Gold Dot SB ammo sales

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jrfoxx

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My aplogies if this has been mentioned many times, but i cant seem to find what i'm looking for with the search engine, and have tried the online vendors I can remember. Does anyone know where i can order some of the Gold Dot SB ammo to carry in my snubbie 38 spl? none of the local shops have had any in the few months i've been looking, and I cant seem to find anyone selling it online. If anyone knows of a source for this much praised ammo, please let me know. Thank You.
 
It is CCI/Speer ammo specifically designed for short barreld guns (mainly snubies). Thus "SB" stands for "short barrel". Also, my aplogies for this thread, as I had somehow completely forgotten about Midway, and i see they have it, as well as Georgia Arms, which i found after searching The Firing line now that it is back up. sorry all.
 
I've only seen 2 boxes around here
in phoenix.They were priced at
$17.99/20 rounds,These were the
135gr 38 spl's.At that price i'll
stick with the black hills 125gr
38spl +P's.These are the 38spl
gold dots loaded to 1050fps from a
4" barrel,Factory specs.Ihave not
seen them going less than 950
fps from 3 different 2" S&W's
 
outdooramericastore.com - Their site was a little weird for me this AM so maybe call. They had 38+p for about 14.50/50. That's right... /50.
 
Ummm, it's not "SB" but "+P" - .38 Spl. 135 gr +P GDHP (Gold Dot Hollow Point). I think I got some at Natchez or Midway recently for around $15/box of 20. Seems to work well out of my 642.
 
A place called Florida Bullet had some in the 50 round boxes at the same price that other places were selling the 20 round boxes. I don't have the address handy at the moment, but do a google for "Florida Bullet" and you should get their phone number. Heck, do a search on my name here because I think we discussed this on the forum once.
 
Today I ordered a box of 50 from Mirage Technologies International Inc., Clearwater, Fl. Part No. is 53921. Price is $15.00 plus freight fee. I live in Northwest Indiana and freight was $7.00. Phone number is 727-461-6084. 9am-5pm EST/Monday-Friday. Sales e-mail address is [email protected]
 
A store in the Seattle area told me they're only getting the 38+P 135s in batches of three boxes of 20. That's for the whole store. It appears the little suckers are extremely scarce; little wonder since there's a good chance it's the best 38snubbie load ever.

It's also worth noting that none of the smaller ammo houses that load Gold Dots can get the 135 priojectiles. 125s, yeah. 158s meant for 357s, no problem.

I wonder if military production might be reducing the production of civilian ammo? Not that these hollowpoints are going to the military, but that production lines are being shifted around.

These 135s are in such extreme demand that production limits are crippling potential sales.
 
Mirage Technologies International Inc. I ordered several boxes; 50 to the box for $15.00/ bx. I also ordered some 380 and 9mm Gold Dots. It took them a while to get these shipped to me. There was a back order for the 9mm due law enforcement purchases. When my order arrived there was an extra box of 9mm in my order. I figured they gave me the extra box for the long wait on the shipment. These Gold Dots make pretty blossomed flowers when shot in water filled milk cartons. We shot S&W 40, 9mm, 38 spl and 380 all Gold Dots and all blossomed. Bullets: S&W 40-165 gr, 9mm-124 gr +p, 38 spl-135 gr +p, 380-90 gr. Firearms used: SW40VE, 3913NL, Model 60 1 7/8 barrel, Keltec p3at.
 
FWIW, I ended up getting some of the 135gr Gold dot SB's from midway for a decent price, and range testing seemed very good in my S&W m637 snubby. Recoil was very manageable (felt like less than the Win. 158gr LSWCHP +P's I was carrying). Seemed to be just fine accuracy-wise in my gun too. (I will say that I havent thrown out my untouched, un-carried 'extra 158gr LSWCHP's though, as they seem like a FINE, well proven after many years round). I have no means to chrono the Gold dots, LSWCHP's, or Silver Tips I have, or test for exspansion, but I decided to get some of the Gold Dots to at least test for accuracy/recoil in my gun, as they are the only round I know DESIGNED with the snubby specifically in mind.
 
I've found the 135gr +P Gold Dot out of my M85CH to be a solid performer. I tested some of these rounds for expansion out of a 2" barrel after denim a while back and developed a very high opinion of this round. If interested, a search for that test in the revolver section will yield the post with photos.

I want to say I purchased mine from Natchez, though it's been a while ago and so much as happened since....

Edit: Out of curiousity, I tracked that thread down:
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=93792&highlight=135gr
 
Last edited:
Snowdog - I am also a fan of the 135+P Gold Dot and I just went back and read that thread you tracked down about the expansion tests. I noted somewhere in that thread the comment that the Gold Dots seemed to recoil a bit more than some other loads, though less than the 158+Ps. I was looking at the 16 or so page technical paper on the Gold Dots on the Speer website the other night and noted the design was for a maximum chamber pressure of 21,500 psi. Am I not correct in thinking that is well on the high side for 38+P? I'm thinking that is more +P+. Maybe someone who is more familiar with the "official" ranges can chime in on that. Anyway, I'm not complaining about the 21,500. I wonder, though, how many of these should be fired through older guns, especially older airweights not rated for plus P. They won't blow a gun up but they sure might shorten its life. Mine are in an SP101 :) so 21,500 psi is of no concern.

Edited to note: I just checked SAAMI standards for .38 Special. Standard pressure is 17,000 psi and plus P is 18,500 psi. 21,500, if that is what they are, is definitely on the high side. Like over the high side. Am I making a mistake somewhere?

from the Speer site: "Pressures of cartridges adhere to the following SAAMI guidelines:
Product Maximum Average Pressure
38 Special +P 21,500 psi"
 
So - if the original (and now "old") 2004 version of the 135gr +P Gold Dot was specifically designed for J frame snubbies and testing showed it to be a superb performer, how exactly does the SB improve on that performance :confused:
 
There appears to be no difference in the 38Spl round.

What appears to have happened is this: they started by designing the 135gr 38+P for short barrels. Good round, worked great, so they decided that "short barrel specialty loads" in other calibers was a good idea both in terms of practicality and marketing. They created the term "SB" as a brand name for the whole series and the original 135 38+P got the "SB" designation added but was otherwise unchanged.

So now we have 9mm, 357 and others set up for short barrels in those calibers.

Kewl :).
 
Here is a pic of some Gold Dots that I shot in 1 gal water filled milk jugs. the one on the left is a 165 gr Gold Dot not a "SB" round out of a 40 cal SW40VE 4" barrel. The one in the center is a 9mm 124 gr. Gold Dot +p not a "SB" round from a S&W 3913NL with a 3 1/2" barrel. The one on the right is a 38 spl. 135 gr. Gold Dot +p from a S&W model 60. Penetration was around 3-4 jugs for each round if I'm not mistaken. They made some really nice flowers.

PICT0122.jpg
 
Man, if you ever get attacked by a gang of water jugs, you are all set.
Click to expand...

Yep, he is... but not as prepared as you.

They stand no chance against your FMJs....

Not...
A...
Chance....

:neener: :D
 
Yes this true..jug attacks have increase at an alaming rate!! Just the other day I got attack by a couple of jugs. I was banged about the head, slapped repeatedly on the sides of my face and rubbed about my mouth...uh wait a minute...wrong jugs these only travel in pairs. No really I wish I had some ballistic gello to shoot into but jugs were we had.
 
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