Federal Nyclad .38

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I usually see some for sale at various South Florida Gun Shows. I am curious as to what you like about that round. The newer Critical Defense 110 grain +P round and 135 grain +P Speer are supposed to be cutting edge in new bullet design/powder combination in the .38 special for defense use. Have you checked those out?
 
Yes, I have seen it in stock here and there. I have not seen it in stock at the big box gun stores, just smaller ones.
 
One of the few shops local to me carries the .38spl Nyclads, and I bought a box for use in my RG40. The accuracy is about as good as any other 125-130gr round as far as I could tell, and they pack plenty of punch for a non +P defence round. In my initial testing using modeling clay, the bullet opened up nicely, especially considering it had come out of a 2" barrel.

I just recently got to test it again using some home made ballistics gel (close to ordinance gel calibration, just a bit softer), and was disappointed. Though the bullet made it all the way through about ~18 inches of gel and into the backstop, it failed to expand, showing just a slight flaring at the mouth.

Obviously, penetration trumps expansion, and I am confident that this round would still be a good stopper with proper placement, but if what you are looking for is a round that will reliably expand at lower velocities, you may want to look elsewhere.
 
I do have some of the speer 135gr and they are ok though not at all pleasant to shoot for me. I am looking for a non +p carry round.

I bought a box of the Buffalo Bore low pressure low flash short barrel 158 gr SWC-HC to try out this weekend as another option.
 
I have not seen any but I will keep my eye open for ya. Wanting to try some in the Detective Special
 
I still have a pretty ample supply of the original 125 grain standard Nyclads. Haven't yet tried the new ones. It is my favorite of the non-plus P rounds, though I'm always open to being convinced otherwise. Pretty fair velocity from a 2 inch for a standard pressure and just a thin nylon coating over soft lead. I like 'em.
 
I went to a pawn shop and scored a box of the 158 gr LSWCHP +P Nyclads that have been discontinued for some time.
 
They are discontinued. I bought 5 boxes from the ammoman several years ago. It's a good round IMHO :)
 
You know, it's funny. When the Nyclads were discontinued there were many posts asking and hoping they would be brought back. Internet wisdom said over and over again, they would never come back, that Federal had gotten rid of the machinery, etc., etc. And now, here they are - back again. Just goes to show that if the market is perceived, the product is not far behind. I wish they would also bring back the 158 gr .357. I was less fond of the .38+P load.
 
Do as you wish, but I suggest you read about them before you decide to carry and bet your life on them.

Like here:
http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/38spl/fed38spl-125nhp-swm60.htm
(note the "denim covered" results...nekkid intruders are few and far between around here, don't know about where you live)

And, fwiw, Buffalo Bore's "lower pressure" does not translate into "lower recoil". Good ammo, but not lower recoil than most +P ammo.

I'm moving from Speer Gold Dot 135gr to CorBon DPX Barnes Bullets 110gr due to the design of the Barnes Bullets themselves.
 
Interesting.. so when I am attacked by Denim Dan the Bad Man I'll get good penetration but no real expansion.

Poking through that site and another I just read they like a plain old 148 gr wadcutter for carry ammo. Any thoughts on that? I like the concept and coincidentally just ordered a bunch of those for practice ammo last night since I burned up the last of my stash of them a few weeks ago. Basically, if I'm not really going to get any expansion anyway might as well use a light load that I can shoot a lot more accurately and still gets all the penetration needed.

I will pick up some of the 110gr Corbons to try too.
 
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I used the 148 wad cutters as a small game round when hunting with my 357mag for deer. They are very accurate out to 25yds or so and have taken rabbit, a fox and even a few squirrel.
 
I love them out of my 4" security six for plinking and small woodland critters, just never considered them for social work as a first choice. I learned to shoot a pistol using those. Obviously, I would continue to use fancy pants JHP rounds in a bigger revolver for social work. In a snubbie the logic of using the wadcutters makes sense though.
 
Of course, since I have this keyboard here it automatically qualifies me as an ammo expert. ;)

I think there's been significant advancement in ammo design and performance in the area of self defense.

Barnes Bullets seem to be on the leading edge of it along with a few others.

Although CorBon DPX w/Barnes Bullets are sometimes hard to find, I called the Barnes company out there in Utah this week, and they had some of their loaded, 110gr DPX ammo in stock.

So, I bought another box since I shoot a few at the range now and then to stay familiar with the recoil and performance of my carry gun.

I carry with them now and think they're as good, if not better, than anything old or new.

YMMV
 
Lets table the wadcutter discussion in here, I just realized that is a thread per week type deal on here and there is a lot of info available.
 
I like the looks of the Hornady Critical Defense. Got my wife some Federal 110 grain Hydra Shock "Low Recoil" but I not sure if they will open up out of a snub nose J Frame. Will have to shoot a couple into some water and see what happens.
 
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