You are right there. Joel 47

I shoot Federal 125gr. NYCLAD hollow points.
Don't know if they are any good or not never
had to use them. I have a model 36-no dash Don

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"Don't worry be happy"

Reverse seated 148 grain hollow base wadcutters. Gas check on front of bullet. 10.0 grains of Alcan AL-5. Serious Zombie medicine.

125 grain Speer Gold Dot .38 +P..........

125gr Speer 357 mag Gold Dots in my S&W 360PD.

I'm still not sure what's worse: shooting it or getting shot by it!

in my 66 i put 1 shot shell followed with 2 rounds of hand loaded hbwc loaded backwards over a good charge of 231 then 3 125 jhp over a hot load of 2400 this makes it 1 for snakes2 for rats 3for hardheads

DoubleTap loaded Gold Dot .357's, 125 Gr. Luckily it's in a 640. The extra heft of the steel takes some of the sting out of shooting them.


Regards,
Arkdweller

38 +p, 158 gr lswchp.

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otis

hey y'all...a few changes so here's an update; unfortunately dad has a chronic ilnness and has moved in with my sister to be close to the grandkids; he gave me all his firearms and hunting equipment; his 642 is in better shape than mine (wasn't carried much or shot much); I also found a few boxes of Remington UMC 125gr sjhp .38 spl +p and they are more abundant than the Winchester WWB Personal Defense 125gr sjhp .38 spl +p in my area; I'm pretty much gonna keep his 642 for HD after a shooting session to get acclimated (his trigger is a wee bit stiffer than mine); with all that said...

his 642: Remington UMC sjhp 125gr .38 spl +p or Remington Express 158gr lswchp .38 spl +p

my 642: same for HD and CCW; when at hunting camp doing chores it will get Mastercast remanufactured 158gr lswc solids .38 spl (hardened for reduced fouling with sharp shoulders and a flat tip)

I'm gonna 'stash' the Winchester WWB Personal Defense 125gr sjhp and Winchester Silvertip 110gr jhp loads that I have left

Federal 129 grain HydroShok +P in the 637.

148 Gr. BBDEWC over Universal Clays powder and a Federal GM100M- 960 fps average at 15'

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Andy

Buffalo Bore 158 gr. LSWCHP +P loads; 1000 fps from a 2" Model 60.

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Steve
NJ State Trooper (rtd)

Speer 135 gr. +P Short Barrel load in my 442-2.

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Buy American!

Federal Nyclad 125 gr JHP
model 13
442
Carl

I either carry S&B 100gn WC or Winchester 32 ACP Silvertips.

What ever I have around. 148 gr. SWC +P, 110 gr. JHP, 130 gr. FMJ, 158 gr. LRN. Mostly the 148 gr. SWC +P.

I'm currently carrying the .357 mag Speer 135 grn GDHP in my 649 Bodyguard but the Remington Golden Sabre 125 grn also shot well. I recently ordered a few boxes of 158 grn LSWCHP in .38 special. Mr Ayoob is on record as favoring this load for his J frame. I do know that my old Model 28 shoots this load like a dream ... bang bang bang all day long.

.....125gr. Nyclad in my Airweights and either the Remington 158gr +p LSWCHP or Speer Gold Dot 135gr +p in my M36.

- regards

Speer Gold Dot .357 Mag 135 gr. GDHP short barrel hollow point in a 340 PD.

posted elswhere.

I have found in my 340pd that 148 gr wadcutters works as good as anything and the recoil is not bad

I suspect that you will be pleased. This is one of my all time favorite .38 loads. Recoil isn't bad, the bullets expand nicely and it shoots accurately in every gun that I have ever tried it in.

in my 2 tone 442 (had to sell my 642 a while back when I was out of work taking care of dad; the 442 is the replacement now that I am working again) I currently have Hornady Critical Defense 110gr FTX +p's with a generous stash of Remington Express 158gr lswchp +p's & Winchester WWB Personal Defense 125gr sjhp +p's on hand; dad's 642 is being stored indefintely (along with his other firearms since he passed and I am still too emotional to handle them)

When I carry the J Frame-Federal 140 grain Hydro-Shock.

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jj

Flop-Shank,
How do you like the Speer in your 360PD? Have you tried other brands?I own the same gun and was wondering what the performance level was in the Speer. After my incident, I want to make sure I have the best load in my PD when I decide to carry that heat.

Till F/S arrives.
Heavy 38 Special + P Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Ain't cheap, ain't easy. (Will beat you senseless out of a Ti)
Even their standard pressure loadings are warmer than many other sources of +P. But are still (barely) within spec'd SAAMI pressure.

Well utimately you and your 360 will tell you what your best load is. A .38+P may be a better option. Personally, I like the Speer SB .357. It is a dead nuts reliable expander, but it kicks like Hell on Earth. It and the Remington Golden Sabre are the only managed recoil loads I've fired (the GS in my Taurus) that come to mind. I don't think it's the most accurate load at 25 yds.+ from a 360, but I question the accuracy of the two piece barrel in J frames and the 360 in general. Think of the 360 as a close range gun. I carry the 360 as a third gun behind my Taurus 605 (the SP-101 is a better gun) if possible, a BUG when the pockets are shallow, and a primary when deep concealment is needed.

In short, the Speer SB .357 lacks nothing if a more powerful load is not realistic and it can be shot as well as weaker ammo. It fills it's niche perfectly.

In my wife's 442 w/ Crimson Trace I load Federal 148 gr full wadcutters. It's bullets on target at close range and the recoil is managable for her.
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Tactical is a mindset, not an equipment list

Best results with some WW .38 Spl. 158 gr. LSWC-HP +P.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I have three, and right now one is loaded with Cor Bon DPX, another with Buffalo Bore wadcutters, and the last with 135gr Gold Dots.

Speer 135 GD

Federal FBI load, 158 lswchp +p

Remington 158gr. LSWCHP or LSWC + P 642

Remington Golden Sabers +p in my 637. Just like American Express "There when you need them."

Mostly Federal 129-grain +P Hydra-Shoks, occasionally some Federal "FBI Loads" (158-grain +P LSWC-HP's) in my 638 Airweight.

Snub38

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148-Grain HBWC Junkie.....

Buffalo Bore standard pressure 150 grain WC.

WW lswchp +p in Mod. 60 & 37.

Regards,

Tam 3

I load my 442 with Speer 135gr Gold Dots for carry.

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John

I carry a 360pd every day loaded with Corbon 357DPX. It's not fun to shoot but if you only have 5 they should be the best 5 you can shoot.

Usually Winchester 125+P LTHP, or a 125 SWC handload.

110 grain low recoil Federal Hydra-Shok

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Don't look, reload and shoot!

I wish I could share more than "I kind of, sort of remember something", but we've discussed that load here before and I don't think it's a very good one. IIRC it's very weak. Perhaps others who've used and tested the stuff (BreakerDan maybe?) will weigh in.

If you want a low recoil load I would use target wadcutters. They will penetrate deep, have more weight to defeat heavy bone, deliver excellent accuracy and come at a much lower price point. The recoil is so low that follow up shots are almost machinegun-like in practiced hands.

Lobogunleather has shared that in the course of his law enforcrment career, he attended the autopsy of a man shot with a target wadcutter. Both he and the pathologist were highly impressed. Jim Cirillo spoke highly of wadcutters as well.

Just some food for thought, and FWIW I trust them enough to put them in my wife's gun.

The 110gr HS consistently fails to expand when passing through heavy clothing, and consistently underpenetrates when it does expand.

For a low recoil load I'd go with wadcutters as mentioned, or the non +P Hornady FTX.

BTW, I found 135gr Gold Dot at Ammunition to go, the pricing is such that 50 round boxes are going for what a 20 round box normally sells for.

I had been carrying .38 special 158 grain LSWCHP +P in my 649. These are Federal. They seem to target well. Somewhere along the line, I thought I remembered reading that Federal uses a harder cast lead bullet than, say Remington, so they don't expand very well when coming out of a shorter barrel. Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

Winchester 38+p 130grn sxt in my 642.

BILL

That is what my 442 and 4" Model 64 are loaded with...as well as my speed loaders and speed strips.

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YAT_YAS

I don't know too much about .38 rounds and I'm open to new ammo ideas. I picked those up under the idea that since its a short barrel, I would want something that won't kick that much and I didn't spend as much time researching the ammo like I've did with my 9mm carry ammo.
In light of this info, I'm going to research the rounds that I carry now and the rounds that has been listed to see what would work with me.

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Don't look, reload and shoot!

Speer 135gr +P short barrel Gold Dot

135gr +p gold dot short barrel in my 642.