Safest .38 special to use in Victories?

Dave Lively · May 13, 2020

delcrossv said:
Nope. Even said so on the box from that era: Click on the picture for full resolution.

"experience shows metal patched bullets are frequently responsible for barrel trouble"

I wonder what type of barrel trouble.

It could be early examples of jackets bullets were too soft, not too hard, and left extremely hard to remove copper fouling. I remember reading about Barnes X bullets when they first came out and copper fouling was an issue with them at that time. Rifles generate a lot more pressure and fouling but 100 years ago early FMJ bullets might have had similar teething problems.

gwpercle · May 13, 2020

comma said:
Thanks!

I guess my original question was just what is the grain/velocity/load combo that puts the least strain on the gun. Wasn't even thinking fmj vs lead.

Factory 148 gr. hollow based wadcutter target loads will put the least strain on the gun . I wouldn't use any jacketed loads and be cautious of plated loads .
Lead bullets are your safest bet and 148 gr. HBWC Target loads the best of all .
Gary

comma · May 14, 2020

gwpercle said:
Factory 148 gr. hollow based wadcutter target loads will put the least strain on the gun . I wouldn't use any jacketed loads and be cautious of plated loads .
Lead bullets are your safest bet and 148 gr. HBWC Target loads the best of all .
Gary

Does Winchester or Remington make a target load like this? Can't seem to find them

old tanker · May 14, 2020

comma said:
Does Winchester or Remington make a target load like this? Can't seem to find them

X38SMRP | Winchester Ammunition

andyinlz · May 14, 2020

PPU FMJ

I've shot thousands of rounds of this PPU FMJ through a:

* 1899 Target
* 1941-vintage M&P
* Mid-50s vintage K-38 Target Masterpiece
* 2017-vintage 642

.38 SPECIAL - PPU USA Ammo

All shot to point-of-aim.

None fell apart or blew up.

I will die long before any are appreciably worn by this ammo.

Good, affordable range ammo.

Don't overthink this, or search for hard-to-find commercial ammo.

YMMV--and worth what you paid for it!

Nevada Ed · May 14, 2020

andyinlz said:
I've shot thousands of rounds of this PPU FMJ through a:

* 1899 Target
* 1941-vintage M&P
* Mid-50s vintage K-38 Target Masterpiece
* 2017-vintage 642

.38 SPECIAL - PPU USA Ammo

All shot to point-of-aim.

None fell apart or blew up.

I will die long before any are appreciably worn by this ammo.

Good, affordable range ammo.

Don't overthink this, or search for hard-to-find commercial ammo.

YMMV--and worth what you paid for it!

+1;
It is hard to make bad 148 and 158 wc ammo that has a 38 special "Standard" spec.

Some powders might be a little dirtier and some might not be the same fps but...........

they will all go bang and put a hole in your target at pressures
that will not harm your weapon or barrel.

Find some and buy it.

DWalt · May 14, 2020

comma said:
Still confused. The round that was originally meant for these guns and used in the military was 130 FMJ but the manufacturer says that they harm the bore? Or am I still misunderstanding?

Actually, the WWII .38 Special U. S. military load used a 158 grain FMJ bullet. And the British .380 Mk 2 load used a 178 grain FMJ bullet.

The barrels of the WWII Victories were made using a more abrasion-resistant steel than the pre-War K-frame soft steel barrels because the military was required to use jacketed bullets.

comma · May 14, 2020

Thanks guys!
So should I worry if approx. 50 rounds of 130 fmj have gone through an old revolver like this?

kaaskop49 · May 18, 2020

comma said:
Thanks guys!
So should I worry if approx. 50 rounds of 130 fmj have gone through an old revolver like this?

The doctor is in: FWIW, I don't think you're worried as much as you are concerned. I would rather a shooter express concern rather than do something reckless and unsafe. For example:

1. Firing magnum ammo from a .357 revolver with the chambers soaking in WD-40. You didn't want to see those primers.

2. Firing a 5.56/.223 AR pistol in an indoor range with the back plate designed for standard velocity handgun rounds, or, at most, 9mm. Put a nice hole in the plate, fortunately, not a through and through.

As to your ?, I would not be concerned if the gun were in serviceable condition. However, FMJ/ball ammo seems to concern you so you may want to restrict yourself to lead bullet ammunition, such as wadcutters or standard velocity RNL service-style rounds.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. IMHO, your gun is not old.

Biggfoot44 · May 18, 2020

It is no longer 50yrs ago , 148 WC are no longer the mildest .38spl ammo . The " Cowboy " ammo with 125gr FP @ 700-750fps is even milder .

*******************

The OP didn't ask the question he probably wanted to ask instead .:

What is appropriate ammo to use in a Victory , in casual shooter quantities ? The answer is pretty much any standard pressure .38spl , with 158gr lead having the highest probability of hitting POA/POI .

As long as it's in reasonable functional condition , a Victory isn't a weak gun , any std pressure .38spl will be 'safe" . Since you asked a question including a word ending with -est , that's waving a red cape for us to go way into the weeds with minor details .

Do jacketed bullets wear barells more quickly than lead bullets ? Yes ! At these pressures , would the difference be even detectable is less than 10K rounds, or even slightly significant is less than 25K rounds ? Probably not .

elm_creek_smith · May 19, 2020

If you're looking for a good standard pressure loads, I recommend the Winchester "Train & Defend" ammunition with a 130 grain FMJ ballistically matched to a 130 grain JHP. It's what I use in my 1963 S&W Model 12-2 Airweight (alloy frame) 2 inch revolver.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

Safest .38 special to use in Victories?

Dave Lively

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gwpercle

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comma

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old tanker

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andyinlz

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Nevada Ed

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DWalt

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comma

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kaaskop49

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Biggfoot44

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elm_creek_smith

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