I have two Smith carry guns, a model 49 made 76 or 77 and a 10-7 made in about the same time period I think.

What's the best factory ammo for these and what's the best reload?

__________________
Regards;

David Jackson

It's impossible for us to know which ammo will shoot accurately in your handguns. You will have to shoot some and see how it performs. As for quality, these days almost any name-brand SD ammo will perform as advertized. There has been A LOT of research done on .38 Special bullets over the past 20 years and they are at the top of the game right now.

Same goes for reloads, the best load would be the one that's most accurate in YOUR handguns.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

ArchAngelCD's right when it comes to dialing in: specific load, specific firearm, specific hand -- have to test and account for all three, and bring them into balance.

But if you want a dependable all-purpose answer to the factory load question, you'll likely be well-served with Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 grain .38 Special +P.

Many people still believe the so called "FBI load", the 158 gr lead
+P HPs sold by REM, Win and Fed, the best 38 spl load. Since you
called your guns "carry guns" I'd like to point out that accuracy is of
secondary importance compared to power for self defense. Most non
LEO defensive shooting is at very close range.

My M49 does pretty good with the last factory 158gr LRN from Federal that I bought that clocked 648 fps at ten feet.
The Remington 148 HBwc was a little better accuracy and recoil wise but my 148gr HB shot a group half the size and was also at POA, with Bullseye powder.

If you reload, a great target load if you can find them, is the 125gr lead RN or truncated bullets that can be loaded from around 550 with slow powders up to 637 fps with Bullseye, which give me good accuracy and even LESS recoil than the 148gr target loads. I guess one could load faster but why ?

For some odd reason the 110 and 125gr Jhp bullets did not do well in the accuracy department in my 49 unless at or near the top of a +P loading. Starting loads to standard 38 special loads just did not shot well or to POA, for me.

The 135 GD was close to POA vs the FBI loading that was high and to the right in my weapon. Due to the recoil of the 158gr Lhp, I did not bother to try another company to see if there would be an improvement. The GD will be my SD load but you have to see and decide what you think will be the best for you.
A 110gr Jhp at 996 fps is not my cup of tea for SD work and the 125 Gold Dot did not expand on one of my water jug test at ten feet. They may be a good load just that I will pass on them since I think there are better loads today.

Don't knock the big 158gr Lswc for target work. It can be down loaded with 3.2grs of Bullseye or 3.5gr of Red Dot for a accurate target load. I stopped using w231 since I only have about a cup left.

Have fun.

Boy, thanks for all the good input! I am more or less a novice at all this; an ex-guncollector in fact so I have a lot to learn.
Thanks ArchangelCD, certainly you are right.
Thanks to Hapworth; i guess +P must be ok in my 49 and 10? I had some concerns about that.
And Alwslate: what does LEO mean? And, power; the most powerful gun in the world won't help me if i can't hit what i aim at, will it?
And Nevada Ed; One thing that has concerned me with the 49 is recoil. I have some factory 148 gr wadcutters, Winchester white box, which are pretty easy to shoot reasonably well and it makes me wonder, which affects recoil more, bullet weight or speed?
Again, many thanks to all responders.

__________________
Regards;

David Jackson

Leaving out minutae , recoil is basically equiv to momentum , aka weight times speed.

Yes , you are correct about the importance of practical accuracy and control , particularily with your M49 . For SD effectiveness , in the abstract , it's a coin toss between the 135gr Gold Dot and the 158 LHP (aka FBI Load ). Honorable mention to 110gr +P+ , but more controversal due to limited penetration compared to the other two.

Any of the above should be fine for most shooters from a 4in K Frame. If you can shoot any of above in M49 with sufficent practical accuracy, good control , and not too much pain, then you're all set. Otherwise experement with M49 to find what you do shoot with sufficent accuracy and control.

Handloads you will have to see what is most accurate/ meets expectations in your specific guns.

Leaving out minutae , recoil is basically equiv to momentum , aka weight times speed.

Yes , you are correct about the importance of practical accuracy and control , particularily with your M49 . For SD effectiveness , in the abstract , it's a coin toss between the 135gr Gold Dot and the 158 LHP (aka FBI Load ). Honorable mention to 110gr +P+ , but more controversal due to limited penetration compared to the other two.

Any of the above should be fine for most shooters from a 4in K Frame. If you can shoot any of above in M49 with sufficent practical accuracy, good control , and not too much pain, then you're all set. Otherwise experement with M49 to find what you do shoot with sufficent accuracy and control.

Handloads you will have to see what is most accurate/ meets expectations in your specific guns.

You're good to go.

David LEO is short for law enforcement officer. In contrast to many
police-criminal shootouts self defense firing often is at very close
range, near contact in many instances. Accuracy, measured in
small differences in group size on a paper target at 7-15 yds is irrelevant if defending yourself against an armed robber in a parking
lot or someone trying to invade your home after you open the front
door. +P is ok in your mod 10 but should be used sparingly in your
J frame 49. Recoil will be noticeable but easily handled in your 10
but unpleasant in the 49 with +P 158s. Bullet weight affects recoil
more than velocity in lightweight guns. In my alloy J frame mod 37
I prefer my handloads with a cast 148gr wad cutter loaded a bit
hotter than factory targets but still at standard pressure. Remember
you're not getting paid to break up bank robberies with your carry piece,
you're just out to save your own hide.

To Alwslate: I had not really considered how close an antagonist might be; you make a good point. The only thing which might make accuracy count again is if a person is trying to save someone else's life and the antagonist is some distance away I guess.
You make another good point about breaking up bank robberies: my understanding of the CCW laws, at least where I live, is that unless someone's life is threatened during a bank robbery, for example, I, as just an ordinary citizen, can't use my firearm to interfere.

__________________
Regards;

David Jackson