Deep penetrating .38 Special?

[nitesite]

Well, I gotta say it's a nice change of pace to read about effective loads for sharks than "What's best for bears?"!

 

[revolvergeek]

Interestingly enough it looks like Speer is also doing a non +P 135 TMJ/FP in their Blazer Brass line rated at 840 FPS out of a 2 inch barrel for 211 FPE.

http://www.le.atk.com/Interior.asp?section=2&page=pages/ccispeer/ccispeer_lawman.asp

 

[BluesBear]

usless

They used to sell a 200 grain almost spherical nosed bullet for 38 Special that would probably give the best results...

The old Wester Cartridge Company (Winchester) "Super Police" load.

600fps from a 6" barrel.I have seen them bounce off of 1/4" plywood used to hold targets.
Let me rephrase that.
I have FELT them bounce off 1/4" plywood.
(When they hit your ankle they sting like hell.)

 

[BigG]

Well, heck, I tried. I thought a heaping teaspoonful of 2400 a la Keith might do the trick. - Ouch! those rebounding slugs do hurt!

 

[BluesBear]

Yes a good Keith Bullet over 2400 should work quite nicely.
I've seen a couple of Whitetail taken with that type of load.


I produced a special run of 170gr FMJ .38 Special +P+ ammo for a Sheriff's department back in the early 1980s. It was (is) an Eastern Kentucky county where they had a lot of coal mine strikes. They requested a heavy bullet for maximum penetration. So they got them.

It seems that the doors on coal trucks are rather substantial.

 

[Nhsport]

I will also cast my vote for a swc. The rn in theory will give you more penetration but the swc has a much better reputation as a hunting round.Try to run it in a longer or at least a medium length barrel,and load it as fast as your type of gun will allow.

 

[nitesite]

Ooops! I didn't get the 158-gr +P LSWC at KYImports, it was from www.sportsmansguide.com.

My bad...

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=236196

 

[seeker_two]

You may also want to try the 158gr. FMJ flat-points from Sellier & Bellot. I usually keep a reload of it as backup for my .38's and .357's. The .38's are loaded warmer than the American loads, too.

If nothing else, you can pull the bullets and make your own +P loads with them...