Federal .38 Spcl 110 grain?

[Bob79]

Anyone here carry and/or tested this ammo before?

I bought some to try in my 342PD (amongst other .38 rounds) and for my better half's 60 3 inch. On paper it looks pretty good, comparable to +P ammo like Hydra shok 129gr, Winchester SXT 130 gr, and GD 125 gr. All this +P ammo just listed seemed to perform pretty much the same, about 815-830 FPS out of a 2 inch snub w/ penetration at 11-16 inches. Seems as though you lose about 50-60 FPS for every inch shorter in barrel length compared with what the companies advertise it as (out of a 4 inch barrel).

So the box on this stuff says "high energy/low recoil" and say it performs as 1000/244 out of a 4 inch barrel, so in theory out of a snub it should be about 900/197. So am I wrong in my thinking about these numbers because its not rated +P? I'm just looking for an alternative to my current 135 grain GD +P which just packs too much punch with the 342 for good follow ups. I'm also going to try the 3 above mentioned +P types (when my gun comes back from it's trigger job).

Thanks.

 

[Glock19Fan]

Here is a pretty good review for the cartridge.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs12.htm

An average velocity of less than 800 FPS and no expansion. Pretty bad, especially for a 110 grain load.

If you want a good expander and decent penitrater, look into Corbons 110 grain DPX. I believe velocities are around 1000 FPS from a 2 inch barel.

 

[Master Blaster]

If you want a good expander and decent penitrater, look into Corbons 110 grain DPX. I believe velocities are around 1000 FPS from a 2 inch barel.

Corbons 110 grain +p did no better in my penetration (with news paper) testing than the federal non plus p PD ammo. Recoil for both was about the same out of my S&W 642.

Corbons stuff in 110 +p is completely unreliable CRAP. I fired three rounds and checked the last 2 in my 642 and they had both seriously jumped the crimp. In a SD situation the corbon could have tied my gun up. Federal did not jump the crimp in my 642 and penetrated more newspaper than the Corbon.

I called Corbon and complained about it jumping the crimp in my 642, after trying it a couple more times with additional ammo from the second box I bought, and they said:

" thats normal for our ammo in a light revolver but send it back and we will send you two boxes for your trouble"

No thanks guys.

I can handload a similar round with speer bullets and it does not jump the crimp in the 642. As a result I would never trust any ammo corbon makes.


Speer's 135 gold dot made for the 2" snubbie is the best stuff out there I would reconsider, its what I am carrying now, it penetrates expands and does not jump the crimp. Its specifically designed for a short barrel snubbie (which the corbon is not considering they claim 1250 fps out of a 6" barrel and seem to think a poor crimp is acceptable in defense ammo)

 

[Diamondback]

Master Blaster, the Corbon 100 gr. DPX .38 special is not +p; it is standard pressure. Corbon does make a .38 special 110gr. +p but that is entirely a different round that what Glock19Fan is recommending. I agree with you, in my limited experience the Corbon 110gr +p stuff does not open up well at all. Here is Mr Camp's excellent review of the Corbon 110 DPX .38 Special round out of a 2" snub :
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=107502&highlight+DPX

-regards

 

[Master Blaster]

It sounds interesting, its about $1 per round though, I still would have a hard time trusting their ammo after my experience with the 110 +p stuff and their customer service reply that jumping the crimp is "normal" in an airweight revolver.

 

[lbmii]

I just did some chrono testing of some different 158 grain 38 special rounds fired from my 2 inch barrel Rossi 357 mag. I did not test any 110 grain.

Of the 158 grain loads, I got the highest velocity from Santa Barbara (SB) brand Spanish made ammo that I bought at a gun show. The average velocity was 876 fps. The bullet is a 158 grain semi-jacketed soft point. I recommend this round for short barrel 38 specials.

 

[BluesBear]

Unfortunately jumping the crimp is part of the price you have to pay with wündërmetäl guns.
Some jacketed bullets just don't take to a heavy crimp as well as others.