Does anybody carry Buffalo Bore 110g TAC-XP +P 38 Special?

[Macchina]

I found this stuff for pretty cheap (pretty sad when just over $1/round is a good deal) and bought a couple boxes. I have seen a few reviews of the Corbon version of this load, but the Buffalo Bore does an honest 1100 FPS+ from a snubbie!

My main question is has anybody experienced any keyholing when fired from a snub? Some of the reviews of the standard pressure Corbon ammo had a bit of this when fired from a 642.


Buffalo Barnes 110g 38 SPL +P

 

[tomrkba]

I think 110's are too light and carry at least 130 grain JHP.

 

[Macchina]

Why are 110s too light but 130s are heavy enough?

 

[J.R.W.]

Oh about 18%.

 

[Macchina]

But what about the 30% increase in speed

 

[Panzerschwein]

I prefer a heavier bullet for the snubs. I currently carry the Speer Gold Dot 135 grain .38 special +P Short Barrel load. It has excellent expansion, fires a relatively heavy bullet for deep penetration, uses a bonded bullet that isn't prone to fragmenting, and recoil isn't too bad and muzzle flash is minimal.

I was using Remington Golden Saber 125 grain .38 special +P's, which also perform very nicely from 1 7/8" barrels. However, shooting a cylinder with alternating Golden Sabers and the Gold Dot load mentioned above, I was amazed at how much less muzzle flash the Gold Dots had. Also recoil seemed to be somewhat lighter with the Speer load.

IMHO it is the best thing going for .38 special snub nose guns capable of using +P ammo. It also has a nice track record built up, I've heard from different sources that it has been used with success in several officer involved shootings. This load was specifically requested by the NYPD, and Speer delivered. The LAPD followed suit after the NYPD adopted the round. It is used in those department's off duty/back up revolvers.

Give it a try and do some research on it, you might like what you find!

 

[Water-Man]

I carry the CorBon DPX 110gr. +P in my LCR.

Performance is great and less recoil than the Gold Dot Short Barrel.

 

[Macchina]

I carry the CorBon DPX 110gr. +P in my LCR.

Performance is great and less recoil than the Gold Dot Short Barrel.

That is the same bullet as the Buffalo Bore load. Have you shot it from your snub? How was accuracy and velocity?

 

[Water-Man]

I wouldn't be carrying them if I hadn't shot them first.

POA at twenty feet and about 990fps with an LCR .38spl+P.

 

[tomrkba]

Why are 110s too light but 130s are heavy enough?

1) Flame cutting of the frame from the gasses as the shorter 110 grain bullet passes into the forcing cone.

Look at Iowegan's post:
http://rugerforum.net/reloading/17219-why-do-only-lighter-bullets-cause-flame-cutting.html

2) We're limiting ourselves to revolver capacity. There is no reason to downgrade the bullet unless the shooter has some sort of physical limitation. I prefer to have harder hitting bullets at higher velocity. Then again, I don't use small snubbies either.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

It is a good round. FYI, the keyholing was only occurring when Corbon was loading them in the DPX brand as standard pressure ammunition. They upped it a bit and produced them as +P (the current corbon loading of this barnes round) and keyholing is no longer an issue out of the snubs.

FYI, I think it is an excellent round, if you can handle the recoil of the buffalo bore loaded one from the 642. I find Buffalo Bores 150 grain hardcast wadcutter to be more appropriate for my needs based on accuracy and follow up shots. The BB version of the Barnes bullet was just too much for me in a 442. Awesome round out of a model 10 though or an Sp101, but my personal preference is for heavy for caliber bullets rather than light for caliber which the 110 grain is IMHO.

FYI

http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8074&SearchTerms=38,dpx



I don't like this test very much, but it is one piece of data favoring this round:

http://www.brassfetcher.com/38 Special/38 Special Bone Test.pdf

 

[Water-Man]

1) Flame cutting of the frame from the gasses as the shorter 110 grain bullet passes into the forcing cone.

Look at Iowegan's post:
http://rugerforum.net/reloading/17219-why-do-only-lighter-bullets-cause-flame-cutting.html

2) We're limiting ourselves to revolver capacity. There is no reason to downgrade the bullet unless the shooter has some sort of physical limitation. I prefer to have harder hitting bullets at higher velocity. Then again, I don't use small snubbies either.

This thread is all about revolver ammunition.

 

[dprice3844444]

32 bucks for 20 rounds?

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.centerfireguns.com/buffalo-bore-38spc-p-110g-tacxp-20-12-20f-20.html

here's some just google it

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

I don't use the Buffalo Bore ammo but load my own for .38 special in a Ruger LCR. After serious consideration and testing for shot recovery (recoil management) accuracy and velocity I have settled on some 110 gr. lead wad cutters pushed as hard as my Wife and I can handle them and still get rapid accurate follow ups out of the 13.5 oz LCR. My reloads cost me about 12 cents a piece or about $6.00 a box of 50. We train with what we intend to carry, every shot, all the time.

Personally I prefer a heavier bullet and use 158 gr. bullets in .38 loaded for a steel revolver like my Dan Wesson with a snubbie barrel.

Load and try as I might, the best all around performance I could get out of the light LCR and still get acceptable shot recovery was with the 110 gr. bullets. So, I'm inclined to think the BB offering might be excellent if someone tests them and finds them acceptable.

VooDoo

 

[dickydalton]

All loads shot from a 2.25" SP101 357 at 20' from the chronograph.

Today over the chronograph Winchester PDX1 38 Special +P 130 GrainHP did 930FPS average.
Winchester white box 357 mag 110 grain JHP did 1200fps average.
Blazer Brass 357 mag 158 grain JHP did 1030fps average.
If I'm going to have factory rounds in it It'll be the 158 grain ones.
The 110 Winchesters are a close second due to the lighter recoil. I need to shoot both in the dark to find out about flash.

 

[Panzerschwein]

How is the muzzle flash from the Buffalo Bore and Cor Bon 110 grain +P loads?

I'm willing to bet my Speer Gold Dot 135 grain short barrel has less flash.

 

[Macchina]

A big warning on those Blazer 158g JHP: I had two boxes and one for the same velocity as you are getting... The inter box (357 Mag) barely broke 800 FPS from my 4.2" SP101!

 

[antiquus]

I usse it as a reload and have shot a box of it in the past, no issues shoots a tad high as I expect but no keyholes.

 

[MCMXI]

I carry 125gr Remington Golden Saber Ultimate Defense Compact Handgun loads in both of my KLCRs but based on the results I saw shooting Barnes 9mm and .45 ACP TAC-XPD loads I'd have no problem with the Corbon 110gr loads. I have a SIG P220 loaded with TAC-XPD rounds that I keep close when I'm home. Here are a couple of 185gr bullets shot into water jugs at about 10 feet.