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Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Discussion about what manufactured ammunition feeds your Henry or other firearms
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Blackdog
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by Blackdog » Tue Dec 11, 2018 5:14 pm

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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by clovishound » Wed Dec 12, 2018 11:08 am

You might find this website informative. It lists many different brands and types of SD ammo along with terminal diameters and pictures. It even tests the same ammo with a 2" barrel and then again with a 4". Looks to me that the 125 grain Golden Saber +P does very well out of a 2".

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolv ... tics-test/

Nice thing is that you can go through the info and pick out a couple top contenders then check for price and availability.

I do think that ammo selection is probably more critical for a .38, especially with a short barrel, than it would be with something like a .45.
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by Dahliathemeh » Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:29 pm

I have a Taurus Ultra Lite that I have on my person at all times. I like a lot of other people have Hornady as well.
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by DAVIDF » Thu Dec 13, 2018 12:30 pm

This is from Dr. Gary K. Roberts (the most knowledgeable terminal ballistics expert in the business):

Currently, the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP, Winchester 130 gr bonded +P JHP (RA38B), and Barnes 110 gr XPB all copper JHP (for ex. in the Corbon DPX loading) offer the most reliable expansion we have seen from a .38 sp 2” BUG; Hornady 110 gr standard pressure and +P Critical Defense loads also offer good performance out of 2" barrel revolvers.

He also recommends a plain old target wadcutter.
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by Blackdog » Sat Dec 15, 2018 10:35 am

DAVIDF wrote:This is from Dr. Gary K. Roberts (the most knowledgeable terminal ballistics expert in the business):

Currently, the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP, Winchester 130 gr bonded +P JHP (RA38B), and Barnes 110 gr XPB all copper JHP (for ex. in the Corbon DPX loading) offer the most reliable expansion we have seen from a .38 sp 2” BUG; Hornady 110 gr standard pressure and +P Critical Defense loads also offer good performance out of 2" barrel revolvers.

He also recommends a plain old target wadcutter.
I like "Plain old Target Wadcutters" - they dump all their energy quickly and cause massive tissue shock. But, I haven't found any on dealers shelves. What brand do you suggest if I mail order?
M
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by CT_Shooter » Sat Dec 15, 2018 11:09 am

Blackdog wrote: I like "Plain old Target Wadcutters" - they dump all their energy quickly and cause massive tissue shock. But, I haven't found any on dealers shelves. What brand do you suggest if I mail order?
Blackdog, you can buy Remington Target 38 Special Ammo 158 Grain Semi-Wadcutter at TargetSportsUSA.com and other online vendors, but you may also want to consider this opinion published by Chuck Hawks this year that recommends other choices instead.
Chuck Hawks wrote: A Special Note on Snub-Nose .38 Revolvers: The Cor-Bon .38 Special +P 125 grain JHP and 158 grain LSWCHP FBI load are not the best choice for 2" or 3" barrel revolvers. The short barrel does not provide enough velocity to ensure reliable expansion with these loads and the unpleasant and hard-to-control recoil hurts snub-nose accuracy (as well as your hand). Controllability is crucial and I recommend standard pressure (non +P) loads for any .38 snub-nose.

Standard Pressure (non +P) loads for short barreled revolvers:

Federal Premium 125 grain NyClad HP (P38MA) - Known as the "Chief's Special" load, this is my preferred 2"-3" barrel snub-nose revolver load and it is the best load for both standard and +P rated snub-nose revolvers. The Nylon-coated hollow point was specifically designed to expand at lower velocities from short barreled .38s. For many years this load was available only to law enforcement agencies, but it is again available to the general public.

Other acceptable standard pressure .38 loads include the Winchester Super-X 110 grain Silvertip, Federal Low Recoil Personal Defense 110 grain Hydra-Shok JHP, Hornady Critical Defense 110 grain FTX and Sig Sauer Elite 125 grain V-Crown.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by DAVIDF » Sat Dec 15, 2018 5:53 pm

Blackdog wrote:
DAVIDF wrote:This is from Dr. Gary K. Roberts (the most knowledgeable terminal ballistics expert in the business):

Currently, the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP, Winchester 130 gr bonded +P JHP (RA38B), and Barnes 110 gr XPB all copper JHP (for ex. in the Corbon DPX loading) offer the most reliable expansion we have seen from a .38 sp 2” BUG; Hornady 110 gr standard pressure and +P Critical Defense loads also offer good performance out of 2" barrel revolvers.

He also recommends a plain old target wadcutter.
I like "Plain old Target Wadcutters" - they dump all their energy quickly and cause massive tissue shock. But, I haven't found any on dealers shelves. What brand do you suggest if I mail order?
M

I have no idea. I haven't ordered ammo in a long time, only reloading components. I take a look and see if I find anything.

I just searched and found Black Hills wadcutter loads https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index.ph ... -wadcutter. Expensive, but Black Hills QC is second to none. Of course, that is why I hand load. I know mine is inspected every step of the way.
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by Blackdog » Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:04 am

DAVIDF wrote:
Blackdog wrote:
DAVIDF wrote:This is from Dr. Gary K. Roberts (the most knowledgeable terminal ballistics expert in the business):

Currently, the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP, Winchester 130 gr bonded +P JHP (RA38B), and Barnes 110 gr XPB all copper JHP (for ex. in the Corbon DPX loading) offer the most reliable expansion we have seen from a .38 sp 2” BUG; Hornady 110 gr standard pressure and +P Critical Defense loads also offer good performance out of 2" barrel revolvers.

He also recommends a plain old target wadcutter.
I like "Plain old Target Wadcutters" - they dump all their energy quickly and cause massive tissue shock. But, I haven't found any on dealers shelves. What brand do you suggest if I mail order?
M

I have no idea. I haven't ordered ammo in a long time, only reloading components. I take a look and see if I find anything.

I just searched and found Black Hills wadcutter loads https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index.ph ... -wadcutter. Expensive, but Black Hills QC is second to none. Of course, that is why I hand load. I know mine is inspected every step of the way.

Great info - thanks,
M
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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by Shakey Jake » Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:48 pm

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Re: Self defense ammo in my 2" .38 Special

Post by PT7 » Sun Dec 16, 2018 8:22 pm

Reasonable cost, Jake, compared to the BHA 125gr JHPs I've been using. The best I've found so far on the BHA is a cost of 65-76 cents per round. 36 cents per round for this Federal plinker & SD ammo sure looks much better for the budget. Thanks for the link.

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