Smith & Wesson Mod 36 38 spec ammo

[SKL]

I just purchased a new Smith & Wesson Mod 36 38 special revolver and have also purchased some American Eagle 38 spec 130 gn FMJ ammo for it. I selected this ammo because I've used the American Eagle brand 357 158 gn FMJ in my S & W 686 and it seems to be good ammo to shoot at the range because it's moderately priced and seems to be reliable. I'm also considering trying some Blazer Brass 38 spec 125 gn FMJ which is also moderately priced. Has anyone had experience using these ammos? Thanks to all who reply.

 

[Nomad]

Not specifically in 38 Spl but in 45 ACP. It is one of the best values out there. Les Baer used to use it to test his 1911s before they ship. Not sure if he still does but that should be an indicator.

 

[grimjaw]

I've used the AE 130gr .38 Special. I never really shot for groups; I was using it as practice/range ammo. Worked fine for that purpose. I have used lots of Blazer Brass in other calibers and it's been fine for range ammo.

 

[Barry the Bear]

its a good value in my book, not the best but not the worst,just solid funtime ammo.

 

[rcmodel]

Your model 36 Might be factory sighted for 158 grain ammo as all of them used to be.

Your 130 grain will probably shoot lower then POA.

rc

 

[ArchAngelCD]

AE is Federal ammo and Federal is good stuff.
Blazer is the same company as CCI and Speer, need I say more?
I have shot both in .38 Special and they are just fine.

You said this will be range ammo so how bad could it be? For range ammo does it really matter all that much?

 

[SKL]

Thanks for the replies. I realize that range ammo is much less critical than ammo used for other purposes but I'm mostly interested in any experiences or recommendations others might have had with this ammo in this particular gun. I went to the range today and tried the AE 130 gn ammo and it shot fine but has a fair amount of recoil in this small revolver. I also shot some Remington UMC 130 gn that I had left over from earlier times and the recoil was noticably less than the AE but they didn't eject quite as easily as the AE. Although my groupings are not very good they were fairly centered above and below the center of the target. I think that the AE's may have favored below the center and the UMC above. I should have used seperate targets. Of course a better shooter might get different results. Thanks again for the replies.