Bullet Weight in a 2” Barrel Revolver

[fxvr5]

It's counterintuitive, but heavier bullets tend to do better from short barrels compared to lighter bullets. A heavy bullet has a longer dwell time in the barrel, thus more time for the powder to burn and transfer that chemical potential energy into kinetic energy. Then the question is, can the heavier bullet still reliably expand.

What do you mean by 'do better'?

 

[Eutycus]

Since we are on the topic of snub noses I'm assuming we are talking about shooting at people and not animals. What sort of humans live in y'all neighborhood? I would think any 38 as long as it isn't a shotshell should stop, disable, or slow down a human attacker.But there are exceptions like being "hopped up" on drugs, in that case I wouldn't place too much faith in any 38.

 

[zeke]

Opinions, purposes and experiences differ. Gave up on quest of fast light expanding bullets from 38 snub (638) years ago. Have gone to mild mannered 158-160 wnfp (or swc) (on rare occasions am actually carrying a snub 38 anymore).
Reasons being;
the snub used had sight regulated to the 158 gn bullet. While 25 yds may be beyond what some consider the snubs purpose, was raised to keep my options open.
less recoil, blast than max loaded jhp's, more easily controlled
not worried about expansion
more concerned with adequate penetration, especially if hitting something hard
practice rounds can be same as carried rounds, and cheaper

 

[PapaG]

One thing to keep in mind is poi for different weight bullets can vary a lot.

 

[nugi]

Seems like no one agrees which ballistic tests are valid, as in, which light fast hollowpoints are actually going to do their job out of 1 and 7/8ths

 

[ballman6711]

You haven't told us your specific gun except that it's a snub, so we can only assume it's a 38 spcl. If that's the case, I would do some penetration and accuracy testing with a few different types and weights of bullets and forget about expansion since you probably won't get reliable expansion if you get any at all.

Just my thoughts.

chris

 

[fxvr5]

You haven't told us your specific gun except that it's a snub, so we can only assume it's a 38 spcl. If that's the case, I would do some penetration and accuracy testing with a few different types and weights of bullets and forget about expansion since you probably won't get reliable expansion if you get any at all.

Some do, some don't.

.38 Special and .357 Magnum Self-Defense Ammo Ballistics Test - LuckyGunner.com Labs

We conducted ballistics gelatin tests for 38 self-defense revolver loads in 38 Special and 357 Magnum. Here are the full results along with photos and video

www.luckygunner.com

 

[ballman6711]

Qoute from the linked article:

"So with that in mind, a handgun can quickly and definitively stop a determined attacker only if two conditions are met:

1. Adequate shot placement: The gun must be fired at a so-called “vital area” of the attacker. This usually means the heart or the brain/spine. Hits to the lungs and other organs can also be effective, but results may be slower.
2. Adequate penetration: The bullet must have the ability to penetrate whatever is between the muzzle and those vital organs in order to disrupt their function — for non-uniformed civilians, this typically includes clothing, tissue, and bone.

That’s it. No matter what else may happen during the course of a lethal confrontation, if you shoot the guy in the right spot with a bullet that penetrates deep enough, the threat will go down."

Some do, some don't.

.38 Special and .357 Magnum Self-Defense Ammo Ballistics Test - LuckyGunner.com Labs

We conducted ballistics gelatin tests for 38 self-defense revolver loads in 38 Special and 357 Magnum. Here are the full results along with photos and video

www.luckygunner.com

True, but I would do my own testing if I were looking for bullet expansion from a .38 snub nose revolver.

A larger wound cavity should/would promote more bleeding, which should/would stop an attacker faster due to blood loss. But a bullet that expands and doesn't penetrate to the vitals may not stop an attacker for a few minutes or more, allowing them to continue and cause injury or death to the attacked person.

I will say it again, I personally would prioritize penetration over expansion in a .38 spcl snub nose revolver, and would do my own testing in my gun to determine the suitability of the load. I would be very curious what the delivered energy upon impact in ft/lbs is with any of the bullets in the linked test.

chris

 

[jmr40]

Conventional wisdom has always said heavier bullets in shorter barrels. Short barrels may not give enough velocity for expansion anyway.

But I don't believe that is carved in stone. There are a wide range of better bullets today than 50 years ago.

 

[fxvr5]

I would be very curious what the delivered energy upon impact in ft/lbs is with any of the bullets in the linked test.

You can crunch the numbers here:

Muzzle Energy Calculator & Guide

A look at what muzzle energy is and how it impacts shooting. Plus, check out our free & easy to use muzzle energy calculator.

www.ammunitiontogo.com

 

[GRIZ22]

I carry factory 148 hbwc in a 2" j frame. Reloads are 158 swc, std velocity (easier to reload revolver). Both give adequate penetration. I never carry +P in a j frame unless it's rated for 357.

 

[Bill M]

Back in the day, our area had an "interagency pig hunt" with all participating with duty guns and ammo. The pigs were ferrel, and some say they are as difficult to kill as humans. My good friend was allowed to carry a 9mm, but had a 38 Chiefs Special in his boot. His 9mm load was 9BP Federal, a standard load, but I had travelled to work a couple of hundred miles away, and purchased several hundred Federal 125 +P Hydroshocks which I had shared with him. He killed a pig the first day with his 9mm, so the next day he carried his 38 on his hip, managed to get a 10 yd shot, and dropped the pig with one shot. The exercise was supposed to instill confidence in the officers weapons, and ammunition, he was satisfied.
I praised him for his shooting, but he reminded me that the pigs weren't armed!

 

[AJC1]

With 2" barrels a lot of hollowpoints don't function properly. My belief is a high sectional density with a large meplat is the best option for blood loss.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve watched dozens of videos on bullets from 90 to 200gr from the .38Spl.
Very few will expand from a 2”bbl. If they do, penetration is poor.
My experience is find a load that shoots close to POA and that’s usually a 148-158gr bullet around 800fps. Ballistic gel testing shows that a Semi-wadcutter is better than a round nose. Wadcutters are even better.

If you don’t reload, Precision Delta, Zero, Georgia Arms, and a number of others offer both new and reloaded ammo for more economical practice.
Practice frequently and DRY FIRE, DRY FIRE. DRY FIRE…
One well placed shot with a revolver beats an empty magazine of misses with a Wunder-9, every time! Even the FBI once found that out.

I carry a 148gr powder coated DEWC @800fps in my 2” Taurus M856. At 7yds I can bounce bottle caps. It’s actually the gun of my dreams. Accurate, reliable, smooth, attractive, and 6-shots! For reloads, the speed loaders are loaded with 160gr RFN over the same powder charge.
It’s not the “arrows”, it’s the “Indian” that counts…

 

[GooseGestapo]

Back in the day, our area had an "interagency pig hunt" with all participating with duty guns and ammo. The pigs were ferrel, and some say they are as difficult to kill as humans. My good friend was allowed to carry a 9mm, but had a 38 Chiefs Special in his boot. His 9mm load was 9BP Federal, a standard load, but I had travelled to work a couple of hundred miles away, and purchased several hundred Federal 125 +P Hydroshocks which I had shared with him. He killed a pig the first day with his 9mm, so the next day he carried his 38 on his hip, managed to get a 10 yd shot, and dropped the pig with one shot. The exercise was supposed to instill confidence in the officers weapons, and ammunition, he was satisfied.
I praised him for his shooting, but he reminded me that the pigs weren't armed!

Get close enough and you’ll find out that they actually are ARMED!
Imagine a doped-up gang banger with a couple of switch blades and you’ll be pretty close…

 

[CraigC]

Sorry, wrong thread.

 

[Bill M]

Get close enough and you’ll find out that they actually are ARMED!

I lived on a ranch during my later high school, where I was taken in by a really great guy! We were down by the river, and had to get down to flush some cows from the brush, when I saw a Javalina. Tom and I had a game where I would say "bet you a quarter", and I would try to rope whatever the critter was, (sometimes I was successful)! He hollared "no, no, they got tusques!", I caught him for about 5 seconds before he turned his head and severed my fairly new rope! He did run off, but I see what Tom meant by the "Tusques"!

 

[Dunross]

If it has to expand I favor a 125gr bullet. Specifically I choose one from the list Lucky Gunner tested out of 2" barrels. Now that some of them can be found again!

If it doesn't have to expand then a full wadcutter in the 120gr-148gr range. No need to go hot. They'll penetrate plenty at 700fps. I'm using Winchester.

 

[Jim Watson]

I could not find my old standard "FBI/Chicago" 158 gr lead hollowpoint, so I just read the box labels and bought some Speer 135 gr Short Barrel Gold Dots. I have reloaded this and that for practice.

 

[Ethan Verity]

What do you mean by 'do better'?

I mean that they have higher muzzle energy (ft/lbs) than comparable lighter-bullet loaded rounds. Since the heavier bullet also has a higher sectional density, this means it will only increase that energy advantage down range.