I bought some old .38 spl. ammo of different brands and in one partial box there were 12 rounds of Glaser ammo. 6 blue tipped and 6 silver.
The silver rounds have shorter bullets than the blue tipped ones.

The 'net search says this about frangible bullets, "The bullet design can produce large shallow wounds in flesh..."

It seems very light weight. I'm thinking of carrying it in a Mod 337, are these a good design or too light and hype?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

GF

I believe that round was designed for indoor use, it is not supposed to penatrate walls while remaining leathle. sp?

Depends on who you ask.
Key is "shallow penetration" which also means thick clothes can practically stop it. Perfect ammo for a naked man. Less tendency to penetrate inside walls.
If you want significant penetrating power for outdoors carry, this specialty ammo is not going to provide it.

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I did a "search" on the forum and got threads & posts on the .45 Glaser ammo, didn't see anything on the 38 spl.

Not a lota' love for the brand, thought maybe I'd use it in a revolver I carry on a backpack. I'm going for a little walk this weekend and considered it as an option.
Maybe stick with the Silvertips in it now?

GF

Glasers are not what I would carry in most situations. While it is true they are very fast, they can't reach the optimum 12-14" of penetration needed for a reliable stop. Much like using birdshot in a home defense shotgun, it seems like Glasers do not have adequate penetration unless you plan on shooting for the head only, every time. There may be situations where a frangible bullet is needed, such an inside an airplane, but I wouldn't trust Glaser rounds as a personal defense round. Since they were free, and not cheap to buy on the market, why not sell them and get some known good .38 HP rounds? Then you can buy more Silvertips.

glasers will go through dry wall intact and still "explode" inside of a water jug. the harder material doesnt seem to deform them much considering the are a crimped type shot load.

the more fluid the medium the quicker the expansion and shallower the penetration.

try some on one gallon water jugs. they are impressive on impact but dont penetrate deep. put a piece of dry wall infront of the water jug and try it again. it will go through it and explode in the jug for lack of a better term.

are they the best? no. are they optimal? no. are they marginal? penetration wise yes.

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The Glaser Safety Slug was designed many decades ago for use by the Air Marshalls on-board aircraft in flight.

The design would not penetrate the skin of a commercial airliner. The issue of penetrating heavy jackets is non-existent in regards to a passenger on a flight.

Shortly after the ammunitions debut on the market the FAA turned to metal detectors as their primary source of in-flight safety. The Air Marshall ammunition market dried up.

Glaser turned to the public to try and sell this new product. Due to it's poor penetration of clothing it was pretty much ignored, especially in the northern states. It saw better popularity in sunshine states like Florida.

To overcome the penetration issue the projectile was slightly redesigned for better penetration and marketed as the Glaser Silver product. The original Blue was still available.

The Company is now owned by Corbon.

I do not understand how you can even consider staking your life on ammunition that was acquired 2nd hand. You do not know how it was stored, how old it is or if it will function properly. If you had 50 rounds of the stuff, you could fire 20 and make sure they were good, but you only have six.

In my opinion, ammunition that is acquired from other than known and trusted sources should be used as range/plinking ammunition.

Go out and spend $25-$45 on a box or two of Premium hollow points from any of the big manufacturers and use that for your personal safety. Your life is worth it

YouTube - CORBON Glaser Safety Slug Product Demonstration Video

I have been testing Glasers since they first came out. They create a massive shotgun-style wound, yet are unlikely to overpenetrate and injur someone behind the target (why get sued for injuring an innocent?). As a civilian who just wants to save my own life, I fully trust these either at home or on the street! I like blue for home defense, and silvers for the street where you might encounter heavier clothing and/or want deeper penetration.

Keep in mind that there has been a number of subtle improvements over the years, so I would not go with any "old" stuff.

Lots of folks have come to trust the opinions of Jeff Quinn at Gunblast. I was not surprised when I discovered that for many years his EDC gun is just a little J-frame in his pocket....loaded with Glasers:

Smith & Wesson 340 M&P Lightweight Centennial .357 Magnum Revolver

Smith & Wesson 342PD Titanium Centennial .38 Special +P

Ruger LCR .38 Special Pocket Revolver Update

The idea that Glaser ammo will not penetrate clothing is, well, comical. Both the blue and silver have been improved over the years and either one makes excellent ammo for your "get off me" ankle gun. The biggest gripe I have about either the blue or silver Glaser (in .38 Special) is the lack of accuracy.

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Centennial Every Day

An additional opinion: Ammunition For The Self-Defense Firearm

I'm not sure when a winter coat became a bullerproof vest. I bought some Glazer ammo when I first got into shooting, I still have 5 rounds in 38sp for my model 36 3". I understand that Glazer makes a quality product and they work as directed. I do not carry Glazers in my handguns though. It is for very special situations. If you are in a crowd they may be of some comfort but most of the time you will want a hollow point bullet instead.
Maybe if they soaked the lead shot in Ghost Pepper sauce. That would really hurt.

Glaser itself recommends blue for "warmer climates and lighter clothing". Silver for "colder climates and
heavier clothing", and 2" additional penetration: 38 Special Plus P 80gr Glaser | COR®BON/Glaser Self Defense | Dakota Ammo

With all those pellets flying around inside a body, there is a very high probability of severing a number of major blood vessels, even in a preipheral hit!

The silver-tipped Glaser is newer than any I have ever possessed. However, the original Glaser with a flat blue tip was quite accurate in .38 Spl. After washing and drying five rounds with my laundry, I shot it in my 2" model 37 at 25 yards, at an NRA 25-yd TF/RF bullseye target. All 5 were in the black (nines and tens).

The name "Safety Slug" refers to it's drastically reduced ricochet potential. The Air Marshall claims are urban legends, known in other venues as the solid waste of male bovines. The round will penetrate aircraft skin with vigor and such penetration is no big deal.

The round is expensive, lacks tactical penetration (think arms) and generally has a point of impact with little vertical realtionship to the point of aim.

I used quite a bit of it to put down various critters and was not impressed. Stick with more conventional ammo.