SD ammo for Mod 10 4 inch

[Shooter6br]

Seems like the Rem 158 SWCHP +P ammo is one most would recommend in my Mod 10 4 in. It is dead on with the fixed sights with cast 158g SWc and 147 WC, Any opinions? Thanks Rick

 

[badge 851]

Seems like the Rem 158 SWCHP +P ammo is one most would recommend in my Mod 10 4 in. It is dead on with the fixed sights with cast 158g SWc and 147 WC, Any opinions? Thanks Rick

The following loads from Buffalo Bore® far exceed the performance of the Remington® 158 SWCHP +P.....
• 38 Special Standard Pressure 158gr LSWCHPGC
• 38 Special+P 158gr LSWCHPGC

 

[GyMac]

I carry the Remington load. The Buffalo Bore ammo sounds good, and I'm sure it is, but it's too pricey for me.

 

[ContinentalOp]

The following loads from Buffalo Bore® far exceed the performance of the Remington® 158 SWCHP +P.....
• Standard Pressure 158gr LSWCHPGC
• +P 158gr LSWCHPGC

I use the standard pressure Buffalo Bore load in my K-frames. The standard pressure load is probably on par with the Remington load, ballistically-speaking. What I like best about the BB ammo is that there is no muzzle flash, even when fired from a 2" barrel. It is pricey, but all you really need to do is buy 2 boxes. Run 1 box through your gun to make sure it works and that you can shoot it well, then keep the other box for carry ammo. Every few months fire the carry ammo and replace it with a new box. In between use less-expensive practice ammo. I like Speer's 158gr Lawman TMJ +P.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with the Remington load. I'd be wary of Federal's load, though, as I've heard there've been problems with insufficient crimping on some lots, allowing the bullets to pull out of the cases when fired.

ETA: Fixed-sight S&W revolvers in .38/.357 will almost always be dead-on with 158gr loads.

 

[photoman]

I carry the Remington load. The Buffalo Bore ammo sounds good, and I'm sure it is, but it's too pricey for me.

...and the recoil is significantly increased. Sorry, no free lunch. A 158gr bullet at 200 fps faster is going to increase recoil no matter what the pressure rating.

 

[ldp4570]

The following loads from Buffalo Bore® far exceed the performance of the Remington® 158 SWCHP +P.....
• Standard Pressure 158gr LSWCHPGC
• +P 158gr LSWCHPGC

Buffalo Bore recently changed the Brineal hardness of the 158gr loadings they make. I think they are down to 4 or 5 in hardness and use a gascheck to keep from leading the bore. Even their standard velocity loading in this will expand out of a 2" snub, and still give 10 to 12" of penentration.
Yes its more expensive than the other big three, and the other big three have a good track record with this loading, better than any other loading in this caliber.

 

[APS]

We know that the Remington load works well. Any data on the BB in actual shootings?
Also, you may be able to find 50rnd boxes of 135gr+P Speer Gold Dots for less than the Remington load. That Rem stuff's price has skyrocketed.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Years ago Federal Nyclad ammo was very popular and a proven ammo. It's now being made again by Federal and it's still a good choice IMO.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Been using the Remington +P 158 grain lead SWC load for several years now. It gives a bit more velocity out of my .38s than do the Winchester or Federal versions of the same load. Buffalo Bore is much more potent than any of the above but I shot it all up chronographing it in the revolvers.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Years ago Federal Nyclad ammo was very popular and a proven ammo. It's now being made again by Federal and it's still a good choice IMO.

The Nyclad is an excellent load, and it's what I carry in my 642. But in a steel K-frame, a more powerful load, such as the Remington FBI load or the Buffalo Bore equivalent, is my preference as they are quite controllable. I would not feel "undergunned" carrying Nyclads in a 4" 10, though.

 

[sheriffoconee]

Remington "FBI" loads are in all my 38 revolvers...

 

[LouisianaMan]

I've often popped up on these threads to tout 200g LSWC's in .38 caliber, not as a magic bullet, panacea, or even a best all-purpose solution, but as an option for certain circumstances. For the past 6 years, my home defense situation actually gave me a requirement for a 60 ft. indoor shot, and much of the furniture was leather. If that cowskin is similar to human skin in elasticity and strength, some say that penetrating skin is equivalent to 4 inches of muscle tissue. I also live in an area where a lot of potential BGs are 0% body fat types, fast, muscular, and used to fighting. Also, my rural location made overpenetration a non-issue.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we moved a few miles away, into town, in a home where the layout makes the maximum likely shot no more than 25 feet, and most far closer. Home construction, proximity of neighbors, and angles now make misses and/or overpenetration a significant concern. My 4" Mod. 10 is now loaded with Winchester's version of the FBI load, b/c I haven't gotten my hands on the faster, softer lead Remington version that I covet If bad times ever come, I like the idea of a soft lead bullet b/c of everything I've read about the wounding effect that it has if bone is struck. Grisly, but real.

I've long feared underpenetration with lighter bullets, but my situation here dictates that I consider something that won't plow thru 6 jugs of water & keep going! The Remington FBI load is one that I've never heard anything bad about, really, so it's my default preference until I experiment with some lighter/faster possibilities to see if I feel they'll be adequate, while being even safer for my neighbors. I'm also tempted by the tumbling possibilities noted with the old, slow 200g "Super Police" load. Many loved it, many have criticized it; I'm truly no expert, but believe it was an old school solution to increase wounding potential without upping velocity & pressure to ensure HP expansion.

All these musings demonstrate things I'm trying to evaluate before I select my own permanent ammo, so I'll now ask the OP: what is your perceived threat, and what situational considerations do you have to take into account? If you live in a crowded apt. building of frame & sheetrock construction, my recommendation will be very different than if you live in a rural area.

 

[LouisianaMan]

PS: Buffalo Bore's ballistics and bullet construction sound wonderful. . .but I still wonder about pressure, battering the gun, and recovery time between shots, esp. since I expect to fire one-handed in an SD/HD situation. And yes, price. I like to practice with my "duty" load.
I certainly haven't heard about BB tearing up guns, but do we have any pressure data? How does he achieve ballistics nobody else can? Also, I had one BB .45LC round split its case longitudinally upon firing; while purely anecdotal, that worries me, as did the brutal recoil of that 260g load in a carbine. Couldn't imagine using it in a handgun. Not necessarily applicable to his .38 recipes, of course, but I have to imagine recoil is substantially heavier with BB, and I really expect to shoot rapid bursts for defensive fire.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I've tried both the standard pressure and +P Buffalo Bore FBI load in my K-frames. While the +P was controllable, I was noticeably quicker on follow-up shots with the standard pressure load, so that's what I carry.

Ballistically-speaking I believe the standard pressure BB and the Remington FBI load are about the same (based on published data), so I'd imagine the felt recoil would also be similar. One thing I plan to do is the next time I shoot BB through my gun I'm going to try mixing it with the Speer Lawman 158gr TMJ +P I use for practice in the same cylinder and see if there's any difference. I may even get a box of the Remington FBI load and mix it in, too. It should be an interesting experiment.