Snubby Ammo Help

[Doug M.]

Low pressure solid, square front rounds are your friend. Standard SWC or WC loads are easy to shoot and will perform as well as anything you can shoot in .38 Special. HPs are very unlikely to expand and will not cut and crush as well as a good SWC or WC.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I load the Speer 135 gr +P Gold Dot in my 442 and 642. I have a good supply of the Winchester +P 158 gr. LSWC FBI load, but I reserve that for my 640 and 649.

The reason is simple. There have been reports of the heavy lead +P loads tying up the cylinder in the lightweight alloy frame guns. Through inertia, the bullets can and sometimes do set forward in the case when fired; sometimes enough to protrude through the cylinder face.

The heavier guns such as the steel-framed 640 and 649 can take the lead FBI loads without this problem.

My advice for those carrying the heavy FBI load in their lightweight guns is to range test the combination to be sure you do not get the protrusion problem. I'd load with five, fire four and then check the 5th round. If the bullet sets out farther than normal, I'd change to a lighter weight jacketed load. As for me, I don't even risk it - the Speer load is tailored for snubby lightweights, and I'm satisfied with it.

My wife can't handle the snappy recoil of her 442 with these loads, so she stokes it with full wadcutters - less recoil, and good "chopping" performance on the target. As always, shot placement is king, and she can put those right on the money.

John

 

[sunday bill]

I carry and like several Hornady loads in various bullet weights and calibers in my snubbies. However, Hornady .38 Special 110 grain FTX +P Critical Defense loads impact hilariously low out of my J-frames and SP 101......Shot placement??......Every time I decide to give'em another chance and touch one off, I think of that famous advice-under-fire, "Shoot low, boys, they're riding Shetland ponies".

 

[hotrod150]

I think a firm crimp will help prevent bullet jump ("protrusion") problems, as well as ensure consistant powder burn therefore consistant velocity & accuracy.

 

[wrangler5]

FWIW, the 158g lead SWCHP loads that I happen to have on hand (Remington +P and Buff Bore non-+P) both appear to have pretty substantial crimps. The BB crimp even has a cylindrical section ahead of the curved-in segment of the crimp - almost as if it completely filled the forward crimping groove in the bullet.

 

[roger b]

bought 638-3 and reccomended ammo at west coast armory, issaquah wa, practice pm22, hornady critcal defense 38 std 110 gr for carry. Those guys know thier business, i'm satisfied. Why? The input from this forumn and and other sites. Those pros will say Hornady ammo is high quality,and well engineered. Do i need 158 gr? what I need is ammo " designed" to penetrate "thru" clothing without clogging. Ammo that mushrooms consistanley. I believe I have that. Replys appreciated

 

[wrangler5]

Most fixed sight 38s will hit pretty close to point of aim with 158g ammunition. The lighter and faster the bullet, the lower it will generally hit - as sunday bill notes, the Hornady 110g +P (light AND fast) hits way low. You can practice a lot with your carry ammo ($$$$$), or a Crimson Trace grip can be adjusted to match pretty much any ammo. But if you have to rely on iron sights in a high-pressure shooting scenario that comes on quckly, it could be tough to hit what you want if POA and POI aren't close.

 

[photoman]

bought 638-3 and reccomended ammo at west coast armory, issaquah wa, practice pm22, hornady critcal defense 38 std 110 gr for carry. Those guys know thier business, i'm satisfied. Why? The input from this forumn and and other sites. Those pros will say Hornady ammo is high quality,and well engineered. Do i need 158 gr? what I need is ammo " designed" to penetrate "thru" clothing without clogging. Ammo that mushrooms consistanley. I believe I have that. Replys appreciated

I am currently using the Hornady FTX 110gr standard pressure ammo in my Airwieghts. I've found this ammo to be very accurate in my guns. The light recoil is a benefit too.

The big drawback to this ammo would be the light bullet not doing well in barrier penetration situations.

 

[hotrod150]

I'm not sold on penetration with the lighter bullets. IMHO anything designed for "sure expansion" (esp anything that light) is too likely to fail to penetrate (or even come apart) on heavy clothing. If a light JHP penetrates but fails to expand, it is essentially a round nose and will cause very little damage.
On the other hand, even if the 158 gr SWC-HP doesn't expand, you still have the weight for good penetration,and a flat nose & full-caliber shoulder for plenty of tissue damage.
I guess it all boils down to how much you believe the marketing hype and/or trust the engineering behind the bullets. I'm a born skeptic, so in my case it's not very much.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Guys, I need some ammo help. I know this is a topic that's been covered before, but being in MA, I have limited resources for some ammo that gets tossed out there all the time. I'm going to call around for some Speer SB, hopefully I can track some down.

Some anyway, I have a 642-2 Airweight and I will be obtaining a Classic Line +P Model 36 in December. I can obtain the following SD ammo quite readily.

Hornady CD - Standard & +P
Winchester PDX1
Federal HS +P 129 gr.

I currently have on an hand a couple of boxes of standard Hornady CD & a box of HS +P's.

Are there any downsides to what I have on hand? I can't seem to get a definitive answer anywhere. Any help would greatly be appreciated!

Thanks!!

Of the three you mentioned, I like PDX1 and Federal HS. That said, my preference in 38 Special is the FBI Load, 158 grain +P lead hollow point Winchester. Remington and Federal make the same load. If you want to have some fun, try a box of Buffalo Bore 1930s FBI load, 158 SWC at 1125 fps called the Outdoorsman.