Dear Smith and Wesson Forum I have an ammunition question. what would be a good reliable .38 special ammunition for use in a S&W model 60 .357 magnum revolver with a 3 inch barrel? sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member so the Smith and Wesson Forum. p.s the ammunition will be used for target practice at an indoor handgun range.

Your m-60 will shoot any 38 spl. But since you are asking about a target round for indoor, I would think that any of the 38 target/wadcutter rounds would perform well. Also, any of the standard velocity 38 spl rounds would be adequate. The indoor range may not permit some of the heavier loaded rounds such as +p+ or full metal jacketed ammo due to ricochet problems or penetration issues.

I would try to find target ammo like 148 gr wadcutter or standard velocity lead rounds/semi wadcutter type. And, again, the range owner may have specific itemized rounds that are permitted; you may ask at the indoor range you are shooting at what their requirements are before buying. Hope you have a good time.

American Eagle has a 130 grain FMJ that's pretty decent, certainly acceptable for combat practice. However, I've noticed that it tends to string a bit vertically at longer ranges beyond 25 yards, which an indication of velocity variation.

If you want something that will let you shoot 1 hole groups, I've had very good results with Speer Lawman TMJ. Currently the only offering is a 158 grain TMJ in 38 +P but it's a very consistent ammunition with only a bit more "pop" than standard 38 spl. One other plus is that it's an extremely clean shooting ammo.

Now, one ammo that I would advise you avoid like the Plague is Blaser Aluminum cased LRN. I tried one box of this poop in my 620 and it took a solid 3 hours of work to get the lead out of the barrel. Then there was another 1 1/2 hours getting the cylinder and the rest of the gun clean. Quite simply, it's the foulest shooting ammo I've ever seen.

Most of the indoor ranges will frown upon lead, which is to say none plated or jacketed bullets. The other no no is Wolf which is steel cased and steel jacketed I think.

Hello mg357

I have a MOdel 60 3" Bbl. as well. I've shot some .357 Mag in it but
maybe I'm just getting old but after a cylinder full jeez so I shoot .38
Special in it. I've been buying relaoded stuf at a sporting goods store near range 158 gr. flat nose metal case It's hard to find new off the shelf I'll avoid that Blazer somebody mentioned.

By all means check with your indoor range as to bullet type and if they care about non - brass cased ammo.

FWIW - my HD/SD load is .38 Special +P 125 gr. Speer Gold Dot
it's from Double Tap rated @ 1125 FPS DT isn't loading Gold Dots currently

I know of a guy that runs a ammo company - kinda part time so I've
bought some .357 new cases from Starline, Leadhead 158 gr. hardcast bullets and have the primers 300 so next time he's at the gun show in Lewiston ID. I'm going to have Garnett Ammunition load them up to the Chicago/FBI load at around 925-950 fps. It'll be .38 Spcl +P velocity and pressure but fujll length for the chamber. If it's decent ammo I'll do the deal with this guy to do some .45 ACP as well.

CCI-Speer also makes a .38 Special as well as a .357 Mag
'Short Barrel' load with a 135 gr. Gold DOt if you're unaware of this.

Randall

Whatever is available at your local Walmart at the lowest price.

This ^^^.

The old standbys are WWB (Winchester White Box), UMC (Remington, by another name) and American Eagle (Federal) in 130 gr. FMJ.

Like said above, your M60 will handle any .38 Special ammo you feed it. I would say with today's high prices shoot the cheapest ammo you can find for target practice. Just don't get upset if your groups open up a bit because all ammo isn't created equal in you know what I mean...

Now if you were a reloader the answer would be easier, a 148gr DEWC over 3.4gr W231 or a 158gr LSWC over 4.0gr W231. lol

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SWCA #3437

I second the recommendation for the Speer Lawman and/or Cleanfire brands. Good stuff.

Well,
IF your revolver was heavier such as a 3" M65 or M66 I would say use Buffalo Bore ammo 357 Mag's., but it would probably be uncontrollable in a J-Frame. Therefore, I would either opt to use the Winchester, Remington or Federal 357 Mags, (try the 125 and the 158 grain to see which one you like best for recoil & accuracy) and if that is still too heavy in your J-Frame, you can go to the Buffalo Bore HEAVY 38 Special 158 grain +P which in a 3" tube will perform very well and will not beat you up.

chief38

The OP asked about .38 Special practice ammo, not .357 Magnum ammo. And BTW, even if he did ask about .357 Magnum ammo why would you suggest Buffalo Bore as practice ammo? The price is so high on that ammo why would anyone use it for regular practice ammo?

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SWCA #3437

For 38 Special practice ammo, simple 130-gr. FMJ or 148-gr. wadcutters will enable extended range sessions and are easy on the wallet.

I agree, you can usually find Remington UMC, Winchester White Box, Federal's American Eagle or other lower end company ammo for a lower price for practice. Remington UMC is usually the cheapest around where I live.

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SWCA #3437

+1 Stick with FMJ to avoid the handling of lead and the aerosolizing of it which you breathe in. Lead also gunks up your barrel.

I always used 158 grain standard velocity .38 FMJ because it shot to the same point of impact as the defense loads I use (130 gr +p hollowpoints). Same recoil, same feel.

...what he said.

ArchAngleCD:

You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! I read the OP too quickly and did not see "for target shooting", so I apologize for the ridiculous answer.

chief38

I'm with Moxie, walmart generally has decent prices on ammo. Stick with the FMJ for indoor range practice but if you are going to carry find a personal defense round you like and practice with that as well.

In my neck of the woods, the standard 38 spl ammo with the 158gr LRN bullet is a lot cheaper than the 148gr wc loads,for some odd reason,even though they have more lead ,which should cost more.

148,158 or 130gr jacket.............its all good , if you can find it !!
Even Cowboy loads will work, if thats all that is left on the shelf.

You do realize you brought back another over 2 year old thread from the Abyss, right?

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SWCA #3437

I wonder who came up with the idea of 130gr ball ammo for the 38 special? I can see it for a semi-auto for sure feeding, but a revolver? I almost wonder if it's originally designed for 9mm but just sized at
.357" (instead of .355") for use in 38's? IMHO a SWC (lead, plated, or jacketed) would be better for both paper punching and for self-defense. I prefer ball ammo for my little 380 pocket gun, but that's to ensure feeding & penetration-- neither of which is a problem with heavier-bullet 38 spl loads. I guess this 130 ball is OK for practice but I prefer to have just one load for both range & self-defense use-- no confusion about what's in the gun, if the loads shoot to the same POA, or if you have enough of the right ammo in stock.

The 130gr Ball ammo was designed for the Air Force that wanted a higher velosity bullet that was better then what they had........... in 1961 a 130gr at 950fps out of a 4 inch was designed.

Only ball ammo was allowed by NATO in WWll...........
in 1943 they only had a 158 fmj at only 850fps out of a 4 inch barrel.