Jacketed Soft Points

[kannonfyre]

G'day Folks,

There has been a lot of talk about which type and manufacturer of hollow point ammo works best in which revolver and barrel length...however, if we assume for a moment that hollow point ammo is not available by law, how do +P semi-jacketed soft point loads fare as a substitute for self preservation?

Assuming that you have a medium frame .38 revolver, what advantages if any do +P SJSP rounds offer vs comparable LRN or FMJ/FMC loads when shooting to save your life against two-legged predators?

Is there anyone here who would use SJSP loads over HP loads?

 

[calaverasslim]

ME!!!!!

IMHO the JHP is fine in warm weather when it will encounter just a light shirt, but in cooler climes, a JSP holds together better as it penetrates. Of course, lead is a cheaper subsitute but it fragments quite easily. In a 38, I would use a 100gr to 125gr max weight and even better when you hand load.

Like I said, just my 2 cents worth

 

[ChristopherG]

I would not bother with a JSP (or SJSP) in a .38. A .38 doesn't push things along fast enough to cause significant deformation or mushrooming, and the jacket only increases friction and slows the projectile. If hollowpoints were unavailable or illegal, I'd stick with a plain lead semi-wadcutter. It'll move faster and, in all probability, punch just as big a hole.

A JSP is a better choice in a full-power magnum load, and I have used them in a .41 mag blackhawk and a .357 Marlin carbine; but those projectiles are moving two or three times as fast as a .38.

 

[RyanM]

Common knowledge states that a truncated cone shaped bullet (as most jacketed softpoints are) would crush more tissue by virtue of its flat shape. Testing by Duncan MacPherson appears to have shown that roundnose bullets actually crush tissue more efficiently and penetrate more shallowly than truncated cone and semi-wadcutter projectiles.

There is definitely no way that a JSP would expand at .38 +P velocities, unless you can somehow get the bullet to 1200 feet per second+ through a carbine.

 

[kannonfyre]

I have note what you guys have said but in that case,

..why do some manufacturers still make SJSP in the +P .38 format? What was it designed for? What is it good for?

 

[ChristopherG]

why do some manufacturers still make SJSP in the +P .38 format?

Because people buy them. The Jacketed soft point was created to eliminate leading at high velocities; but a .38 barely achieves velocities where leading becomes a factor in standard (or even normal +P) loads, so the JSP really serves no purpose in this caliber.

In a magnum round, a JSP may have a more desireable combination of penetration and limited expansion for some applications than a JHP. And, unlike a hard cast lead bullet, it will disrupt some if it's going fast enough, and so create a wider-than-caliber wound. But in a .38, no such luck.

 

[StrikeEagle]

why do some manufacturers still make SJSP in the +P .38 format? What was it designed for? What is it good for?

If I knew that, maybe I could also figure out why Winchester makes (or made) 50grn JHP in .25 ACP. I fired about a hundred rounds of that in every conceivable medium... wood, wetpack, water, dry sand, wet sand, concrete... even a beef roast.

I NEVER got them to expand AT ALL, EVER. LOL

Finally I called Winchester and was told 'People want it...' ROFL

On the plus side, it was always just as reliable as ball in my Baby Browning.

StrikeEagle

 

[kannonfyre]

JSP penetration?

Will +P .38 SJSP penetrate better than +P LRN or JHP?

With the worst case scenario of having to penetrate one layer of BDU fabric, one T-shirt, skin, fat, muscle and breast bone in order to reach vital organs, will the SJSP do the job better than the latter 2 loads?

The assumption here is that the cartridges are loaded with the same weight projectiles to the same volecity.

 

[ChristopherG]

The assumption here is that the cartridges are loaded with the same weight projectiles to the same volecity.

The assumption is wrong. +P is a measure of pressure, not velocity. Given that a SJSP and a LRN are loaded to equal PRESSURE, the lead bullet will have greater velocity (because it experiences less friction in the bore). Combined with its relatively 'pointy' shape, this greater velocity is likely to give greater penetration than the flatter and slower jsp (or jhp).

 

[RyanM]

Actually, the LRN may penetrate less, since the less stable shape could cause the bullet to tumble after about a foot of penetration. Of course, either the SJHP or the LRN would likely penetrate over 2 and a half feet, so the difference isn't really important unless you're shooting elephants.