I have some arthritis in my hand and I d like to see if there is a recommended low recoil ammo for a S and W bodyguard, .38 spl+ p. I have a laser on it. Model BG 38

I have the same gun. I shoot Hornady® Standard Pressure 38 Special 110gr FTX® Critical Defense (#90310). It is very accurate in my gun and is low recoil.

A second load that does well, also from Hornady®; is the Standard Pressure 38 Special 125gr XTP® American Gunner® (#90324).

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David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

If you are going to shoot a snub nose with low power, don't use any expanding bullets at all. Find yourself a wadcutter or semi wadcutter bullet. Low recoil is going to mean low velocity, low energy, low performance, and with expanding bullets you will either have a bullet that doesn't expand at all, or a bullet that could expand and under penetrate. Light weight hollow points are poor performers, and even though they claim to be low recoil because of the light bullet weight, they have their own felt recoil issues because they are thrown at higher velocities, and some of the "low recoil" is on paper calculations only.

When it comes to hollow points, either go big, or go home.

Try a box of HSM Target Loads.
It's a 158 grain semi-wadcutter cast bullet listed at 840 FPS, 248 FP, loaded in Starline Cases in Montana.
Have shot it in 2 and 3 inch J Frames.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

148 grain wadcutter

Low recoil and +P don't come in the same package that I ever seen.

Eddie

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

+1;

There is low pressure standard loadings or............. +P

Pick one or the other.

I agree, +P and low recoil don't play well together. Unfortunately, there has been very little development done on standard pressure .38 Special ammo over the years. I know this isn't want you asked but if you want less felt recoil increase the weight of the gun. When the same ammo is shot in my 15oz S&W M442 the felt recoil is greater than when shot from my 21oz S&W M36. The greater mass of the M36 will absorb more of the recoil sparing your hands.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

The 135 grain Gold Dot from Speer is designed to expand at lower velocities. If you see the nose on one of those you'll understand why. The standard load is well regarded w/o going to +P.

I put a Hogue monogrip on my alloy j frame. I haven't tested it yet but I'm sure it will help.

My mod 38 is more comfortable to shoot than that alloy job but I believe that it would benefit from bigger, softer grips that cover the backstrap.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I agree with rwsmith ^^^^^^^^^. The Speer Short Barrel 135 grain GDHP is an excellent and street proven load in .38 Special +P, AND the recoil is more than manageable by most.

While the Speer is not even close to the energy of the Buffalo Bore HEAVY 158 grain +P SWCHP-GC load #20A, the BB load is a REAL HANDFUL (out of a 2" J Frame) and should be used only by someone who can overcome it's recoil. I actually recommend the Speer Gold Dot 135 SB to most people carrying a 2" snub gun and the BB to experienced shooters that religiously practice with their CCW and can deal with it.

The 158 HPL FBI load comes in three flavors.

A lot of companies have it at 800fps or lower.

Buffalo 20C at 850fps.....

Buffalo 20A at 1000fps or more.

I agree. that the 20A is for seasoned shooters in the light J frame.

It seems some people aren't considering that the OP mentioned +P because that's how the gun is labeled.

My personal preference is for medium- to heavy-weight bullets for self defense, whether +P or not. For .38 Special I'd consider that 125gr and heavier.

As for low recoil loads, my favorite is the Federal 125gr Nyclad. It's what I carried before I got used to +P in my 642. I still have a box or two. From what I've seen, though, it seems to be very difficult, if not impossible, to find. Maybe Federal discontinued it.

If I couldn't find any Nyclad I'd look to try Winchester's Defend load, a 130gr JHP. It's not +P but seems to perform reasonably well in gel. I don't know how effective it is in real shootings.

I believe Hornady makes some standard pressure, medium-weight self-defense loads, but I'm not that familiar with their products.

If none of those are available, too expensive, or just don't work for you, I'd probably go with the 148gr WC, preferably a hard cast version. Maybe the 158gr SWC if the recoil is manageable for you.

And while I do prefer medium-to-heavy bullets, I'm not against the lighter weight bullets if they work best for you. The ones I've seen don't seem to penetrate as well as the heavier loadings. While it's good to consider the terminal performance of self-defense loads, it doesn't mean anything if you can't hit your target quickly and consistently.

Final thought: I wouldn't consider any Buffalo Bore ammo as low recoil, despite what the label says. Their standard pressure ammo kicks like +P and I treat them as such.

As far as pain goes in a self defense situation I don't care if I have a .44 magnum airweight. It's PRACTICING that tears me up. My practice ammo isn't quite as stiff as the one's that I keep loaded for emergencies. I do fire off a few big ones every once in a while to stay in shape. People say, 'practice with what you carry.' but I can't shoot a hundred or two Gold Dots at the range each month.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I carry a light weight, low recoil hydrashok round in my .45 pistol. Perhaps Federal makes such a round in .38 special?

While I think it's ok to do the bulk of one's practice with lighter loads (it's what I do), one still has to shoot enough of their defensive load to make sure they can shoot it well enough as well as make sure it's reliable in their gun, at least initially. If that's too much for someone, then going to a lower-recoiling defensive load would be the better choice, in my opinion.

Also, with arthritis and other joint-related issues, it may not necessarily be just about pain, but also functionality in terms of grip strength. If someone finds it difficult to hold onto the gun while shooting +P, then a lower-recoiling defensive load would again be the better choice.

I don't know if this necessarily applies to the OP's situation, but it is something to consider.

Again, just my opinion.

Federal Hydrashock 110 grain Low Recoil.

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Deplorable Me!

I agree with the above post , 110gr bullet SJHP , SJSP etc will make some nice fairly low recoil shooting . That is what I keep in my 38spl airweight 642 . I found that the point of aim = point of impact .

Federal Nyclads standard pressure is effective, yet soft shooting...if you can find them.

Do you know where there are any 135gr Short Barrel 38+P for sale?

We can't shot them if there are none.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

The standard 148gr wadcutter target load is a surprisingly effective self defence load. It has low recoil, good penetration and that full wad cutter does a good job. I know this goes against intuition and common sense but it works in a two incher where you cannot get the velocity most bullets need to work.

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Stay safe people!

Speer makes them in cycles, I want to say every 3 or 4 months. Aside from just keeping an eye out for them, it'd probably be a good idea to sign up for e-mail notifications with a good online vendor (I like SG Ammo).

The best all around light recoil +P for the light J frame is........

the Speer 135gr Gold Dot loading.

However, if I could not find this in the stores, I would grab the
Barnes 110gr TAC-XP, bonded all copper by Double Tap in a heat beat.

The Hornady offerings would be my third choice.