What SD Ammo in an Airweight J-Frame?

[Jim1392]

When I was carrying my 642 I was using Hornady +P 110 grain Critical Defense. Now I'm carrying a 640 Pro and I'm using Speer Short Barrel 135 grain +P's.

 

[sandspur6]

Vintage S&W 125 gr Nyclad swchp. I know, its old. But it has been stored indoors, is quite accurate, and is still consistently reliable. Plus, I've got lots of it, so practicing with my carry ammo isn't a problem. Modest recoil and good expansion. Old School still rules!

 

[ameridaddy]

Smith 638-3 1-7/8" w/Hogue rubber grips; Speer Gold Dot 125gr +P.
Not unpleasant to shoot, chrono 842 fps, shot into wet phone book, penetrated ~1", very little expansion.
I was really disappointed in the lack of expansion, I'm guessing for not enough velocity.
My Sig P238 2-3/4" bbl using Buffalo Bore 100gr 380 lead round flat nose penetrated a little deeper and expanded, or "squished" to a bigger diameter than the .38 Gold dot in the same wet phone book.
Not wanting to go lighter bullet in .38, I think I will go to Buffalo Bore 158 gr round flat nose std velocity for the Smith 638.

In comparison, my Sig 1911 4" bbl; Win 185 gr Silvertip JHP; 947 fps; 1.5" into same wet phone book, huge expansion.

 

[DepOne]

Critical Defense

I carry Hornady +P 110 grain Critical Defense...

Edmo

Ditto. Great stuff in any gun.

 

[vospertw]

Ditto. Great stuff in any gun.

This worked well in my 642.

As an alternative, I shot some Winchester Defend (130 grain standard pressure) alongside these rounds and the felt recoil difference was negligible. If you wanted a decent handling round but bigger bullet, the Winchesters are pretty good. Here's a link to some penetration data from American Rifleman.

 

[Florida J Frame]

Smith 638-3 1-7/8" w/Hogue rubber grips; Speer Gold Dot 125gr +P.
Not unpleasant to shoot, chrono 842 fps, shot into wet phone book, penetrated ~1", very little expansion.
I was really disappointed in the lack of expansion, I'm guessing for not enough velocity.
My Sig P938 2-3/4" bbl using Buffalo Bore 100gr 380 lead round flat nose penetrated a little deeper and expanded, or "squished" to a bigger diameter than the .38 Gold dot in the same wet phone book.
Not wanting to go lighter bullet in .38, I think I will go to Buffalo Bore 158 gr round flat nose std velocity for the Smith 638.

In comparison, my Sig 1911 4" bbl; Win 185 gr Silvertip JHP; 947 fps; 1.5" into same wet phone book, huge expansion.

Try the short barrel version. When I spoke to Speer they told me the 125gr is intended for 4" and longer barrels and the 135 SB version is best in sub 4" barrels.

 

[Larry69RT]

DPX

I use DPX in a 342ti +p, Hi-Power 9mm, and Colt 45ACP's. Functions well in all.

 

[RayMich]

135 gr Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P, if you can find it. Snappy recoil but proven.

Excellent round when shot from a S&W 642 revolver.

 

[barnseeker]

my wife uses hornady ftx 110 gr, has less recoil, penetrates heavy clothing and more consistent expansion.

 

[tjpopkin]

I have a 340s that is punishing to shoot. My logic is the target on the other end will be punished even more….
To that end, I carry the Cor-Bon Barnes bullet solid copper HP (DPX). It is devastating in gelatin and I assume in tissue. A real hand thumper but provides a feeling of safety….

 

[rz625-8]

I use the 148 grain hard cast .38 special in all my .48 revolvers. It does the job for me even in self defense situations.

 

[shawn mccarver]

What .38 or .38+P self defense ammo do you carry in your snubby Airweight J-Frame? Manufacturer, bullet style, grain weight, etc. I've read so many conflicting SD ammo tests on the net, I'm curious what everyday real people rely on.

The 38 Special +P 158 grain LHP, the so-called "FBI Load," the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel, or if I think penetration is an issue, then the Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman, which is a 158 grain that clocks around 1,100 fps from a 4 inch barrel. It really does duplicate the original 38/44.

And before anyone reminds me that the weapon in question is an alloy frame Airweight, I know that, but have never had any issues, apart from a sore hand, and an empty wallet from buying those loads.

 

[BB57]

Smith 638-3 1-7/8" w/Hogue rubber grips; Speer Gold Dot 125gr +P.
Not unpleasant to shoot, chrono 842 fps, shot into wet phone book, penetrated ~1", very little expansion.
I was really disappointed in the lack of expansion, I'm guessing for not enough velocity.
My Sig P938 2-3/4" bbl using Buffalo Bore 100gr 380 lead round flat nose penetrated a little deeper and expanded, or "squished" to a bigger diameter than the .38 Gold dot in the same wet phone book.
Not wanting to go lighter bullet in .38, I think I will go to Buffalo Bore 158 gr round flat nose std velocity for the Smith 638.

In comparison, my Sig 1911 4" bbl; Win 185 gr Silvertip JHP; 947 fps; 1.5" into same wet phone book, huge expansion.

842 fps from a 1 7/8" barrel is still over 150 fps slow for a 125 gr +P load. You should be getting around 950 fps.

As noted above, use a load designed for a short barrel.

 

[happy1]

When push comes to shove I promise you you'll not feel the recoil. in that situation I doubt if you'll even hear the gun go off, at least I didn't you'll only feel recoil practicing not when you or someone Else's life is at stake.
My Wife carries a Taurus model 85 lite weight 2 in. snub But Practices with a Taurus 85 2 in. standard weight She's damn good with both of them. loaded Hornady 110 gr.

Paul

 

[Buford57]

I carry Hornady +P 110 grain Critical Defense...

Edmo

+1 The Federal Nyclad 125 gr. HP is also a good, manageable load.

 

[chuckfw]

I carry the Hornady +Ps in my 340PD. While it only weighs 11 ounces, the elongated Crimson Trace grips help to tame the recoil a lot for a quick 2nd shot as needed. It's not bad with the lighter weight .357s also.

Also, flat nose 148 gr. hard cast wadcutters in .38 revolvers offer pretty good penetration, cut tissue efficiently, and have relatively mild recoil. With wadcutters, hard cast alloy bullets, fast velocity and sharper leading edges are an acceptable way to go. Most factory wadcutter ammunition is swaged pure lead, target velocity and too soft to penetrate very far into tissue as the harder mixed alloy cast higher velocity reloads can. Without decent penetration, the softer lead is really going to pi** off the person you shoot and he will be able to return fire in most cases. Wadcutters perform pretty well if the penetration allows them to get into a vital area. Most things that bleed a lot are deep inside of us. Therefore, a good defensive loading needs to:
1. be able to penetrate the thorax to the important things and
2. be capable to make as big a permanent crush cavity as possible to both increase chances of damaging something that bleeds and increase the speed of blood loss. You're talking hard cast bullets and enough power to allow the required penetration from a 2" J-frame. If you don't reload, make friends with someone that does. Please be aware though, while hard cast wad cutters are good to carry in the cylinder as a first five, don’t carry them in any type of loader as they don't allow you to reload quickly due to difficulty lining up their flat nose with the cylinder holes.

 

[Old TexMex]

Buffalo Bore 20A/20

 

[Qmark]

Take a Look at The Winchester Silvertip 110 grain it is a Standard Non +P Load.

That would be my first choice BUT with the exception of 40 S&W I have not seen any new Winchester Silvertips in any caliber for sale since the Obama election madness began. I currently carry the Federal Hydra-Shock in my Taurus Titanium.

Just last week a gun shop sales person (Tombstone Arms in Phx) told me he believes Winchester may have discontinued the Silvertips. "we've ordered it but haven't been able to get any in years".

 

[ezb57]

Vintage S&W 125 gr Nyclad swchp. I know, its old. But it has been stored indoors, is quite accurate, and is still consistently reliable. Plus, I've got lots of it, so practicing with my carry ammo isn't a problem. Modest recoil and good expansion. Old School still rules!

Me too. I keep my old model 49 full of those same old Nyclads. I bought quite a few 50 round boxes back when they were like $24.

 

[Sy Brule]

J-Frame Ammunition

I carry Model 40 Centenniel purchased in 1973 and carry the Winchester 110 gr. silver tip H.P. or the 110 Hornady Critical Defense. Back yard point blank (20 inches) ballistic test of Win Silver Tip with 8 inches of water soaked newspaper resulted in the round stopping approx. 6 inches fully expanded.