Easiest Self-Defense to fire from Model 60 38SPL

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ebailyn

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My wife and I are brand new to guns/shooting (in fact, neither of us have ever shot a gun), and we purchased a S&W Model 60 38SPL with 3" barrel. We will watch many YouTube instructional videos, practice repeatedly at an indoor range, and, if necessary, take lessons if our aim is suboptimal.

My question is this....Which ammo should we start with (for range practice and for defense load at home)? The qualities we're most interested in are:
- Ease of shooting (lowest reasonable recoil): At first I thought, lower weight (ie. grain) would be my measure of expected recoil, but now I'm thinking that lower muzzle energy is a better measure.
- Effective "stopping" of the intruder: From what I read, JHPs are ideal; unfortunately, I think the local range will only allow FMJ.

I'd really appreciate specific brand, grain, and bullet-style, and I'm less concerned about price, and most interested in being as effective as possible (when/if needed).

I have one box (50 rounds) of each of the following, but I'll order others, as needed:
Winchester, 130 gr, FMJ, 38SPCL
MagTech, 158 gr, FMJ, 38SPCL
Speer Gold Dot, 125 gr, GDHP, 38SPCL +P

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!
Eric
 
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If it were my decision, I would start with any quality 38 special 148Gr. wadcuter target ammo then graduate to standard 38 special ammo. Finally I would buy a 20 round box of the Buffalo Bore 158Gr. 38/44 HD ammo for self defense, at $27.00 + shipping a box it's pricy, but I think it is well worth the investment.
 
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Of the three ammo's you listed, the Speer Gold Dot is undoubtedly the best for your situation, but only after you've gotten acclimated to the gun. Until then, stick with 148 gr. wadcutters. They will be the lowest recoiling round you can get and there is nothing at all wrong with using them as a defense round. If you do your part and place the 148 gr. wadcutter in the right place, it will do the job. If you don't, no other round is going to make up for that mistake.

edit: Hornady Critical Defense--I have a box of their .38 SPL 110 gr. I don't know if other people have had this problem, but I'm watching mine slowly corrode away while sitting in a speedloader.
 

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cp1969 said:
Of the three ammo's you listed, the Speer Gold Dot is undoubtedly the best for your situation, but only after you've gotten acclimated to the gun. Until then, stick with 148 gr. wadcutters. They will be the lowest recoiling round you can get and there is nothing at all wrong with using them as a defense round. If you do your part and place the 148 gr. wadcutter in the right place, it will do the job. If you don't, no other round is going to make up for that mistake.

edit: Hornady Critical Defense--I have a box of their .38 SPL 110 gr. I don't know if other people have had this problem, but I'm watching mine slowly corrode away while sitting in a speedloader.
Click to expand...

It looks like it's trying to be "zombie" ammo.
 
Remington 125 grain SJHP. If it's good enough for a cop's ankle gun, it's good enough for me!
 
Ebailyn,

For the most part, any brand 148 grain Wadcutter ammo runs the same velocity.....light recoil and easiest to practice with. Buffalo Bore makes a very good hard cast Wadcutter that many people use for self defense out of your very gun.

I reccomend the BB's for you for home use. I also use LSWC, LSWC-HP all at regular pressure, no Plus P's. Many use Gold Dot Plus P's and they are highly recommended, but the recoil may be a bit stout for follow up shots.

You both may be best served by taking some professional training for beginning shooters, the you tube videos are certainly entertaining but no substitute.

Welcome to the great hobby of handgun shooting and enjoy your new gun!!
 
cp1969 said:
Of the three ammo's you listed, the Speer Gold Dot is undoubtedly the best for your situation, but only after you've gotten acclimated to the gun. Until then, stick with 148 gr. wadcutters. They will be the lowest recoiling round you can get and there is nothing at all wrong with using them as a defense round. If you do your part and place the 148 gr. wadcutter in the right place, it will do the job. If you don't, no other round is going to make up for that mistake.

edit: Hornady Critical Defense--I have a box of their .38 SPL 110 gr. I don't know if other people have had this problem, but I'm watching mine slowly corrode away while sitting in a speedloader.
Click to expand...

Regarding the Hornady's, how long have you had them? What environment do live in? Humid? Salty air? Just curious.
Roger
 
At low velocity, you cannot count on bullet expansion. If recoils a serious issue for you, I too suggest 38 Wad Cutter ammunition.
 
My local dealer sells 148 grain wadcutters from Atlanta Arms and Ammo. They are remanufactured, so the price is right and they have been 100% reliable. If they don't have a dealer near you, they will ship to your house. As said by many others, 148grain is the way to go for target practice.

Since you are a YouTube viewer, look or TNOutdoors9. His video reviews on ammo, including .38 special are outstanding. Some ammo may be better than others, but most SJHP should work for home defense.
 
x2 for 148 grain wadcutters for low-recoil practice as well as for self-defense use. It's fine to say that in the heat of the moment, you won't notice the recoil if you have to light off a souped-up hollowpoint in a self-defense situation-- but I think the truth is that the increased muzzle blast & recoil will be detrimental to your shooting, whether you "notice it "or not.
Unfortunately, with the panic-buying going on these days with both guns and ammo, you're gonna have to settle for what you can get.
 
Shootist1954 said:
Regarding the Hornady's, how long have you had them? What environment do live in? Humid? Salty air? Just curious.
Roger
Click to expand...
Salty air? Not really, I live in Kansas. It gets humid outdoors, but this ammo is stored in the house, so I would not consider humidity a factor, either.

I have had them about three years.
 
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A bare minimum would be the 148wc target bullet,if nothing else works out but in my 2" snub nose I have had these non +P loads that come from various companys. Since you have a 3" you may gain maybe 30-50fps depending on gun and elevation.

Win 110 at 875fps @ 187 ft/lbs energy Recoil 3.27 ft/lb
Federal 125 Nyclad 836 @ 194ft/lb R 3.68
148wc reload 775fps @ 197ft/lb ......... R 3.99
158 Lwc 730fps @ 187 ft/lb ............ R 4.15

A factory 158 "FBI" load 830fps @ 242ft/lbs has R 5.55 !!
the Speer 135gr at 850fps @ 217ft/lb has a recoil of R 4.37.

Go with the load that you can handle and shoot accuratly.... without flinching and that you feel confident and are comfortabe with. If you don't have a range near by, try in a safe shooting area, with white paper plates at six feet and then later at ten feet.

Good shooting
 
493508.jpg
 
ebailyn said:
My wife and I are brand new to guns/shooting (in fact, neither of us have ever shot a gun), and we purchased a S&W Model 60 38SPL with 3" barrel. We will watch many YouTube instructional videos, practice repeatedly at an indoor range, and, if necessary, take lessons if our aim is suboptimal.

My question is this....Which ammo should we start with (for range practice and for defense load at home)? The qualities we're most interested in are:
- Ease of shooting (lowest reasonable recoil): At first I thought, lower weight (ie. grain) would be my measure of expected recoil, but now I'm thinking that lower muzzle energy is a better measure.
- Effective "stopping" of the intruder: From what I read, JHPs are ideal; unfortunately, I think the local range will only allow FMJ.

I'd really appreciate specific brand, grain, and bullet-style, and I'm less concerned about price, and most interested in being as effective as possible (when/if needed).

I have one box (50 rounds) of each of the following, but I'll order others, as needed:
Winchester, 130 gr, FMJ, 38SPCL
MagTech, 158 gr, FMJ, 38SPCL
Speer Gold Dot, 125 gr, GDHP, 38SPCL +P

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!
Eric
Click to expand...

I recommend the 38 Special Mid-Range load, also called the 148 grain wadcutter, for target practice.

For self-defense, good choices are the Speer Gold Dot short barrel (Cat. #23921), which I believe is a 135 grain load, or the so-called "FBI Load," which is made by Winchester (X38SPD) and Remington (R38S12), and is a +P, 158 grain Lead Hollow Point. Federal no longer makes this load as near as I can tell.
 
I'm not convinced anymore that a hardcast bullet is the way to go. BuffaloBore seems to offer the 158 gr SWC in either hardcast or soft lead, but the full WC is only offered in hardcast. With soft lead in either a wadcutter or SWC-HP, you get penetration and maybe some expansion-- the best of both worlds. BB's no doubt good stuff, but kinda spendy, not sure it's the best deal- a standard mid-range HBWC load or a SWC-HP load by one of the mainline mfr's might be just as effective and more reasonably priced to boot.
 
IMO since neither of you have shot a gun before starting with a 22LR would have been a better idea than starting with a short barrel J frame revolver. A J frame revolver is more difficult to shoot well because of the length of the barrel, weight of the trigger and how light the revolver is. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the short barrel .38 Special and carry one daily but it's really not a beginners revolver. If not a 22LR a heavier 4" barrel .38 Special would have been a better choice and a great revolver for Home Defense.

Ammo is in short supply these days so it's hard to recommend anything. Any standard pressure .38 Special with a lighter bullet is probably best for practice. Nothing wrong with a FMJ bullet for practice, they are generally cheaper than JHP ammo anyway. For home defense/self defense a JHP bullet is probably the best choice. I'm a big fan of the time tested FBI Load. (158gr Lead Semi-Wadcutter Hollow Point .38 Special +P) I also like Speer Gold Dot ammo for SD. I carry the Speer Short Barrel 135gr .38 Special +P load in my S&W M442. In my older M36 I carry the FBI Load.
 
For SD I'm using Remington Golden Saber 125gr +P in my model 60 Chief Specials.
 
For basic practicing, even in the garage, check these out.
Speer Plastic Bullets 38 Cal (357 to 358 Diameter) Box of 50
Unfortunately Large pistol primers are a serious shotage item right now.
Some gun stores used to have a kit, with cases projectiles and a large box of primers. This is only for basic handling practice. Then go to a range, work with 148 gr Wadcutters, then 130 grain ball and finally one of the relatively inexpensive defense loads. I am fond of the 110 gr .38 Winchester Silver Tip (see above), but they have gotten expensive.
Geoff
Who packs a light revolver.
 
The 148 grain mid-range wadcutter is the practice ammo for a snub nose .38 Spl. If you can't find those try the Winchester White Box or American Eagle 130 grain FMJ load for practice ONLY, that 130 grain FMJ bullet is a very poor manstopper.

My preference for carry is the Hornady Critical Defense 110 grain standard pressure load in my 642 or the old FBI load 158 grin LSWCHP +P in my all stainless model 60. The Seer Gold Dot short barrel 135 grain load is good medicine too. The Hornady load kicks the elast of the good SD rounds in my experience.
 
Speaking of ammo, I was looking through a Sportsmans Guide catalog which I got in the mail recently & they have some pretty decent ammp prices. Of course, with the panic buying that's going on , they're probably out of stock like everybody else, but...
I've never shot any but their prices for Magtech 38 ammo seem esp reasonable. Several varieties, including 148 gr wadcutter at $20.09/50 and 158gr LSWC for $16.49/50. Of course, shipping charges might add quite a bit to that.
 
DO THIS FIRST

If as you said you have never fired a gun, do this first.

Take a firearms safety and instruction course from a reputable trainer. A local indoor range can probably give you some contacts. Would be nice to get someone with an NRA certification as a trainer.

Take the course, learn the fundamentals of safe gun handling and operation of your handgun.

THEN and only then, start thinking about what kind of ammo to use.

Take the safety course first!
 
If you want the lowest recoil possible, while retaining adequate self defense posture, then look no further....


Critical_Defense_Recoil.jpg

....and if you're really feelin' the mood, load 'em up in these..

lcr_pink.jpg
 
BTW I looked for the magtech 38 ammo on the sportsmans guide website-- along with everything else, it's backordered til July. !!!
 
I got some .38sp Hornady Critical Defense Lite for my S&W 60. Waiting on some new grips to try it. I may have to get the red Sharpie out to cover those pink tips.:o
 
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