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I know I will probably get 1,000 answers, but more the better.

What ammo works best in S&W J Frames. I have always like Hornady, but was wondering how well it would work in such a short barrel.

Speer GDHP 135gr +P Short Barrel.

http://www.speer-ammo.com/products/short_brl.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you can find it in the 50-round boxes it's usually a lot cheaper on a per-round basis than the normal 20-round boxes.

110+p Hornady works well, low flash light recoil.

Speer GDHP 135gr +P Short Barrel.

this is my recommendation, if you can find it in stock anywhere.

Remington 125grn simi-jacketed hollow point +P

Dunno what is 'best' or how to define 'best'.

It does seem that expansion/penetration are mutually contradictory at slow stepping speed. A 158 soft lead HP at pedestrian velocities would seem to be
a realstic option.

Dunno.

There are a lot of options from the Remington 158 load (best load for years) and the latest and greatest hollow point loads. Imo the best low recoil Hp is the hornady critical defense 110 standard pressure. It has lower recoil in a snub and low flash with decent penatration. If you go +p look no further then the speer gold dot 135 +p(I run these). It is basically on par with 9mm standard pressure with penatration and expansion. It is Imo the best 38 special Hp load for a snub nose if you can handle increased recoil.

CleverNickname wrote:Speer GDHP 135gr +P Short Barrel.

http://www.speer-ammo.com/products/short_brl.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you can find it in the 50-round boxes it's usually a lot cheaper on a per-round basis than the normal 20-round boxes.

but yeah good luck finding it in stock. gt or ft worth guns usually have them... i would call 1st

If you see a lot of flash then the powder is burning after the bullet leaves the barrel. Typical with a factory load as they are loaded for the average barrel length. To get the right load for a very short barrel you will have to load a fast burning powder so all the push occurs before it leaves the barrel. But, if you are not a reloader then experiment and see which ones have the least muzzle flash and the most consistent hits.

A 158 soft lead HP at pedestrian velocities would seem to be a realstic option.

The "FBI load" is a viable option, and probably easier to find than some of the premium JHP loads.


http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38%2 ... LSWCHP.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/171388 ... uctFinding" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hornady Critical Defense tested well in a water jug with my J Frame Snubby.

I find in general Hornady ammo (and XTP bullets for reloading) tend to be easier to find and less expensive than some of the other choices. (And some do not make their bullets available for reloading: Federal HST.....)

Buffalo Bore makes some ammo specifically for short barrels.........

I have one 357 with a 2" barrel. All the others are 5-1/2" or longer. The 2" is a Smith & Wesson Model 60LS / 357 Magnum CCW.

For practice / plinking with this 2" revolver she shoots 110gr Winchester JHPs for the reduced recoil and cost, ending with 5 rounds of Hornady 158gr JHP/XTP. This is her carry gun so it's with her 24/7 loaded with the Hornady ammo. This is the first time I ever heard of ammo for short barrel revolvers so I did a quick search and found lots of stuff about it. It appears to be recoil / blast based but I may be wrong.

Growing up it's always been light cheap bullets for plinking and heavy bullets for non plinking. I stockpile 110gr & 158gr ammo for the revolvers and have a lot of both but nothing in between. I've never researched bullet weights below 158gr for her CCW. I might need to dig into this further.

This is only an option if you reload, but a very effective round. Back in the 70's and 80's a number of us used to load Speer 158 gr.lead hollowbased wadcutters upside down (hollow base facing outward) for use in the S&W model 36 and Colt Detective Special snubbies to get a round that would expand dramatically at lower velocities. Great expansion without going to +P loadings. But nowdays, it's probably not a good idea for self defense carry, given the possibility of facing the "oh...so the normal factory loaded ammunition wasn't deadly enough for you" questioning in court if you were ever involved with a lawsuit after using it in a self defense situation.