Defensive round for Ruger SP-101 3inch

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jsfeni

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I have a good idea what will work but still had a few questions.

I am actually looking for possibly two different rounds. One for home defense with hallways and low light. So noise, flash, and recoil are of concern.

The other is for outside defense such as camping or hiking. Here I am more concerned with stopping power. Although I'm not sure I want a full house .357 load as follow up shots would be slower due to recoil. Also, my smaller wife may need to handle it.

I am a bit confused over the pros and cons of a powerful .38 +P load versus a reduced power .357. If both have similar speed and energy, what are the differences? Flash, noise?

I have been looking at these:

Car-bon 110 grain .38 +P DPX 1050 FPS / 269 ft. lbs.
Speer 135 grain .357 Short barrel 990 FPS / 294 ft. lbs.

I appreciate any information.
 
Car-bon 110 grain .38 +P DPX 1050 FPS / 269 ft. lbs.
Speer 135 grain .357 Short barrel 990 FPS / 294 ft. lbs.
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Can't go wrong with either of those. I have an SW640 and an SP101. I have carried either or both guns and either or both rounds (not in the same gun at the same time). I would feel adequately armed either way. Those are the only two .38 SD rounds I keep at home.
 
I suggest shooting those loads to see how they shoot point of aim/point of impact (POA/POI) in your gun first.
While doing so, take note of muzzle flash, shot to shot recovery (recoil), and report (noise).

Each gun is different...

Personally I prefer a Standard Pressure, 38 spl. 158 gr, LSWC for indoors.

-lower pressure round.
-find one with less muzzle flash.
-shot to shot recovery allow quick effective hits, due to less felt recoil, and keep in mind hearing protection lessens felt recoil. In a serious situation, one most likely will not have on hearing protection. Yes, auditory exclusion occurs, still there is no guarantee it will. Keep in mind also, being able communicate.
Be this with others in the structure, or first responders, or hearing movement /communications of BGs.
-Suggested is: keeping in mind the "smallest" person in a structure.
In other words, if you are down, can another effectively shoot your gun. Like a teenage, spouse, wife, grandparent...

I believe in 3" revolvers, I just feel they are the best Combat size.
I also believe in dedicated .38spl revolvers , especially for indoors.

So I did in fact keep mine, and those I bought/were bought for inside structures loaded with the standard pressure, 158 gr, LSWC.

One business had the employees try some guns and the SP101 was the ones the ladies and gents preferred. All the employees wore one on person, or had one in a desk. There were others scattered about the business as well. Folks took them home and they served as home guns.

My Model 64, 3" RB, also like and shot POA/POI with Win STHP 125 gr +p.
These folks commented on how neat that load looked in a stainless gun.
The SP101 we had bought, about 15 of them for this business, did very well with that load.

So the STHP was the "BBQ Gun Load" (running joke, the girls/ladies liked it , still it was a good load in those guns).

Serious outdoor, the old FBI load, which is a 158 gr + p load is a good one.

I do suggest folks try loads, especially for indoors, "indoors" includes inside a vehicle as well.
 
hearing protection lessens felt recoil. In a serious situation, one most likely will not have on hearing protection.
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Muzzle flip or felt recoil? Although it might not be the same for other people, when I was in a fight, and once when I just had a very bad cut, I felt nothing to amost nothing. Outside of ultra-magnums, you probably won't notice any pain from recoil.
 
I appreciate all the replies. Good points to think about.

I will try to do as suggested and just go do some shooting.

I am going to start with a couple of the Buffalo Bore loads and go from there. The 125 grain .38 JHP and 158 grain .38 +P SWHP look interesting.

Thanks
 
In my SP101 that I keep in the nightstand it is loaded Speer Gold Dot 125 gr. JHP. I know that Hornady makes a ammo that is called TAP, designed for low light areas. I don't know if thay make them for 357 Mag though.
 
+ 1 to the Buffalo Bore "Standard Pressure" .38 spl round. Highly accurate and comfortable to shoot, its what I usually carry in my Ruger.
 
Just so you know the speer 135 grain short barrel you listed will be traveling a lot faster than 990 fps from a 3 inch SP101. Speer list this velocity from a 2 inch ported barrel. I constantly get close to 1200 fps with them from a 2-1/4 inch SP101.
 
Sounds like good rounds to me. An sp101 can handle any magum rounds you feed it; Cor-bon, Grizzly Cartridge, Double Tap, Federal, and Buffalo Bore all make powerful hardcasts that are good for trail ammo.

For house ammo, +p DPX is fine. .38+p recoil isn't much of an issue with such a heavy little gun.
 
Just so you know the speer 135 grain short barrel you listed will be traveling a lot faster than 990 fps from a 3 inch SP101.

Not in my experience, as I pointed out previously in this link:

http://grimjaw.net/ballistics.htm

Chronied at less than 990fps, but still respectable.

jm
 
The load listed on that page is for 38SP +P. The load in question was the 357mag.
 
Of the 2 loads you listed for HD I would choose the Speer .357 Magnum load. It's low flash and uses a bullet designed to reliably expand at velocities as low as 800 fps. It is a very low flash round.

As for woods carry, I would go with a heavy hard cast bullet although that might be harsh on a small revolver like the SP101.
 
I use the Buffalo Bore 158 +p 38's. Pretty hot for 38's but nowhere near a hot .357 load.
 
Remington lead HP .38's when I can find them. Otherwise, I buy either Federal 129 grain JHP or Speer Gold Dot 125's. The latter are especially accurate in an S&W M-60-4, but I expect them to do well in the SP-101, too. Will hopefully see next week.

If in cougar or bear country and relying on the three-inch SP, I'd probably load Federal's 158 grain JHP's, but that will bounce a lot in a gun that size.
Rather carry a larger .357, unless concealment was a primary factor.

I want to try those Buffalo Bore rounds.

Won't use .357 loads indoors, though. Value my eardrums too much.

Lone Star
 
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