In the late 1970s I had a source for .38 Special Super Vel so bought the occasional box. I chronographed it in my 4-inch Model 10 Heavy Barrel and found that the 110 grain bullet was clocking 1237 fps. I also had a box of the Winchester "Treasury" 110 grain +P+ loads and tested it on the same outing. It gave 1100 fps.

I considered that Super Vel to be pretty good medicine. I was packing it in the Model 10 when I spine shot a buck deer from less than 10 feet away as it ran past me, fleeing from another hunter. The .30-40 Krag I was using flattened it effectively with a 220 grain round nose bullet but, though paralyzed, it attempted to struggle on the ground. I quickly shot it through the heart with the .38 Special at point blank range. Upon field dressing the buck I found that the Super Vel 110 grain jacketed hollow point had poked a .38 hole through the heart then ranged far down in the deer's left front leg stopping at the knee joint. I extracted the bullet to find the bullet to only be abraded on the exposed lead portion, the hollow point still intact. Despite the rifling marks it looked as if it could be loaded and fired again.

It was only a single instance but the experience left me disillusioned about jacketed hollow point bullets in handguns.

The heart shot did shut down the deer though.

I thought I'd shot up all the Super Vel .38 Special loads years ago but when moving year before last I found a couple of boxes I forgot I had.