Federal 38g "FBI" Load..Disapointed....

[dave-arlington-va]

crimp shrimp

I've fired quite a few Federal LSWCHP +P. They all go bang. I've no desire to be on the receiving end. Its my regular carry round in my Model 10. The nice thing about a Model 10 4 inch barrel is it tends to be accurate in the right hands, no news there. The issue may be the result when fired from a 2 inch barrel. The +P in a 642 is not much fun to shoot in my experience. In a full size M10 it's darn near perfect. The Nyclad 38 Special runs hot enough that I'm fine with it through a 642.
Bad loads then I think you should notify the maker. They will probably see this thread anyway if they know their business. No offense to any please, just my own opinion.

 

[Frank V]

I would try the Buffalo Bore NON +P 158 grain LSWCHP in your gun - HEAVILY CRIMPED, standard pressure, 860 feet per second from a 2" gun. It actually packs more velocity and stopping power than the "Big Three" +P FBI loads do, without the excessive pressure which you don't want in an Airweight gun. POA = POI also.

Really good stuff!

Chief38

I have shot this load too, in fact it's what I carry in my non +P .38. I have chronographed it at 876fps from a 2" bbl. It's marked non +P on the box, & Buffalo Bore claims 850fps. When is the last time you got more than was advertised by an ammo manufacturer?

It has been said it's expensive. It is in a way, but we are paying over $20/box of 20 for other ammo too.
I have to ask myself what is my life worth? A couple boxes of kind of expensive ammo? I practice with other ammo that is way cheaper & load the premium ammo for carry.

It's a free contry (for now) though so everyone can carry what he wants with the exception of some LE agencies who issue ammo.
Thanks
Frank

 

[Sonny Crocket]

I was contacted by a factory rep yesterday about my ammo issue. He said send the remaining rounds back and he would reimburse me the cost and the shipping. I asked if I could get a 50rd. box of Nyclads instead and he said it was no problem. Thats some good customer service!

 

[ElectroMotive]

Keep in mind this is a picture from about 5 years ago. The 125gr +P Speer Gold Dot was out, but the 135gr +P was not.

 

[ElectroMotive]

There are really only three .38spec loads worth relying on now days.

1. 135gr+P Speer GDHP SB

2. 110gr+P Barnes X-Bullet

3. 110gr Hornady Critical Defense

 

[one eye joe]

I like the Speer +P 135grn Gold Dots for short barreled Revolvers. I carry it in my 66 2 1/2 guns and my 65 three inch gun. I also carry it in my J Frame Guns.

Rule 303

That's what I use in my M 642 and my 2 1/2" M 686+. It's a great load........

 

[bmcgilvray]

I'm leaving the lightweight bullets for .380s and such. I'll still rely on the 158 grain +Ps in all .38 Specials carried for serious purposes.

For me, the Remington version of the 158 grain +P offers more velocity than the Winchester or Federal versions. None will touch the Buffalo Bore. I like Buffalo Bore's figures with their +P, like the looks of their standard loading for that matter, but have several boxes of both Winchester and Remington 158 grain +P ammunition on hand.

 

[Texas Star]

Keep in mind this is a picture from about 5 years ago. The 125gr +P Speer Gold Dot was out, but the 135gr +P was not.

Most interesting! For the record, I see very few people wearing four layers of denim. I use the lead HP rounds and have that 125 grain Gold Dot, too.


What barrel length were these bullets fired through?

 

[ElectroMotive]

All were fired from snubs.

4-layer denim represents the toughest soft intermediate barrier. 2 layers of denim is still very difficult, as is basic t-shirt material. Clothing causes older JHPs to clog up and act like FMJ. The issue is back when the test was done, none of the JHPs were designed to defeat soft intermediate barriers, so thats why wadcutters with sharp shoulders were advocated. Its no longer an issue with the previously mentioned JHPs that are designed with soft barriers in mind.

 

[pete950]

I still like the full DE wadcutter out of a snub.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Nothing wrong with a wadcutter for SD. After all, it's already at full caliber diameter.

 

[blujax01]

There are really only three .38spec loads worth relying on now days.

1. 135gr+P Speer GDHP SB

2. 110gr+P Barnes X-Bullet

3. 110gr Hornady Critical Defense

Physics says: "F = MA".

The more mass you can provide with similar acceleration, the more force you will realize. A 158 grain round at 950 fps will provide more force than a 110 at 1090.

 

[bpeddicord]

I have several thousand of the Winchester and Federal 158 LSWHP +P rounds in my ammo safe. After reading the comments on this thread, I checked all the ammo. All were crimped. All of my Model 10s, 15s, 64s, and 65s shoot this ammo very accurately. Over the past 40 years, I have found only a few quality control problems with factory ammo. Most were replaced quickly by the manufacturer after contacting them about the problem.

 

[badge 851]

Physics says: "F = MA".

The more mass you can provide with similar acceleration, the more force you will realize. A 158 grain round at 950 fps will provide more force than a 110 at 1090.

That is an absolute fact.

 

[ElectroMotive]

Physics says: "F = MA".

The more mass you can provide with similar acceleration, the more force you will realize. A 158 grain round at 950 fps will provide more force than a 110 at 1090.

Force as in energy? Energy in handgun ammunition is nothing more than heat, and what does not become heat is accounted for by the elasticity of flesh. Force or Energy is not any kind of wounding factor what so ever. You left out that in your equation.

There is but one sole wounding factor in handgun ammunition, and that is the Permanent Crush Cavity(PCC). The PCC is the tissue the bullet actually makes contact with, and destroys. The more the better. In a handgun round there are two way to do this, by penetration and expansion. Penetration being the most crucial of the two by far.

 

[ElectroMotive]

Please see:

http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf

 

[Sonny Crocket]

Heard from the factory rep again. They received the box of ammo I sent back. They don't currently have the Nyclad in stock so he said they'll send me two boxes of the 38G (158gr.LHP) instead. Hopefully it will be crimped or I'm sending it right back to them.

 

[ElectroMotive]

If they arent crimped, and you send it back, if they double it again you could be on your way to a case!

 

[Shakey357]

I know there are many loyal fans to this load, but honestly, there are much better modern loads out there for serious use.

The last lot of Remington "FBI" I bought was so out of spec it wouldn't even fit in some of my guns.

I agree with this gentleman. I use 38+p in all my 357's (don't own any 38's). My carry gun is a 3 inch model 65 with Speer GD "short barrel" loads. I turned 50 two weeks ago but I can put all six in an apple size spot on the target at 10 yds off-hand standing.

I will say that some other posters suggest the Buffalo Bore loads. I ran a box of the 38 +P "heavy duty" loads through my 4 inch Python. That was also very accurate and no where near the leading that I got from the Winchester lead SWHP load. If you do go with the traditional 158 gr SWHP; go with the Buffalo Bore loads.

 

[bennettfam]

Rem FBI load still a good choice...

Keep in mind this is a picture from about 5 years ago. The 125gr +P Speer Gold Dot was out, but the 135gr +P was not.

This illustration speaks well for the Remmies I have in line for use in my 642, but I think I'll be checking for crimp and bullet pull on my next trip to the range.