Federal's new load

[Spencerivey101]

The new Federal 38+p Micro HST may have me changing my mind on the viability of 38 Special as a self defense cartridge. This stuff looks impressive with the velocities from a snub nose. I've never carried a revolver because I didn't want the blast of 357, and didn't trust 38s. This could change that. I imagine the velocity makes it still quite loud. But I'll consider it.

Ammo Review: Federal's spicy HST Micro .38 SPL snub nose load

 

[StakeOut]

Don't put the 38spl down.

If you do your part it will do it's part.

I have 1st hand knowledge about the statement I made above being fact and proven on several occasions using standard 158gr factory loads.

If between your ears there's a belief that you need a special type of ammo then you need to use it in order to have confidence in your selection.

 

[iPac]

Don't put the 38spl down.

If you do your part it will do it's part.

I have 1st hand knowledge about the statement I made above being fact and proven on several occasions using standard 158gr factory loads.

If between your ears there's a belief that you need a special type of ammo then you need to use it in order to have confidence in your selection.

I think the viability of 38spl swings both ways. Sometimes it's not enough, and other times it's completely sufficient. However, I would lean more towards it being sufficient in most SD loads.

I personally carry a 357mag, but I have a Detective Special that gets carried on occasion too. I don't feel under-gunned with any of them, but am more confident with the magnum for accuracy and operation, as the Detective is more a BUG gun. I like to be able to reach out a distance if necessary.

I am a firm supporter of the HST design, and believe only Winchester's Ranger HPs are equal. However, I don't care for their new micro load. If they would just come out with a regular 38spl+P and 357mag load I might get some, or just sell the bullets to load my own. I would still load them to 357mag though.

I personally load 140gr XTPs over 15gr of 2400 in 357mag brass. Gets me 1100fps out of my 2.5" Python. Not full power magnums, but better than 38spl+P with still manageable recoil.

Carry what you feel comfortable with, but I wouldn't ignore 38spl, even if HSTs aren't an option. Yet, I completely understand wanting something more too, as I'm the same way.

 

[Targets Guy]

Might have to try some in my 638.

 

[photoman]

130 grain bullet at 1200 fps out of a Centennial?! That can't be correct. Will wait to see the results from other tests before coming to any conclusions.

p.s. Federal website lists 890 fps for this load.

Federal Premium Ammunition - Handgun

 

[black1970]

Federal 158 grain HP Nyclads in 38+P will mess somebody's whole day up. Not to mention the bad sore it will create.

 

[BigBill]

The smaller power rounds are better than throwing stones? Lol

I have plenty of faith in them. Look at the Russian Torarev in 7.62 tokarev.
Shes one fast light weight that will put a hurtin on the receiving end. They also say they are accurate at longer distances too.

Would I carry a revolver in 38 special you bet I would. Remember it's not the power of the round it's the accuracy of the shot placement.

 

[ContinentalOp]

The new HST load is certainly interesting, but I'll stick to more proven loads, like Speer's SB-GDHP or FBI loads.

FYI, in actual shootings, there's not a whole lot of difference between service calibers (.38 Special up to .45ACP) in terms of effectiveness. Pick a good, modern JHP (Google "Dr. Roberts ammo list") in whatever caliber/gun you want, and practice.

 

[ContinentalOp]

130 grain bullet at 1200 fps out of a Centennial?! That can't be correct. Will wait to see the results from other tests before coming to any conclusions.

p.s. Federal website lists 890 fps for this load.

Federal Premium Ammunition - Handgun

If they got those velocities from a 2" snub, their gear is seriously out-of-whack and in need of re-calibration or replacement. Federal =/= Buffalo Bore.

 

[johns961]

Federal 158 grain HP Nyclads in 38+P will mess somebody's whole day up. Not to mention the bad sore it will create.

That's what I have in my J frame right now !

John!

 

[reddog81]

Federal claims 890 FPS and the review got right under 1,200. That's a huge discrepancy. They blew right past 9mm performance and landed in .357 Magnum territory from a 2" barrel. Something is amiss.

 

[cmj8591]

Bullet placement is more important than any other factor.

 

[Old cop]

I carried my issued thirty-eight for all but the last seven years of my career and had to use it on more than one occassion. Our issued load was the old +P FBI 158 grain hollow point and it worked. My EDC continues to be a J frame and doubt that will change. Modern auto loaders make sense for todays LEOs but I'm okay w/the little revolver for my needs.

 

[Texas Star]

Old Cop-

A Dallas officer used his issued Model 64 and lead HP ammo (FBI load) to kill six men with no problems.

A detective checked on performance of the issued .357 load, Winchester's 145 grain Silvertip. He is a rather squeamish guy and wouldn't go into details or get photos, but he said it was very impressive, almost overkill.

I don't think there's such a thing as overkill when someone is trying to murder you, but agree that placement is always a key factor.

Shouldn't this topic be in the Ammo forum?

 

[StakeOut]

Remember,you don't know what the bad guy has in his/her gun and how good/lucky they are so you need to be better and hit your target(s)with the most number of rounds in the shortest amount of time.

 

[reddogs]

Don't know why but mrgunsngear on youtube got less velocity out of 4" revolver than the snub tested.Nice expansion if it will do that in a couple pieces of denim and gel test.

 

[jaymoore]

Federal claims 890 FPS and the review got right under 1,200. That's a huge discrepancy. They blew right past 9mm performance and landed in .357 Magnum territory from a 2" barrel. Something is amiss.

First guess would be that the chrono pickups were close enough whilst testing the snub that they registered the shockwave of the muzzle blast (1200fps is a little fast for usual speed of sound in air, but close enough) rather than the bullet crossing.

 

[Dpris]

Just a hair over 800 FPS through my 2-inch Colt DS, at 15 feet from muzzle.
Penetrated two one-gallon water jugs completely (blew up the first), travelled far enough through the third to dent the far wall.
Recovered fully intact, no fragmentation, perfectly mushroomed, in the third jug.

Usable 25-yard accuracy through a snub.

Good load.
Denis

 

[Tom S.]

A lot of bias against the .38 Special is based on old loads that used round nose lead bullets and comparison between it and other newer rounds, such as the .357 magnum. Just transitioning to hollow point bullets designed to expand at handgun velocities greatly improved the 38's performance. But as in all arguments about caliber performance, the whole thing boils down to shot placement. Many people, especially ladies and older people more sensitive to recoil, will do better with a round that doesn't cause them to flinch or wish they'd never dropped the hammer. A person who can put 10 shots of a .22 in an inch at 25 yards is far better off than one who can't hit the target with a 44 magnum, IMHO. So if a .38 Special is one's choice for protection and the proper ammo is used, I see no issues.

 

[Wise_A]

The new HST load is certainly interesting, but I'll stick to more proven loads, like Speer's SB-GDHP or FBI loads.

Never not Speer Gold Dot. I always considered HST to be a second-tier choice.

The review isn't very good at all. And not just for the obviously erroneous chronograph results:

In accuracy tests, we used a U.S. Treasury LTR-II target and rapid-fired 15 rounds at 7, 15 and 25 yards using a two-handed grip that resulted in 13 out of 15 "in the blue" on the transition target, with the two lost rounds coming in at the 25-yard mark.

I'm puzzled as to what exactly the point of this "accuracy test" is. Rapid fire? A single target? A single gun? And "good enough" is "well, all but two of them hit a human silhouette"?

---

In other news, .38 Spl has probably laid low as many stateside bad guys as any other service cartridge, given its widespread use and long life. I see no reason why it should be considered insufficient today.

The only real "problem" with .38 Spl is that a snubby only holds 5-6 rounds, whereas a compact pistol can be expected to hold upwards of 10.