CHRONOGRAPHING 38 SPECIAL SELF DEFENSE AMMO

[sigp220.45]

Flop - I haven't read his whole work, but I did read this pretty good summation:

FBI-Miami Shootout

and I don't see any big problems in it. His account seems pretty accurate based on what I've heard, so aside from his kiddy-diddling tendencies he seems to have done a good job with this. I don't know where I heard about glaring errors, but I stand corrected. I must have been thinking of the Dodson/Ayoob catfight.

I'm glad to see Gordon McNeil get credit for putting a bullet in Matix's face. It doesn't get much mention, but he was the squad supervisor and could have easily been sitting in his office when this went down. Most FBI supervisors would have been. He was by all accounts a good guy who wanted to be with his agents on the rolling stakeout that day.

I never met him, but I have had the chance to meet and talk with Gil Orrantia and Richard Manauzzi. Good dudes.

Its hard to believe this was almost a quarter century ago.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I wondered how the Hornady Leverevolution Ammo achieved the stated velocity as well. Something about a special blend of propellent???

This one is easy. Hornady took a round which used to shoot a round nose bullet which fought velocity as soon as it was shot and substituted a pointy bullet which cuts the air better. It's all about the pointy bullet.

Both Buffalo Bore & Speer have achieved their spectacular results WITHIN sammi specifications,

I have to disagree with you there. I don't know about Buffalo Bore but Speer is NOT within current SAAMI pressure limits for their 135gr .38 Special +P short barrel ammo. Speer clearly stated that ammo is generating close to 20,000 psi, the old standard, and not within the current limits of 18,500 psi.

IMO shoot what is trying to hurt you and hit what you're shooting at. All the rest is just fluff...

 

[flop-shank]

I must have been thinking of the Dodson/Ayoob catfight.

That makes sense. As sad as the whole kiddy thing with Frenchy is, I'm thinking that there was a lot yet to be understood about how that fight went down prior to the release of his report, so many who studied the Miami shootout previosly had to relearn (or unlearn, only God knows) a thing or two.

I did revisit the text of the book as well as the Matix autopsy per out exchange yesterday. As I had thought, the bullet recovered from Matix's maxillary sinus (gunshot wound F) was nearly FUBAR. The largest fragment was recovered at 33.2 grains. Per Frenchy's request Robert Kennington, the firearms evidence examiner took another look at the fragment in 1996 and found that it bore evidence of bullet base and rifling. It had been previously believed that it could have been a 00 pellet fired by SA Mireles.

There is no mention of rifling on the bullet recovered in WM's right pleural cavity (gunshot wound B). It stands to reason that the bullet in question would have been associated with SA McNeil before Frenchy's analysis had that bullet been in such a condition that would allow accurate comparison. The autopsy report describes the bullet as "markedly deformed".

 

[IndianaDave]

Anybody ever chrono Speer 135 grain SB 38 Special +P out of a 4-inch barrel ?

Just curious.