It helps if you understand the world into which the FBI Load was born...

Revolvers were king. And the .38 Special LRN (lead round nose) was the standard round for nearly all police departments - and had been for decades. That despite utterly dismal terminal performance.

Super Vel was just getting started with its lighter-bullets-at-higher-velocity narrative. At the time there was great excitement about the prospect of reliable bullet expansion in two and four-inch revolvers. Alas, what wasn't much appreciated, until much later, is that bullet expansion doesn't do jack for you unless you can first get the bullet deep enough that it matters.

Enter the FBI Load. A soft lead, hollow point, .38 Special at standard weight, driven at much higher pressures and velocities than had ever been seen before. And the middling, medium-caliber revolver round that everyone carried... suddenly began working.

Part of it, as described up-thread here, was that squared-off meplat. A SWC (or full wadcutter) will outperform a round nose every time.

Part of it was the increased velocity, which usually imparted enough bullet penetration.

And part of it was a hollow point that actually worked much of the time.

Add 'em all up and you end up with a .38 Special round that's actually pretty decent. The FBI Load finally did what its .38 Special LRN predecessors could only dream of. And the police officers who used it discovered a new-found confidence in those rounds in the loops of their Sam Browne belts.

The FBI Load got good press. Deservedly.

Alas, the heyday of the defensive revolver was nearing its end. Police departments and civilians both soon turned turned to the Wonder Nine as their weapon of choice.

And today? Well, revolvers have still benefited from the advancements in bullet design and ballistics research - even if it's in a secondary, hand-me-down fashion. We're fortunate to live in a time when there are truly excellent defensive round choices, regardless of one's chosen handgun or caliber.

Me, I usually keep my defensive revolvers loaded up with Speer Gold Dots (despite being an inveterate handloader, count me in the camp that thinks using self-loaded ammunition for defensive use is asking for trouble you don't need). But I'd use the FBI Load in an instant and not feel I'm giving up a lot.

It worked back in the day. And it'll work now, if called upon.

That's why people still find it interesting.