Just a question of curiosity ...

As for myself, I carry a J Frame Snub as well. My current configuration is the 360 PD. Albeit, an ultra-lightweight Scandium/Ti J frame. Recently, I have switched over to the .38 Special instead of the high-powered .357 load. I have been carrying Federal's Classic C357B 125gr. JHP for nearly two decades. As a result of this particular load being out of production, I have decided to switch over to a different round. My current load is the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 Special +P 135gr. The recoil is still fairly mild compared to the full house 125gr JHP. I do keep a stash of .38 Special Ammunition in various brands and loadings as well. i.e. Wadcutters, GDs, HSTs etc, etc.

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Fantastic load! I have considered that particular load due its reputation as a street stopper. It appears to me that it's hard to come by these days (i.e. Federal & Winchester and Remington) ... unless you buy from a boutique cartridge maker such as Buff. Bore Amm. ... which tends to be more on the expensive side if one should decide to stock up.

Any 158 grain load (except full metal jacket) that shoots to point-of-aim or very close to it at any distance up to and including 25 yards, has recoil that I can quickly recover from, and is accurate. It may be a standard pressure load or a +P, may be a hollowpoint, cast, jacketed, etc. It's far more important to hit the target than obsess over Internet gunfighting loads.

Always.

Obsession never hurts anything, but the wallet. But, it's fun to obsess every now and then. I am guessing that it's true with firearms as well. Aesthetics are important to me, but I know better that function overrides beauty in the eye of the beholder.

I carry a 230gr lead wadcutter from Badman Bullets stroked by 2400. It gives around 1000fps out of a 6” revolver. I’m guessing around 850fps out of a 2” revolver. Not fun to shoot but it hits hard. I’ve seen too many HP’s fail to expand due to velocity, clothing etc., so I’ll go with hard hitting penetration

Standard velocity 158 grain. Plenty adequate for close range which is what the snubbies were made for. Shot placement and repeatability are the most critical factors here.

Wadcutter from my press.

When I decided I just had to have a J-frame snub, I eventually settled on trying to find a 940. I felt that the 9mm out of the short barrel would be a better performer than a .38 +P, and I felt that a .357 version would be just to punishing to me as the shooter. I like my 940-1 and like the use of full moon clips.

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Please note that my original post was about what you guys like and carry in your J frame Snubs as of July 13, 2023.

My post was not intended as a stopping power debate or about shot placement theory as I am sure most of us know already. Please stay on topic, and help prevent digression for the benefit of everyone. Thank you.

Sincerely, Data.

Buffalo Bore standard pressure 158(?) grain cast hollow point SWC in a Model 638.

However, I'd be quite content with anything else that meets the standards I listed in post #4.

Standard 148 gr wadcutters

Buffalo Bore 150 gr Hard Cast WC or 130 gr FMJ. The Fiocchi only fired out of K and L frames. I can't handle +P or Magnums in a J Frame

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Gold Dot 135 Grain for Short Barrel Revolvers in .38 Special.

I also have the same thing for the .357 for my 640.

Made for the snubby and has data to show it is effective.

And good luck on your thread drift. I asked once where to buy .38 Wadcutter on line and and over half the responses were over how that was not a good load and how to train a new shooter.

Hornady Critical Defense non plus P load

Federal's micro HST 135gr JHP-WC with 4.5gr Unique.....

CHEERS!

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

Many years ago I was testing .38 ammo on the department range. I was quite amazed that Winchester Silvertips was grouping very tight out of my J frame. I've always believed that rapid proper placement was the key to survival. They have been my carry load every since.

Yes I imagine there are many better loads today, those designed for short barrels come to mind. But decades later Silvertips still group for me.

In my 640 Pro Series I use 125 Hornady XTP over 7.2 Unique in 357 magnum cases. I'd rather shoot my 4" 500 then full bore .357's in a J frame!

I don't shoot much .357, factory or handloads, but still have about a box-and-a-half of 145 Silvertip. I've had it for years. Is it really that much better than a lot of other ammo? I don't recall ever shooting groups with it like I do with my handloads.

Been carrying these for 40 years when I carry a J. 158 lead HP +P, still a very good load for the J, more manageable than 357 and still carries terminal energy even without expansion, can be pretty iffy from short barrels.

158gr SWC in either solid or HP form over 5.5gr Unique.

46 grain standard velocity

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213th FBINA

Nyclad 158gr SWC

Depends on your amount of recoil you can take and be POA
and the number of shots you can put on POA in 5 seconds.

I like the 158 gr FBI but have the 135 Gold Dot as a back up with the 110gr JHP as my X-Lite SD load doing 966fps out of my 2" J frame, if I am having a bad recoil day.

I use a "full charge" wadcutter as defined by Ed Harris. Ed Harris: Revisiting The Full Charge Wadcutter. – www.GrantCunningham.com

This load is relatively easy to handle in all my snubs - S&W 342, 36 and 10; Colt Detective Spec., it penetrates well and cuts a full size hole all the way. I just don't have a lot of confidence in jacketed hollow points in short barrels. I've seen too many of them fail to expand too often, and then they're little better than a plain ol' lead round nose.

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Everybody could shoot

I carried Frderal Nyclad 125 grain HPs for years, but although I have a few cylinder fulls left, that ammo is now nearly 40 years old. So I recently bought a few boxes of new production Federal 125 grain +P and have been carrying that. I try to shoot my model 60 a few times about every range trip for familiarity. Right now I'm working a new CSX into my EDC and spending some time getting familiar with it. But my old 60 is just so familiar and comfortable...

Me? 148 grain Wadcutter.
Numerous reasons, but most compellingly because of shooting to Point of Aim and lessened recoil.

For the OP, Greg Ellifritz has a good analysis based on a similar 340PD.
The Best .38 Special Defensive Ammunition | Active Response Training

Also suggest reading RevolverGuy. RevolverGuy.Com – Re-Inventing the Wheel

My 640-1 is currently stoked with CCI Speer 135 grain Gold Dot 38 Special +P Short Barrel ammo. Much easier on my wrists than most 357 Magnum loads. Point of aim issues? I can keep my shots on a 9 inch diameter paper plate at 25 yards, I think that is adequate.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 40 grain .22 Magnum as I consider eight rounds of 22 WMR superior in performance of .38 Special in 2” barrel.

Since the responses are about .38 Special I carry two rounds of shotshells and three 158 gr. Lead Semi-wadcutters in my J-Frame 38 stainless steel snubby. As it is made of stainless steel I carry it when fishing.

Probably neither response you are looking for.

When I was still "on the job", I carried a Model 60 in an ankle holster as a backup. It was (and still is) loaded with Buffalo Bore "Standard Pressure, Short Barrel, Low Flash, Heavy .38 Special". It's a 147 grain lead, semi wadcutter, hollow point at 850 fps.
Maybe a little pricey, but it's not a range round. I only shot them once a year during annul backup gun qualification.

I’ve still got enough of the old Federal FBI loads with the blue Nyclad bullets for serious use. I don’t practice with them , but have practice ammo with close enough POI at bad breath ranges to save the originals for serious social work
Froggie

Federal HST in the LCR with Remington Golden Sabers for reloads.

Hornady FTX standard pressure in my Model 36 no dash because it is not rated for +P

Federal 38 Special 129 grain Hydra Shock +P SJHP in a 649-2.

Buffalo Bore 150 gr Hard Cast WC for me as well.

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Thanks,

Patrick

Do they advertise that as "hard cast"?

I usually load a 158 grain FMJ Perfecta followed by 2 158gr Speer 158gr swchp handlloads and 2 cast swc handloads in a lcr. Right now I’m loading 6gr VV N340.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

The two best SD loads in my experience are the Buffalo Bore 158 grain SWCHP +P and the Speer Gold Dot 135 grain +P. The only downside to the Buffalo Bore load is the expense and the stiff recoil. Other than that I feel it's one of the best 38 specials available. The Speer GD is in my opinion in second place but still ahead of the rest f the pack.

Standard .38 Special/158 grain/FMJ/semi-wadcutters presently.

They'll do to ride the river with.........

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Come and take it!!

#1a: 148gr target wadcutters.
From whomever, preferably Federal. Switched to those when my shoulder was buggered, never went back.

#1b: Rem green box 158gr LSWC.
Current reloads in speed strip as they reload faster than full wadcutters.

#2: Underwood/BuffBore 150gr wadcutter with gas check.
Spicier than target wadcutters, but penetrate like crazy. My woods load when I take my snubby J-frame into the woods.

#3: Underwood/BuffBore 158gr +P LSWC-HP.
Used to carry these, but the recoil was too much when my shoulder was buggered.

I used to carry the Remington flavor of the FBI load in my snubby, but too many jello-junky tests show it is inconsistent expansion-wise in a snubby.

#4: Rem/Fed/Win .357mag 158gr SJHP.
One of my snubbies can manage .357mag. Any of the old-school hot .357 158gr SJHP loads will do the trick and expand at snubby velocities. 158gr is less punishing than 125gr .357mag, which sounds & feels like a bomb going off.

The only J-frame I own is a 351PD, and when I do carry it, it's with Hornady Critical Defense.

I carry 125 gr Golden Saber .357 in my 360 AirWeight, practice with handloads of equivalent weight and velocity.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

90% of the time, its the Buffalo Bore 20D "standard pressure low flash" 150 grain wadcutter .38 special for me in my 340 PD. Mainly because it's surprisingly accurate. They definitely don't flash as much as any other factory load I tested. Occasionally I'll carry BB's 158 +P 20A. If for some reason I thought I should armed with an actual magnum round I'd probably carry my Conan A or a 29 and leave the J frame at home.

Aside from the fact that discussions such as this one are normally nothing much more than platforms for baseless personal opinions, many believe that .38 Special lead full-wadcutter loads will perform about as well as any bullet design to keep you on the green side of the grass. Especially from a light snubby revolver. “Accuracy” (I detest that term as it is so often misused) is totally meaningless in most real world situations in which you might find yourself having to use a snubby for self defense.

"Aside from the fact that discussions such as this one are normally nothing much more than platforms for baseless personal opinions, many believe that .38 Special lead full-wadcutter loads will perform about as well as any bullet design to keep you on the green side of the grass. Especially from a light snubby revolver. “Accuracy” (I detest that term as it is so often misused) is totally meaningless in most real-world situations in which you might find yourself having to use a snubby for self-defense."


@ DWalt

You're always welcome to post your favorite J Frame Snub Load.

Best,
Data

For the past few years I shoot what I can find because I do not reload.

For the past 2 years I have carried and practiced with 135gr jacketed or semi-jacketed hollow point +p advertised for short barrels.

Thankfully I have not had to use them and see first hand how they work in the real world. I rely on the opinions of people who do these kinds of investigations and collection of data for their livelihood.

whatever you carry I believe accuracy counts and you must aim, or at point your firearm with purpose.

Certainly you jest, this bunch stay on topic! What a laugh!

I have several favorites. 146gr wadcutters (Magtech factory or factory-similar popular Bullseye or W231 loads), 146gr lead hydrashok (leftover Alberts swaged bullets from the early 80's, loaded like DEWC), PPU factory, and factory similar handloaded 158gr SWC. All shoot very close to POI in my snubbies. I have two big ammo cans of Winchester 110gr Silvertips. The Silvertip usually expands in a milk jug, even out of my 60 and 36. Just have to hold the front sight high in the fixed sight groove, because it is still fast out of a short barrel, and will shoot low otherwise.
My hand mades:

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Heavily armed old man.

I stoke my M37 with 148 grain Winchester wadcutters.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

^^^^^^^^ what he said +