After looking for carry ammo for my snub and after trying out what I could get my hands on, the 125 grain Speer Gold Dots "felt" the best in my 642.

The 135 grain short barrel variety would probably be ideal for me, but it's not easy to track down. On the other hand, I can get a reasonable supply of the regular 125.

I'm looking for opinions on using the standard 125 gr loading out of a short barrel. Is it going to be a ballistic trainwreck, or just a minor difference in performance?

Check this out:

Speer Gold Dot 38 Spec +P 125 Grain Denim and Gel Test - YouTube

Looks like the +P 125's did just fine out of a snub.

If you notice that Factory 125gr GD ammo is traveling 900 fps.

Last year I shot a 125gr Gold Dot in my snub nose and it went through three water jugs and stopped in a partical board behind the jugs. This was my starting load with the powder and the chrony said at 10 feet it was going 840 fps. This speed works great with the 125gr Nyclad bullet design but the Speer Jacket GD was designed for higher velocity.

900 fps +P speed works..............840 fps just does not get it done.

Thanks for the post. Good video. I try to use this round only in barrels of not less than three inches, but this is good to know.

My son lives in another city, where he can sometimes get the 135 grain load, and I had him get me some. I use it in short barrels. A Speer spokesman told me that the 135 Short Barrel ammo is issue for all barrel length .38's still grandfathered in in both NYPD and LAPD, and has delivered excellent results in real shootings. I do not have real feedback on the 125 grainer, but respect it. I use it in four-inch and longer barrels. I haven't shot anything alive with it, but it groups well.

You fired reloads into water jugs. The video used factory ammo and gelatin blocks.

Speer 38 Special +P Gold Dot 135 Grain Short Barrel Gel Test - YouTube


Same guy, but the 135 grain Short Barrel load. (No denim was harmed during the making of this video.)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k890Rio2oBY

Another tester, with denim added. An excellent video. Test gun is a S&W M-438.

Hello. According to the data from this poster on ATK's LE website, the 125 gr. GDHP isn't as robust an expander as the 135 gr. SB bullet when fired through intermediate barriers but should still penetrate and expand reasonably well when those conditions aren't present. It should be noted that while the data from the poster is for their .357 Magnum loading, it also uses the same exact bullet as the .38 Special +P version.

However, there's nothing wrong with using what "feels" the best for you even when your preferred round is unavailable, and having a round that shoots well from your particular 642 is just as much of an asset as a more modern design that is more likely to expand through intermediate barriers. In other words, you could've done a lot worse so don't worry and use your preferred round when it's available.

Ed-

I'm not trying to upset you, but your reasoning is flawed.

The target medium DOES matter. And sometimes, the 840 FPS you cited is very true of the bullet in factory ammo. Not all guns give 900 FPS from short barrels. That's one reason why I favor three-inch barrels on small .38's when I can hide the gun well the way I dress that day. The added inch of barrel usually adds at least 50 FPS, and the guns are easier to shoot well.

Generally flesh, especially tough muscle tissue like the heart, expands bullets better than water does. Lung tissue may not.

I hope you watch the video links that I just posted. They're the best I found for the load.

Looking at the blog for the videos, seems pretty close between the two (as comparable as these tests may be):

I can see why the 125gr "Felt Better" when I looked up some data.............

the 442 empty weighs around 15 oz. depending on what type of stocks you have on it, and with that...............

A 125gr at 900fps has 5.76 ft/lbs of recoil and...........

A 135gr at 860fps has 6.22 ft/lbs of recoil.

Nevada,
If you can "feel" a difference of .54 ft/lbs, you have magic calibrated hands!

gto,
The 125s are just fine. Another good option is the Rem. Golden Saber 125 BJHP +P.

__________________
USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

I shoot a steel M49..............

No problem for me.

Go with the Federal® Premium Nyclad® 125gr HP. Low recoil & deadly accurate..........
• http://www.federalpremium.com/produc...un.aspx?id=828

__________________
David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

I can't find any place that actually sells it. Some say it was discontinued again, but then Federal still has it on the website. Anybody know?

I buy it locally here in WA state; both in stores & at gunshows.

__________________
David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

Out of my Ruger LCR (2" barrel of course), the Speer 125 gr Gold Dot clocks a bit over 900 FSP, actually, it was 913 FPS averaged for 5 shots. Don't have any gel to catch a round.

__________________
Stu

Ammoman has both on their website today.

$399 per 500 rounds = $0.80 per shot.

AMMOMAN.com. 38 Special

Out of my New Model Bodyguard 38, the 125+p Gold dot gave me an average of 803 fps for a 5 shot total.

I know this is a four year old post but.......

did that GOLD DOT at only 803 fps expand in water jugs or wet news paper ?

Dang! I am not sure why I didn't catch this post was so old when I posted to it. Sorry about bringing it back from the dead.

To answer your question, yes it did expand perfect. Granted my testing is not perfect but I use 2 litter bottles filled with water lined up.

Target Sports (CT) just ran out of the 135 grain but if you leave your email for notification they will let you know when it is back in stock. Usually only a week or two. They are very reliable!