Best expanding hollow points

[Moby]

I was at DFW Gun range and after shooting for a bit I was chatting with the guy behind the counter.

When I asked him about .38 cal hollow points he asked me if I was asking because of my CHL.
I told him my CHL was on the way but yes.

He said many are concerned about over penetration so he uses XXX brand hollow points
as they were deeper and thus expanded more assisting with the over penetration issue.

I plan on carrying a .38 snubby until I can afford a Baby Glock 27.
Can any of you guys suggest a deep hollow point?

Or is the guys explanation accurate?

[Beiruty]

Gold dot or SXT, that for 9mm not sure about .38.

[RPB]

Gold Dots, alternated with Hornady Critical Defense in some, Hornady Critical Defense in all my 9mm and .45 ... and in the .40 Glock 27 I used to have (I prefer the 9mm Glock 26)

the rubber eraser in the hollow point part assists with expansion and prevents clogging of the hollow point from tests I've seen.

[flb_78]

Im partial to Hornady Critical Defense myself. Guaranteed expansion, even through heavy layers of denim.

Our own Stephan Camp (R.I.P.) tested it and said it was it appeared to be a quality self defense round.

http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=21291" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Moby]

Im partial to Hornady Critical Defense myself. Guaranteed expansion, even through heavy layers of denim.
Our own Stephan Camp (R.I.P.) tested it and said it was it appeared to be a quality self defense round.
http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=21291" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry to be a pain but after reading the artical from flb_78 I am now asking about Glazer safety slugs.

I am using a .38 snubby. Concerned about two things.

1. Over penetration.
2. Energy dispersment.

I like the idea of #6 shot as a Plus P round will deliver all of it's energy on impact.
This seems like a man stopper to me for a smaller round like a .38
OR
Do you guys recommend a hollow point round as suggested earlier in the thread.
Not that I would fire on a perp in a crowd of innocents, but I sure wouldn't want to accidentally hit someone behind the target.
OR am I over thinking this. I figure better to ask more expeirienced folks on these boards than make mistakes in real life.
Sorry to sound noobish.

[Heartland Patriot]

Is the snubbie you are going to carry +P rated? I have an older Model 49 Bodyguard that was made in 1973, so its not rated for that extra pressure. Could it handle it? Probably, its made out of steel...but then again, I'm not going to run enough +P rounds through it for practice, either. So, I carry Federal 125 grain Nyclad HP. They are standard .38 Special loads with a softer lead bullet. It has a DEEP cavity and the lead is coated with a thin layer of nylon polymer so it looks blue. I bought them from AmmunitionToGo in boxes of 50 a while back. Look them up, they get some pretty good ratings. However, if your snubbie IS +P rated, then the Hornady Critical Defense rounds these guys are talking about would be a great choice. Hollow point with a polymer insert in the tip to aid expansion.

[Excaliber]

Im partial to Hornady Critical Defense myself. Guaranteed expansion, even through heavy layers of denim.
Our own Stephan Camp (R.I.P.) tested it and said it was it appeared to be a quality self defense round.
http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=21291" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry to be a pain but after reading the artical from flb_78 I am now asking about Glazer safety slugs.

I am using a .38 snubby. Concerned about two things.

1. Over penetration.
2. Energy dispersment.

I like the idea of #6 shot as a Plus P round will deliver all of it's energy on impact.
This seems like a man stopper to me for a smaller round like a .38
OR
Do you guys recommend a hollow point round as suggested earlier in the thread.
Not that I would fire on a perp in a crowd of innocents, but I sure wouldn't want to accidentally hit someone behind the target.
OR am I over thinking this. I figure better to ask more expeirienced folks on these boards than make mistakes in real life.
Sorry to sound noobish.

Overpenetration of a hollow point round fired from a .38 snubby, while not impossible, is not one of my major concerns.

I see underpenetration of a frangible or prefragmented round like the Glaser and failure of the projectile to reach vital organs as a much greater risk. I'm not a fan of that type of ammo.

I personally saw the results of a police shooting with Glaser safety slugs and a 4" .38 revolver against a suspect who tried to run the officer down with a car. One round struck the windshield and failed to enter the passenger compartment. Two rounds struck the passenger door - one shattered the window and one struck just below the window. The one that hit glass fragmented immediately and spattered the driver with the tiny shot. He was not slowed down at all. After we caught him we noted he looked like he had the measles, but he didn't need any serious medical treatment. The round that hit below the window made a big hole in the outer sheet metal but didn't enter the passenger compartment. The same thing happened with a round that hit the trunk.

If that officer had been using the department issue hollowpoints, the pursuit would have ended right there.

While prefragmented ammo has applications in some special situations, I don't regard it as reliable for stopping determined adversaries under the wide variety of circumstances that may be encountered in citizen defense incidents.

YMMV.

[JeepGuy79]

Winchester ranger T is my carry. Well the +P version. think it is designated with A. like 45 is something like R45TA for the plus P talon.

[Moby]

Thanks Excaliber,

I think that elliminates the Glazers.

It looks like Hornady is the way to go with the insert.
I think I'll avoid the +P as I doubt my snubbie is rated for it.
It's an old one.
Appreciate you folks helping me with this call.

Thanks,

Moby.

[JeepGuy79]

BTW I personally think that hornady critical defense is fine ammo. I have some in my p238 until sgammo gets my rangers here tomorrow or tuesday. Good stuff, and dirt cheap. plus you can get it almost anywhere.

[Moby]

Appreciate the advice fella's

I just ordered a box of 25 rounds from Luckygunner.com
$22
.38 Special Hornady Critical Defense
110 grain, 1010 FPS.

Let's hope I never need them.
But if I do, they'll get the job done.

[ghostrider]

Some interesting snubnose ballistics can be found here:
http://www.snubnose.info/docs/snubby_ballistics.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Moby]

THANKS A BUNCH for that link Ghostrider!!
I found an article on checking out an old snubby.
http://www.snubnose.info/docs/checkout.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I got mine from my moms estate after she passed.
My gun is a Glock 21, OK to carry in winter but difficult in summer.
Until I get a Glock 27 the snubby is what I'll carry.
The balistic article was good and the article above was excellent as well.

I appreciate all the excellent assistance on these forums.
There's a lot of expertise in here!

Now if Texas DPS would just deliver my plastic.
Oh we get so impatient once we've paid the money don't we? LOL

[Excaliber]

Winchester ranger T is my carry. Well the +P version. think it is designated with A. like 45 is something like R45TA for the plus P talon.

I found the ranger ammo didn't feed well in two different .45's that were completely reliable with just about everything else. My local law enforcement agency used to issue it but changed due to the feeding issues. If you use a semiauto you'll want to fire a couple of boxes before you bet your life on it.

[Jumping Frog]

If you use a semiauto you'll want to fire a couple of boxes before you bet your life on it.

Yep. I shot 150 rounds with it before I started carrying Ranger T. Of course, I would shoot 150 rounds of any carry ammo before carrying it.