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  #1  
Old 01-31-2010, 05:00 PM
anchors anchors is offline
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Default Starfire 38spl ammo

I bought 2 boxes of 125gr +P 38spl ammo at the show this weekend,can anyone tell me if this is decent carry ammo?
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Old 01-31-2010, 05:56 PM
Dragon88 Dragon88 is offline
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This is PMCs self defense line of ammo and should work fine. I've read elsewhere it is a little hot and produces noticeable muzzle flash. As usual you should test it for function, accuracy, and recoil, and if possible test it at night to see how much it flashes.
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Old 02-01-2010, 05:10 PM
tpd223 tpd223 is offline
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I've seen exactly one shooting with Starfire ammo, in 9mm from a Taurus 92 series gun, it worked as advertised.

Personally I'd look for Gold Dot or the new Hornady ammo, but I'd carry the Starfire if that's what I could get.
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Old 02-01-2010, 06:43 PM
SWAT Lt. SWAT Lt. is offline
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+1, there are better choices but it's better than nothing.
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Old 02-04-2010, 09:44 AM
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My understanding is that it is a dated design but still works pretty good. I have used them in the past and they shot fine but i didn't do any expansion tests or anything.

I use Gold dots and don't look back.
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Old 02-09-2010, 04:40 PM
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It's made in Korea I would save it for the range. I won't carry anything except Cor Bon DPX or Pow'R Ball these days.
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Old 02-09-2010, 04:51 PM
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Quote:
It's made in Korea I would save it for the range. I won't carry anything except Cor Bon DPX or Pow'R Ball these days.
While PMC is a Korean company the Starfire ammo has always been made in the USA.
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Old 02-10-2010, 02:05 PM
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Default Not good....

OK guys im new here, but I have done some ammo testing. I realize that water testing is not comparable to flesh, but for what its worth the starfire design only opens up with a lot of speed. I think that if the .38 special starfire projectile were to be loaded in .357 brass at a much higher velocity it would do fine. Here is a link to the .38 special tests on this load.

YouTube - AT2 - .38 Special - PMC Starfire 125 Gr +P JHP

YouTube - AT1 - .38 Special - PMC 125 Gr Starfire JHP

We also tested other calibers and the faster bullets opened up nicely.

Here is a link to my page where all of the tests can be dug through.

YouTube - andreleger2001's Channel

In my opinion you just bought a box of ball ammo.

Andre'
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Old 02-10-2010, 04:09 PM
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The Starfire bullet was designed by the same guy that designed the Hydra-Shok bullet for Federal. The hollow is deeply fluted and mushrooms nicely , even at low velocity. The bullets look very nasty and impressive when recovered from ballistic gel. That seems to be the main selling point these days. How well do they work in the real world?
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Old 02-10-2010, 07:26 PM
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Andre's test was all I needed to see. A bullet should "pop" in water I would think. A bullet expanding in a water test doesn't mean that it will in gelatin, or on the street, but when a bullet fails in water, it likely won't expand anywhere else. That's when my red light goes on. That **** didn't even expand from a 4" gun. Pretty sad.
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Old 02-10-2010, 07:33 PM
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The bottom line is...

They'll all kill ya deader'n hell.
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