Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 ammo

[The_Shootist]

Got a couple of boxes of the .38 spl 135 gr +P "short barrel" ammo. Thats definitely a BIG hollowpoint on that bullet! Looks the ol flying ashtray, .38 style

I'm going to shoot about 40 rds of this ammo next to 50 rds of the traditional Remington FBI load out of SP 101 this weekend to see which one my gun likes better...grin.

Also, the comparitiveness of how "stout" or controllable either round is. This will likley be a minimal factor, given I've shot .357 rounds out of my Ruger.

 

[jad0110]

I'm going to shoot about 40 rds of this ammo next to 50 rds of the traditional Remington FBI load out of SP 101 this weekend to see which one my gun likes better...grin.

I did basically the same test two days ago using my S&W 642.

I carry the Speer GD 135 grain stuff in my 642, mainly because the Speer bullets are more tightly crimped to avoid the bullet pulling loose under recoil. I've tested them and they do in fact retain their crimping. I wanted to test this with the FBI Load, from Remington (R38S12).

I loaded the first 4 chambers with some 125 low recoil (weak) Hi Shok crap I had laying around that I don't use anymore and the last one with a Remington. After firing off the 4 Hi Shoks, I removed the Remington and compared it to one out of the box and noticed that the bullet was starting to pull loose, but only barely. I'm talking well under 1 mm. I repeated the test 3 more times using the same cartridge, and each time the bullet pulled a tad further out of the case. I didn't measure it, but it looked like the bullet had backed out 2 mm or so. That round still fired properly, so the crimping of the FBI Load (Remington) does seem to hold up adequately.

What I did notice was that the FBI Load produced a LOT more muzzle flash than the Speer. In my 4" 686, the muzzle flash was barely noticeable, but in the 1 7/8" 642 it was pretty obvious. Looked like a small nuke detonating! The Speers produce little if any flash, because as I understand it, Speer uses a faster burning powder that allows most of the powder to burn off before the bullet exits the barrel.

Note that I did not notice a meaningful difference in POI. My tests were performed at just 7 yards.

So I decided to retain the Speers for my snubby, but my 686 is stoked with the FBI Load .

I look forward to your range evaluation!

 

[Jim March]

They're both good loads. In a 19oz or more gun, the Remmies shouldn't "pull" too badly. NOTE though that the "pull test" Jad0110 describes...well, it's not a valid test. You should load all cylinder bores with the test round in question and measure the amount of "pull" on the last.

I've shot Remmie 158+Ps in my 17oz snubbie with no "pulling" noted. So I suspect it's not an issue until you hit 15oz (Taurus Titanium) or below (12oz to as low as 10.5oz for the lightest S&W).

These are two of the best rounds available. Choose between them based on accuracy in your gun and how close to the sight picture they print.

One interesting advantage: due to the nose shape the Speers will feed from a speedloader faster and more effectively than the "Keith profile with hollowpoint" Remingtons.

The only load more effective than these two is the Buffalo Bore 158+P. Which *can* be shot out of a recent-production steel S&W snub, but...it's going to be a wild ride indeed and you'd want to test for "pulling" with those!

An odd note: some people load the nastiest critter possible in their gun as the "last round to fire", and NEVER practice with it. They make it a point not to do so. The idea is, if you can't come down from recoil with that wild-child whatever-it-is, who cares, the gun is now empty - and that potent shot has TOLD you the gun is empty while seriously screwing up whatever it hit.

One example in your gun would be four rounds of the Remmie 158+P or Speer 135+P followed by a single round of Buffalo Bore 158+P. Or in an SP101 3" barrel, four rounds of, say, Speer 135gr 357Mag "low power for short barrel" load (doing about 1,100fps) followed by a Buffalo Bore or Doubletap 125gr full house doing 1,500..."boom boom boom boom KABLAM!" as the gun tells you it's dry...and the opposition maybe thinks another gun has joined the party if you're really lucky...

 

[michael_aos]

FYI, here's what I get with the Buffalo Bore 158gr +P in my revolvers:

Model 67 4" - ~1115fps
Model 64 3" - ~1081fps

 

[Jim March]

Which is well into 9mm performance numbers "on paper", and arguably MORE effective than most 9mm fodder because truth be told, I'd much rather have a 158gr slug that I know is going to expand well versus a 124gr slug with the same energy level.

The nose shape and weight of the Remington/Buffbore 158 is totally incompatible with autoloaders, esp. in 9mm. This is where the ballistic advantage of wheelguns comes into play yet can't be seen in terms of paper ballistics energy.

 

[meef]

On one of my shooting outings in the last few months I took a couple of dozen gallon milk jugs filled with colored water simply because they're fun to abuse.

One of the firearms I took was my S&W 442.

Among the several loads I took for it included some "normal" .38spl, some super duper high velocity Magsafe and some Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 grain.

Most of the rounds I put into the jugs punched holes in them and I watched as they bled out at various rates.

The Magsafe and the Speer didn't punch any holes.

They blew the freaking jugs all over the countryside!

I mean they literally exploded them! Awesome to see.

And neither (especially the Magsafe) had any recoil that I bothered to notice.

I know it ain't scientific, but seeing it sure gets one's attention. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of those loads. Yeah, I know - I'd hate to be on the receiving end of any bullet. But these puppies really perform (at least on water-filled milk jugs).

I'd carry the Speer with much confidence. In fact, I do when I wear the 442.

 

[GunNut]

On one of my shooting outings in the last few months I took a couple of dozen gallon milk jugs filled with colored water simply because they're fun to abuse.

meef,

That sounds like fun, I'm going to have to start saving up milk jugs.

A buddy and myself used to do this with our hunting rifles, it's great to see milk jugs disintegrate out at 400 yards.

Steve

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I carry Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 grain 38 +P rounds in my S&W Model 638. They shoot very well out of that revolver. I usually use a box of 125 grain Remington JHP's for practice and shoot 5 Speer rounds before I leave to make sure I didn't change my aim point with the other rounds. It seems the Remington rounds are very similar to the Speer rounds so it works out well.

I have shot Federal Hydra-Shok rounds, Remington Express JHP, Remington Golden Saber and even Speer 125 grain rounds out of my 638 but the 135 grain Speer Short Barrel .38 +P round shoot the best from my experience.