I've been carrying my 36-1 3 inch more often now that my wife has taken an interest in my 332. The 36 shoots to POA with heavier 158 grain projectiles, so for SD purposes I have it narrowed down to either buffalo bore or the hornady 158 grain xtp, but can't find any reviews on the hornadys. Anyone have any experience with them? I hear the standard pressure buffalo bore rounds are tough to beat in a j frame. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Jacketed hollow-points have very little chance of expanding from any .38 Special, particularly a 2" or 3". I assume you meant the Buffalo Bore 158 LSWCHP? If so, that is a far better choice than any jacketed bullet for .38 Special.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Thanks for your reply. That is kinda what I expected but wanted to ask before I spent any money testing it for myself. Looks like it's buffalo bore for me.

The 36-1 round butt I found recently prints the old Remington "FBI" load perfectly to POA. It's still a "bargain" by contemporary standards.

PC

Why not go with the up to date version of a .38 round which has a great street record in NYPD and LAPD? Also, no crimp jump like with the lead bullets out of an airweight.

So far I've been sticking to the 158 grain loads because they shoot to poa. I've been trying to avoid the +p stuff, but it seems that modern +p loads aren't what they used to be and aren't as bad for the older smiths as they were once thought to be. The FBI load is on my list of considerations. I've always had good experiences with Gold Dots and Hornady loads in my other carry guns. Just not sure with the .38 special. I understand the velocity and expansion are the primary concerns with the short barrelled .38s, leading me to believe that non jacketed lead loads are the best place to start.

Hornady 158 XTP did ok out of a snubby and this is a standard pressure load:

Hornady 38 Special 158gr XTP ballistic gel test - YouTube

Buffalo Bore didn't fare so well:

Buffalo Bore .38 Special 158 gr Semiwadcutter Ammo Test - YouTube

I'll go with the Hornady. It's cheaper too.

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Loyalty Above All.. but Honor

Badge, thanks for the links! I searched youtube before I posted and could not find that video on the Hornady XTP 158 Grain. I was disappointed with what I saw on the Buffalo Bore review. Looks like I'm gonna order me some XTPs. Thanks everyone for your responses.

If you can find it (which is iffy) the Speer Short Barrel 38 load is made for snubbies, out of a 3" it should be fine. It's what I carry on duty, and it tends to be extremely accurate in most guns. But as you said, it will shoot a bit lower, since it's 135 grains. At halitosis range I doubt it would matter.