Preferred .38 spl load?

[Deleted member 66305]

I have a S&W 640 -- though it's chambered for .357 mag, I really have no intention of putting .357 mag in it.

My current carry ammo is Remington Golden Saber, essentially because Golden Saber is what I carry in my Glock 30 SF. They are only 125 grain, and I've read a lot of discussion that you want maximum bullet mass in a snubbie to retain as much energy as possible. I have also considered Buffalo Bore .38 spl+P 158-grain LSWCHP, as it's received some good reviews from people I trust.

 

[tblt]

If I had a 357 I would load up with 158 gr. in it you get so much more energy from the 357 load,I use speer 135gr. +p in my 38 snub and also use hydra-shok 110 gr

 

[papajohn]

I also have a 357 I love, but it's no fun to shoot with full-charge ammo, and I don't need to to beat up something I enjoy so much. My choice is the Speer Gold Dot 135-grain SB (Short Barrel) load, developed especially for snubbies. It's the same load I carry on duty, where I'm limited to 38 ONLY, and I like carrying the same load in both. I've shot it into Duxseal from both to test the expansion, and the bullets come out looking like the advertising photos, perfectly expanded, with no weight loss. They're not punishing to shoot out of either gun, and in rapid fire I find them much more controllable than the heavier-bullet loads.

In addition, I think Gold Dot is generally more accurate (from my guns) than anything I've tested, and I try to test as many as I can, going back twenty years or more. I was a big fan of Federal's Nyclad loadings, but they've been out of print for some time now, and my stash is nearly depleted.

For the money, I don't think this Speer load can be beat, one knock against the Buffalo Bore stuff is the price.

As mentioned, the Gold Dots tend to be very accurate........this is a target I shot awhile back at 40 yards with a Marlin rifle, and the 200-grain 44 Special load.

The Golden Sabres are also a good load, but I've only tested a few calibers, and the 38 isn't one of them, so I can't comment. Hope this helps.

Papajohn

 

[bluetopper]

I prefer 3.0gr of Bullseye in my 38 target loads. Makes for a very enjoyable extended range session.

 

[sm]

I have always preferred 158 gr standard pressure rounds, and 148 gr wad cutter for practice , and some small game hunting with a dedicated .38spl handgun.

I like Lead Semi Wad Cutter, and I am just about out of some a buddy of mine reloaded a slew of some 20 years ago.

158 gr shoots POA/POI out of the dedicated .38spls and .357s, as the guns I prefer are older, and the norm was to regulate factory guns for 158 gr loads.

This LSWC has a "flat" I like, and the dirt test showed me and mine what we wanted to see - and recovered bullets from critters did as well.

I like the FBI Load, the 158 gr LSWC HP from both dedicated .38spls and .357s.
Now some of the guns I an mine use are older...
I still shoot a 1929 Colt Detective Special, and I will not run anything but standard pressure 148 or 158 gr loads.

I and mine also still use standard pressure 158 gr Lead Round Nose (LRN).
Two cows were put down not ago with UMC 158 LRN., The 1929 Colt DS was used as was a old Model 36 snubby.
One shot, one cow down...

 

[ARTiger]

The Buffalo Bore +p LSWCHP is a beast to shoot from my Airweights, but love it in K frames and SP101's. Try a box, if it's too much for you the Remington +P 158 grain LSWCHP is a very good alternative.

 

[ldp4570]

I'd have to go along with SM on this. I prefer 158gr LSW in all my .38 revolvers. When I'm packing one for CCW its still 158gr, but the LSWHP+P.
For my .357's that I pack as backup to a rifle or shotgun for hunting, they are loaded with 158gr or heavier JSP. The only one that gets a different load is my SW model 14, she has to watch her figure, so she only gets 148gr WC.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

Thanks all!

 

[texas bulldog]

i like any brand of +p 158g LSWCHP. i'll buy whichever is cheapest or most available in that weight. i'm not picky. 'course i'm shooting 'em from an SP101, so the +p isn't a big deal. out of an airweight, i'd probably stick to standard velocity but, again, any brand will do.

 

[rgs1975]

I'm putting 130gr Federal HS through my 2" J Frame. Works good.

 

[FranklyTodd]

In a S&W340, I've settled on the Short Barrel Gold Dots referenced by papajohn. +Ps and 357s, both 135gr. I've gone back and forth, right now I have the .357s in it.

By being made specifically for a short barrel, the powder burns faster, yielding less blast and flash, and the recoil is reduced on these loads (maybe unnecessary on the steel 640, but much appreciated in the scandium alloy 340!). Any round built for a 3-4" barrel is going to be going quite a bit slower than optimal out of a 1 7/8" snub (I don't know if the extra 1/4" of the 640 helps that much). It's probably just me drinking the kool-aid of Speer's marketing machine, but supposedly the bullets they use in these are designed for optimal expansion at the unavoidably slower speeds...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

My M640 just loves Winchester 145gr Silvertip .357 Magnum rounds. If I were to carry .38 Special +P rounds in that revolver they would be Remington 158gr LSWC/HP rounds. (Part #R38S12) I would also consider DoubleTap .38 Special +P rounds which use a 125gr Gold Dot HP LV bullet.

 

[jaydubya]

I keep Remington +p158gr SWCHPs in my Airweight 637. It isn't much fun to shoot at the range, but then not much is -- not even the 148gr wadcutters I use for range work. But when I need that weapon, I won't even notice the bruises until later.
Cordially, Jack

 

[.38 Special]

The Hornady swaged lead 148 grain HBWC over 2.8 grains of Bullseye has been more accurate in more guns than anything else I've ever tried. Substituting 3 grains of Winchester 231 gets rid of the powder fouling but is a tad less accurate in most of my guns. Obviously no defense load, but for plinking, target shooting, and general loafing, it has no match.

In .357, I use a modified Skeeter Skelton load: Lyman 358156 (158 grain checked semiwadcutter) with enough 2400 to make 1000 FPS out of a 4" barrel. This is well under a full-power load, but is still more "fun" than a .38, and the pine cones usually surrender right away.

HTH!

 

[StrawHat]

In my 357s (and a couple of my 38s), the original Skelton load has been about as accurate as target wadcutter stuff for me.

When I first shot PPC, I used this load in the distinguished class and was not disappointed.

 

[Steve 48]

3 grs of Clays is also a very accurate load for a 38 158 gr lead round. Steve 48

 

[zxcvbob]

I like 4 grains of Promo (you can use Red Dot) under a Berry's 125 grain copper-plated HP bullet. My S&W model 15 likes these even better than HBWC's.

The bullets are getting expensive though, so I've got to find another super-accurate load using my own cast bullets. (probably a 158 flat point because I like that bullet weight and it punches clean holes)

 

[Avery Goodschott]

I really prefer the Buffalo Bore standard pressure 158's in my 640,40 and 642

They are expensive, but I'm worth it

.

 

[Vanzpp]

The Buffalo Bore +p LSWCHP is a beast to shoot from my Airweights

I own a 642, and the BB LSWCHP +P is very hot. Is it OK to use out of my 642 without prematurely wearing out my gun or having bullet creep?

 

[Brasso]

I prefer the Remington 158gr +P LSWCHP in my 642. It has a larger cavity than the other brands.

 

[Deanimator]

For self-defense, I use the Federal 158gr. LSWC-HP "FBI" load. I use it in all of my .38 and .357 revolvers.

For practice and competition (in my Model 14 and Giles M1911) I prefer a 148gr. Star HBWC over 2.8gr. of Bullseye.

Lately, I've loaded up some Penn 158gr. LSWCs over not quite the max load of Unique in the Lyman manual.

 

[Stainz]

A fun and accurate plinker from my 2" 10 to my 6" 66 is a 158gr LSWC (Redline, Oregon Trails, Meister, Georgia Arms) over 3.5gr Titegroup with a Fed SP primer in mixed range sweepings. I've chrono-ed it from ~700 fps from my 2" 10 to just over 840 fps from my 6" 66.

I carry the Remington R38S12 158gr LSWCHP +P as it has a softer lead alloy and is a known performer. I practice with the ballistically similar, but harder lead, Georgia Arms reloads - quite a bit less in cost. I have speedloaders so loaded for all of my .38/.357M revolvers. The Remi's make 840+ fps from my 1.88" 642 - plenty of speed for effective opening.

Stainz

 

[janobles14]

+1 on the 135 gold dots. they were made for 2" weapons.

also the 130 gr. win SXTs work well in short barrels

 

[cocojo]

Federal Nyclad 125HP NON +p. Love this ammo. I wish Federal would come back with this ammunition or design something new just like it. Maybe a 38 Special 125 HST non +P that works just as well if not better. They would sell a ton of it.

 

[def4pos8]

I use a variation of Alliant Power Pistol for 9x29R/.38 Special: 5.7, 6.0 or 6.4 (+P) under Hornady's 140-grain XTP for my Models 36, 67 and 66.

The 5.7 is best in the 36 while the Mag-Na-Ported 66 hardly moves when the 6.4 is ignited.

I can touch off the faster loads in the 36 but you can imagine that they aren't as enjoyable. I have never had the desire to fire any of the alloy-framed revolvers. Something has to absorb the recoil impulse and I prefer that whatever I have in my hand do its part.