review: best ammo for 38 special defensive load

[drjoker]

I tried the Remington home defense 38 special +p ammo an it was reliable, but it did not hit to the point of aim with iron sights on the snub nosed j frame 38 special smith & wesson revolver. However, using Winchester white box LRN ammo, it did hit to the point of aim with iron sights. So, I suspected that the bullet shot low with the Remingtons due to the JHP bullet design being less aerodynamic. So, I tried the Hornady Critical Defense, which had a weird red rubber tip to all the hollow point bullets that made it more aerodynamic and voila! It hit the point of aim when fired.

I suspect all revolvers are factory zeroed to the fixed iron sights with lead round nose bullets so I recommend the Hornady Critical Defense with all revolvers.

[Greybeard]

Quote: "So, I suspected that the bullet shot low with the Remingtons due to the JHP bullet design being less aerodynamic."

' Don't think aerodynamics have much to do with 'em shooting low at normal defensive handgun distances. It may seem contrary to intuition, but lighter/faster bullets out of (especially snub nose) handguns tend to group lower than slower/heavier bullets. The reason is that, if a S&W J-frame was set up to shoot 158 grain bullets at the point of aim, the barrel is going to rise "x amount" during recoil before the projectile clears the muzzle. When shooting a 110 grain +P bullet, the bullet gets out the barrel slightly quicker during the muzzle rise and therefore impacts slightly lower.

The only way to know for sure with any of 'em: shoot 'em!

[CC Italian]

I have tried all the popular loads on the market in my snub and the two best for penetration and expansion are the 135 gold dots (if you can ever find them) and 158 Rem. JHP. Of course they are also higher recoil compared to the golden sabers and Hornady critical. Also, the 125 grain gold dots are one of the best also if you can't find the 135. Check out this article. After reading it and shooting back to back I carry the non +P critical defense. This is the lowest recoil but still gets over 10inchs of penetration .38 special round I have found. If you look into the other non +P .38 most don't expand and penetrate less then 8inchs or just act like a FMJ and never expand.


http://www.shootingillustrated.com/inde ... grain-ftx/

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/inde ... l-defense/

If your going non +P .38 special HP it is pretty hard to argue against the 110 Critical Defense. None of the other loads will hold a candle to it, even the Nyclads or silvertips. You can see how even the 110 grain .38 special loads are better then the best .380 loads. They only get better with hotter, heavier rounds.

[Dan20703]

I keep my S&W 642 filled with Remington +P 158 gr LSWHP. Typically called the FBI load. Good expansion and shoots point of aim. Lots of test data available. I belive Camps Corner provides some data on .38 loads.

[CC Italian]

Yep, they kick in a light weight snubby but they are the best bang for buck. You can get 50 round box for around 30 bucks. Right now the golden sabers are a pretty good deal online. Ammuntion to go has a 25 round box for 15.95. Sabers are still one of the best also!

[speedsix]

viewtopic.php?f=104&t=20081" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[stash]

[quote="Dan20703"]I keep my S&W 642 filled with Remington +P 158 gr LSWHP. Typically called the FBI load. Good expansion and shoots point of aim. Lots of test data available. I belive Camps Corner provides some data on .38 loads.[/quot

Dan - Could you please tell me where you find that Rem. I cannot seem to find it but would really like to try it from everything good I have heard about it.

Thanks, Stan

[speedsix]

I keep my S&W 642 filled with Remington +P 158 gr LSWHP. Typically called the FBI load. Good expansion and shoots point of aim. Lots of test data available. I belive Camps Corner provides some data on .38 loads.[/quot

Dan - Could you please tell me where you find that Rem. I cannot seem to find it but would really like to try it from everything good I have heard about it.

Thanks, Stan

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/548921 ... -box-of-50" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[stash]

Thanks speedsix. Stan