P. Plainsman
Member
I recently tried two varieties of well-regarded .38 Special +P self-defense ammo in America's favorite pocket CCW gun, the S&W 642. I perceived an interesting difference in recoil feel between the "old tech" Remington 158 gr LSWCHP +P (No. R38S12) and the "new tech" Speer Gold Dot "Short Barrel" 135 gr JHP +P.
I found the Speer round kicks more sharply. I got a little red welt on the web of my gun hand in short order using the Gold Dots in the 642. The Remington lead hollowpoints, too, had definite recoil in the light revolver, but it was a slower push, less of a sting.
Which is interesting, because the Remingtons are a pretty stout load as factory .38 goes. 158 @ 800 fps is commonly reported from snubbies. The Speer 135 grainer has been clocked around 860-870 fps from snubs. Simple numbers don't explain the difference in feel.
Must be a difference in powder. I would venture a guess that Speer is using a very fast burning powder behind those wide-mouth 135 Gold Dots. This would make sense, as the Speer round was engineered from scratch to extract good performance from a jacketed bullet in a short revolver barrel -- the engineers may have decided to go for the most rapid acceleration practicable.
Both rounds receive excellent reports for reliable expansion and penetration at snub velocities. I was pleased with the accuracy of each round. (That is to say, I shot some atrocious fliers with each, but it was obviously a question of trigger and gun control. When I bore down and focused carefully on surprise break and sight picture, good groups resulted.)
I am impressed with both rounds and would carry either. I do think the recoil "profile" of the old Remington 158 LSWCHP+P is a bit friendlier, and nothing I've read suggests that it is a step down in power from the Speer. THR member Stephen Camp is a thoughtful advocate of the Remington round; those who haven't read his articles might start here:
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38 Special 158gr LSWCHP.htm
I am coming to his way of thinking. Other perspectives?
PS: The Remingtons also proved nicely accurate in my 4" Ruger GP100 and were easy to shoot well. Probably a fine choice for those who prefer to load their house gun with .38. Mr. Camp reports that the lead 158s left his 4" barreled S&W revolvers at a bit shy of 900 fps. Not bad.
I found the Speer round kicks more sharply. I got a little red welt on the web of my gun hand in short order using the Gold Dots in the 642. The Remington lead hollowpoints, too, had definite recoil in the light revolver, but it was a slower push, less of a sting.
Which is interesting, because the Remingtons are a pretty stout load as factory .38 goes. 158 @ 800 fps is commonly reported from snubbies. The Speer 135 grainer has been clocked around 860-870 fps from snubs. Simple numbers don't explain the difference in feel.
Must be a difference in powder. I would venture a guess that Speer is using a very fast burning powder behind those wide-mouth 135 Gold Dots. This would make sense, as the Speer round was engineered from scratch to extract good performance from a jacketed bullet in a short revolver barrel -- the engineers may have decided to go for the most rapid acceleration practicable.
Both rounds receive excellent reports for reliable expansion and penetration at snub velocities. I was pleased with the accuracy of each round. (That is to say, I shot some atrocious fliers with each, but it was obviously a question of trigger and gun control. When I bore down and focused carefully on surprise break and sight picture, good groups resulted.)
I am impressed with both rounds and would carry either. I do think the recoil "profile" of the old Remington 158 LSWCHP+P is a bit friendlier, and nothing I've read suggests that it is a step down in power from the Speer. THR member Stephen Camp is a thoughtful advocate of the Remington round; those who haven't read his articles might start here:
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38 Special 158gr LSWCHP.htm
I am coming to his way of thinking. Other perspectives?
PS: The Remingtons also proved nicely accurate in my 4" Ruger GP100 and were easy to shoot well. Probably a fine choice for those who prefer to load their house gun with .38. Mr. Camp reports that the lead 158s left his 4" barreled S&W revolvers at a bit shy of 900 fps. Not bad.
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