Winchester Ranger 38 Special +P+ LE JHP

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mickey73

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I just picked up some of this in 110 grain JHP at a local gun show. Am now wondering if it will be safe to shoot in my Colt Detective Special, my wife's Taurus CH85 and an older S&W K-Frame that I have? Any thoughts from the ammo experts out there?
 
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I just picked up some of this in 110 grain JHP at a local gun show. Am now wondering if it will be safe to shoot in my Colt Detective Special, my wife's Taurus CH85 and an older S&W K-Frame that I have? Any thoughts from the ammo experts out there?
 
I would not put the Ranger 38+P+ round in any of the guns you mentioned. The 38+P+ was meant to be fired in 357 Magnum chambered pistols used by FBI, Border Patrol etc. Also, the FBI and other agenices at the time would only allow 38 cartridges to be fired in 357s, so given the politically correct 38+p+ name they were able to shoot light 357s.

The Ranger 38+P+ is a newer version of the so called "T" load used by the Border Patrol between 1982-1986 or so. It offered mediocre performance with its biggest drawback being tacical penetration. They also didnt penetrate
people that well either. Border Patrol stories indicate that these l0ads routinely bounced off bone. It was replaced by a 357 110gr load that was ok.

The best 38 defense load is the Remington 158 lead hollowpoint carried by the FBI back in the 70s. NYPD is carrying new ammo in their backup 38s that is working quite well and it is Speer's 135 gr Gold Dot "Short Barrel" load.
 
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