeated use, for self defense I would consider a full wadcutter. That kind of bullet, will do and amazing amount of damage upon penetration resulting in instant trauma & shock.

 

[35 Whelen]

That "brutal" recoil is caused by recoil velocity, not recoil energy as is often stated. Remember: Newton's Third Law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So when you launch a bullet at relatively high velocity (as in the case of the 110 gr. HP), the handgun thrusts back at relatively high velocity with a sudden jolt or snap. Lots of recoil velocity, not much recoil momentum.

On the other hand a heavier projectile, say a 158 gr bullet, is quite different. Recoil from the heavier bullet typically "feels" lower and the handgun is more apt to roll or tilt up in recoil rather than quickly jab back into your hand. This because even though the recoil energy may be similar to that with the lighter bullet, during recoil the handgun is moving rearward at a lower velocity. Lower recoil velocity, higher recoil momentum.

A couple of years ago I bought my wife a Charter Arms Pink Lady. She loves it, but also at 12 oz. reoil can be a handful. I don't trust jacketed hollow points because from tests I've seen if the cavity fills with fabric or causes the cavity to fold in, the bullet may not expand.

For my wifes pistol I handload a soft cast 150 gr. HPSWC or a standard 158 gr. SWC either to around 750-800 fps. Even at those relatively low velocities, it takes a pretty tight grip to keep muzzle flip to a minimum.

35W

 

[Stormin.40]

To answer one of the OP's question, what bullet weight for standard pressure loads. In my S&W 642 only 148 and 158 grain bullets hit POA, lighter bullet weights at standard pressure shot low. Speer's 135gr +P Gold Dots shoot POA for me and is my load of choice for personal protection.