Hi all,

I own a model 10 in .38 special that not surprisingly likes 158 gr ammo. The problem I have is I can't seem to find 158 gr in a jacketed round. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Georgia Arms sells them. Got some from them and they work very well.

http://georgia-arms.com/cannedheat38...er500pk-1.aspx

Check "ammunition to go". Hornady makes a nice 158 jhp at standard velocity. I know they have remington lrn 158. "Weiderners" has priv partizan 158 lrn at 13.00 and change , I just ordered 10 boxes. Most hollow points won't open anyway in 158 weight jacketed. Funny how guns are so much different. My Colt shoots remington 110 non +P sjhp so tight and on the money and 158 up three inches over poa. My S&W 36 shoots everything three inches right no matter what. I tried everything to find a round that shoots poa with no luck. I would choose a round I know hits where I aim, over a maybe hollowpoint. SWC or Wadcutters are a good alternative also.

I just checked there, they have them in stock on the second page. Hornady 125 & 158 JHP at $17.95 for 25 rounds. Great company to order from. I bought a lot of ammo from them.

A gunshop near me has 158 gr FMJ rounds by S&B. You may look for those online.

Buffalo Bore ammo at Midway, Cabela's, or direct from Buffalo Bore themselves. Try their HEAVY 158 Gr. SWCHP-GC +P. 1024 fps out of a 2" chief special & 360 ft./lbs of energy. Out of a 4" bbl, you are probably looking at over 1100 fps. Can't beat it!

Thank you all for the quick responses. I've been shooting 130gr Remington UMC out of a 4" barrel, but it's not ideal, especially since I'm an inexperienced shooter. Now all I need to do is order without the wife knowing......

What's amazing is that locally, you can find the UMC anywhere, and 158gr is available, however it's always lead dummy rounds, and I'd rather not breathe all that lead, and do that much more cleaning.

chief38 - where on LI are you? I grew up in W. Islip

Brunen. Are shooting indoors? I shoot lead all together but outside. I used to cast my own bullets and the last lead test i had showed no problems. Even my Dr.says go ahead and shoot them.
My hearing took more damage over the years than my lungs. But to each his own.

Shooting indoors, I wish there was a spot outdoors near me.

Time to reload. My snub nose shoots the 158 gr. XTP very very well. I was looking at some remington 230 golden saber bullets for my 45 auto and they wanted $37.95 for 20 rounds. I bought 100 bullets for $27 at Midway. It's a no brainer IMO. I also see that all the components for reloading are available once again. You may have to substitute some things, but at least we can get them. Don't waste your money on store bought ammo.

running iron, I honestly know nothing about the art of reloading. At some point I may have to investigate, but work and life conspire to take away shooting time more often than I'd like to admit.

.380 Auto Ammunition
Don't know why this says .380 but it's .38spl

MFS 158gr FMJ $15.95 per 50

Well hopefully in the future life will conspire to offer you more time to engage in the art of reloading. It is very rewarding in many ways other than the monetary gains associated with it. For me, it is relaxing and brings great pleasure to make your own rounds that will out shoot anything the store has to offer. With all respect, I hope you can find the time soon.

Thanks - I hope so too! However, don't feel too badly for me, I spend a good amount of free time playing Thomas the Tank Engine with my 2.5 yr old, which is even more fun than shooting.

Fiocchi makes a 158 gr. full metal jacket load for the .38 Special.
I haven't chronographed it, but it appears a little more powerful than American loads employing jacketed 158 gr. bullets. Except for +P loads, of course.
It's a good load: accurate and penetrates well. I too have a Model 10 with 4" barrel. I carry it sometimes, loaded with the 158 gr. Remington lead semi-wadcutter hollow point, +P.
I also carry two speedloaders, one loaded with the Remington +P load, and the other with the Fiocchi full metal jackets. I figure that if I have to penetrate a car body, window or endcap full of canned goods, it should work well enough.
The 130 gr. full metal jacket loads, typically used for practice, are underpowered. I carried them in the Air Force as a Security Policeman, in a 4" Model 15. They were known to bounce off car windows and doors.
The Fiocchi ammo is good. Try it.

If you think thats fun, just wait till your 2.5 yr old gets old enough to take shooting with you.

__________________
Pete.

Went to a local show and picked up a bunch of goodies:

148 & 158gr wadcutters, Federal Premium & Seller/Bellot

FMJ in 158 nowhere to be found.

Got some CCI shot shell for the snakes when out hiking/fishing if need be.

Question - I sprung for a box of 147gr +P+ Federal Premium Hydroshocks, and I've had a few folks say it shouldn't be shot out of a model 10-10. What's everyone's take on that?

Brunen,

The Commack area

It says: .380 Auto Ammunition because you typed that in the hidden url code. Simply redit your post & change to 38 Special Ammunition.

__________________
David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

I'm the guy who thinks you should train with what you carry if at all possible. If you suspect that you'll need deadly force in self defense, the risk benefit ratio of hot ammo changes tremendously.

Shooting ammo that is borderline 'too powerful for daily use' wears out guns without a corresponding increase in 2nd shot accuracy or speed. There's no rule about bad guys except one's too many; nothing says there aren't two or three of them. Once you've serviced one target, it's a whole new ball game for the next guy, and whatever lets you shoot BRISKLY and accurately both is highly desireable.

I've found for myself that my best results on multiple targets at speed are with a 4" barrel and 158 grain ammo, and only enough +P to hit 900 fps. It isn't faster to boost that another 10%, and if that's not the round you train with, it'll throw off your timing.

It works that way for ME, and you should go by what works for YOU, after testing. Not because I say so, because the shot timer says so. Try some different flavors of +P and take notes..

Thanks - will do

Brunen, the 147gr. +P+ Hydra-Shoks were actually developed for use in .357 revolvers, for "political" purposes for agency use. It is great ammo, but it is a bit hot for your Model 10, at least on any regular basis. Pressures with that round peak briefly at low-end .357 levels. I've shot it in K-frame .38s, but mostly I treat it like the "-P" .357 loads like Remington Golden Saber 125gr. and Speer Short Barrel 135gr. .357 loads and only use it in lightweight .357 revolvers. It won't blow your gun up, but it will beat it up over time, with enough rounds fired.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm assuming the one box of 50 that I purchased can be used up on occasion by loading a cylinder once in a blue moon. I'm also assuming that 50 rounds total isn't enough to beat it up too badly. If not, I wasted some bucks.

Nah, lots of folks carry ammo a bit hotter than their range ammo, on the grounds that turbocharging the real thing can't hurt. You picked a dandy round to do it with, even though it's not a practice I can happily recommend.

One box over time won't make any noticeable difference, but if you shot a box a week you'ld see it in a few months.