Range Report: Buffalo Bore LOWER Recoil .38

[doc540]

Originally posted by doc540:
Took the wife to shoot the snubs for the first time last week, and the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P ammo bit her hand a little and caused her to flinch.

So, I ordered two boxes of Buffalo Bore, Standard Pressure, Short Barrel, Low Flash, Hvy .38 Special (non +P), 158 gr Soft Lead SWC-HC's.

They're advertised tp "Generate much less recoil than our +P 38SPL ammo".

For anyone looking for a round with less recoil than +P's, carefully note what I obviously missed in the ad, the word "our".

Looks to be very accurate, shoots well, most likely great personal defense ammo, but do not be confused.

It's recoil is no less than Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P ammo.

It might have less recoil than Buffalo Bore's other +P .38 ammo, but it is NO "low recoil" ammo.

Like a trooper, MrsDoc shot 40 rounds of the Buffalo Bore ammo and another 20+ rounds of Speer Gold Dot's. The Hogue Bantam rubber grips helped her shoot the Smith M36, and she even did better with the Colt DS with Jim Badger boot grips.

But she still managed to knock off the scab on her thumb from her first trip to the range.

I'm not criticizing Buffalo Bore ammo in any way, just trying to give others a head's up if they're looking for lower than +P ammo. Next I'm ordering 100 gr wadcutters from MasterCast so the Mrs can get comfortable with her snub.

 

[doc540]

Originally posted by doc540:
Took the wife to shoot the snubs for the first time last week, and the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P ammo bit her hand a little and caused her to flinch.

So, I ordered two boxes of Buffalo Bore, Standard Pressure, Short Barrel, Low Flash, Hvy .38 Special (non +P), 158 gr Soft Lead SWC-HC's.

They're advertised tp "Generate much less recoil than our +P 38SPL ammo".

For anyone looking for a round with less recoil than +P's, carefully note what I obviously missed in the ad, the word "our".

Looks to be very accurate, shoots well, most likely great personal defense ammo, but do not be confused.

It's recoil is no less than Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P ammo.

It might have less recoil than Buffalo Bore's other +P .38 ammo, but it is NO "low recoil" ammo.

Like a trooper, MrsDoc shot 40 rounds of the Buffalo Bore ammo and another 20+ rounds of Speer Gold Dot's. The Hogue Bantam rubber grips helped her shoot the Smith M36, and she even did better with the Colt DS with Jim Badger boot grips.

But she still managed to knock off the scab on her thumb from her first trip to the range.

I'm not criticizing Buffalo Bore ammo in any way, just trying to give others a head's up if they're looking for lower than +P ammo. Next I'm ordering 100 gr wadcutters from MasterCast so the Mrs can get comfortable with her snub.

 

[casingpoint]

Avoid two-fingered boot grips. Get her one of these soft rubber three-finger LAPD grips instead. Makes all the difference in the world with respect to recoil reduction, handling and accuracy. These grips will turn a J-frame into something beyond a mere backup gun:

http://www.hogueinc.com/getgrip/merchant.ihtml?pid=1756&lastcatid=189&step=4

In case you missed it, here's another version of the LAPD grip from another manufacturer which appeared yesterday on this forum in the CCW section:

 

[doc540]

Thanks. I saw that lower pic the other day, and it's beautiful.

You know, I had a set of Hogue Mono's on a 642 I sold a few months ago, and you're right. They're the best I've found for recoil and control.

Only reason I went with the Hogue Bantam's is because I might carry the M36 in my SmartCarry and the Mono's are more difficult to conceal.

We're going to try the Master Cast 100 gn true wadcutters at the range before we change grips again. The Mono's might be what we end up with after all.

 

[Sgt 127]

Hogue Bantam rubber grips

I like everything about those grips except the way they are designed. I think they put way too much rubber under the trigger guard, the gun sits far too high and it greatly increases the muzzle flip, and, associated smack on the web of my hand. The gun feels like it is sitting a half inch higher in my hand than any other tubber grips I have tried...But, I love thier narrowness, grippy feel and everything else.

 

[Spotteddog]

Doc,
After the lady has some low thrust target loads to play with and perfect her skills on, along with more substantial grips, things will look up quickly. There's an old saying about every scuff and slash you end up with, being the road map of where to put the band-aids BEFORE you shoot. A thin pair of gel enhanced fingerless shooting gloves, will help a great deal as well. The Buffalo Bore "standard pressure" 158 SWCHPG/C are within standard spec's BUT! They are at the END of the spec for standard pressure loads. Meaning, they're loaded as hot as can be done, within NON +P status. That, to give folks running (theoretically) non +P rated guns, all the grunt that can be safely allowed. I've no doubt they were a handful for her, because though running a heavier bullet, they nearly equal the +P level velocities out of most 2 inch guns.

 

[LOBO]

I'm wondering if the standard pressure 125 grain loads from Buffalo Bore would be better than the 158 grain loads since a lighter bullet is being used.

 

[Dale53]

I run "standard" 148 gr target loads in my 642 for general practice and any "newbie" that wants to shoot it. They work well, have very little recoil, and NO ONE gets hurt.

I cast my own bullets and reload. I cast and load the bullets and cartridges by the thousand.

One of the MAJOR advantages of casting and reloading is that I can tailor my loads for just about ANY purpose I need at the drop of the hat.

I cannot emphasize too much the fact that any and all shooters should reload. You probably won't save any money, but you will CERTAINLY be able to shoot more (lots more) for the same money PLUS tailor your loads for YOU and YOURS.

You can put together a modest, but good, reloading outfit for a couple hundred dollars. It will pay for itself in the first thousand rounds. Bullet casting can come later...

I just put together such an outfit for a young man and was over to his place last night getting him started. He will be able to totally control his ammo output and produce EXACTLY what he needs for MUCH less money per round.

Just a bit of "food for thought"...

Dale53

 

[doc540]

Dale, you're absolutely on the mark and we're considering what you suggest.

Until then, Master Cast will be our bulk source for 100 gn wadcutters to punch paper.

 

[sar4937]

You could also purchase "cowboy loads" from Blackhills, Ultramax, Ten-X. These are loaded even lighter. My wife shoots these for practice.

 

[sza]

Originally posted by LOBO:
I'm wondering if the standard pressure 125 grain loads from Buffalo Bore would be better than the 158 grain loads since a lighter bullet is being used.

I've shot both and found the 125s to be FAR more controllable in my Model 37.

 

[doc540]

Picked these up for her after work today.

Monogrips should help even though they're ugly as sin and not as easy to conceal as the Bantam's.