Question on Suitable Ammo

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

I think that I might be confusing myself when it comes to selecting ammunition for my 1956-vintage M&P (pre-Model 10) 2" snubnose. I had it in my head that 130 grain FMJ would be light recoil and less of a strain on my old "cop gun". As I compare figures such as muzzle energy and muzzle velocity, though, I wonder if I might be better off using 158 grain FMJ. Any opinions?

 

[diamonback68]

The latter 158 gr, is what your gun was regulated for.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

The latter 158 gr, is what your gun was regulated for.

Would the 158 grain actually be lower recoil and less stress on the gun? It almost seems backwards, but that's what the figures would seem to indicate.

 

[kennyb]

as a rule...a lighter round=higher velocity...either will shoot fine in your gun

 

[Oyeboteb]

FMJ is always a lot more strain on the Gun than Lead is, all else being equal or close.

FMJ was or remains useful when out of a Long Barrel .38 Special and for punching through Car or Truck Sheet Metal.

Otherwise, there is no good reason to use it...and less than any good reason to use it in a Snubby.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

FMJ is always a lot more strain on the Gun than Lead is, all else being equal or close.

FMJ was or remains useful when out of a Long Barrel .38 Special and for punching through Car or Truck Sheet Metal.

Otherwise, there is no good reason to use it...and less than any good reason to use it in a Snubby.

Does lead not cause a lot more fouling, though?

 

[trauma1]

At the velocities these guns were made for, leading is not a major issue unless you are using some seriously soft lead bullets, such as those for black powder loads and you are driving them to insane velocities. Keep your velocity in the "standard" range with a quality cast bullet of your liking and you should be just fine. Also, experience has shown, to me at least, that lead fouling seems to be a bit easier to remove than copper fouling. Alot of the older guns were built with lead bullet usage in mind.

 

[trauma1]

Also, in response to the "FMJ is more strain". The FMJ bullet itself does not necessarily impart more or less pressure onto the firearm. The amount of powder required to push the FMJ bullet out the barrel does. Due to the increased amount of friction(for ease of argument sake), the FMJ does require more powder wt for wt when comparing lead to jacketed bullets. This is one of the reasons powder companies and bullet companies have those large, bolded and capitalized disclaimers about not substituting components. in a .38 find yourself a good 158gr SWC at about 650-800fps and you should be golden. Alliant powder company website has several load recipes available for that combination. Another excellent resource on cast bullet loading is Lymans Cast Bullet Loading guide. Check it out, you may be surpised what you can accomplish with the cast bullet.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

At the velocities these guns were made for, leading is not a major issue unless you are using some seriously soft lead bullets, such as those for black powder loads and you are driving them to insane velocities. Keep your velocity in the "standard" range with a quality cast bullet of your liking and you should be just fine. Also, experience has shown, to me at least, that lead fouling seems to be a bit easier to remove than copper fouling. Alot of the older guns were built with lead bullet usage in mind.

Makes sense!