The REM 38 SPL+P 125gr Golden Saber

[tacotime]

Has anyone had much experience with or done much testing with these brass jacketed +P rounds?

Really wondering how these perform out of the 2 inch J frames.

 

[mike campbell]

Line up 5 one-gallon milk jugs full of water. Shoot the center of the first one from 15-20 feet. Retrieve your bullet from jug 3-5. For 10 minutes of effort and fun you'll know more than most and as much as anybody .... unless somebody shot somebody and attended the autopsy.

 

[alwslate]

I have chronographed them out of a 1 7/8" J frame and they average
around 875 fps. Different lots vary slightly in velocity but not by much.

 

[Eddietruett]

After reading the testing done by lucky gunner.com the Golden Saber has been my carry ammo. Did some very unscientific testing using water jugs and wet newspaper. Very impressive. I would say performs tit for tat with the Speer Gold Dot SB.

 

[tacotime]

The Speer shows 860fps on their website, so it looks like these two are close to the same velocity.

 

[stansdds]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the Remington 125gr Golden Saber 38 Special +P load. It should be just fine as a defensive round and is often easier to find than the Speer 135gr Gold Dot load.

 

[Amp]

I still have a box or so of them.
They worked great in my 640.
Killed a bunch of bowling pins once.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I read reports of bullet separation with the Golden Saber ammo, no first hand proof though. I carry the Speer GDHP short barrel ammo, it's very accurate in my guns.

 

[shouldazagged]

I carried them in a J-frame for a while before switching to the FBI load. They were recommended to me by a retired cop who thought highly of their performance. They tended to shoot a little lower than the 158 grain load.

I think I still have a few rounds somewhere.

 

[chief38]

I too have seen bullet separation with 125 grain Golden Sabers but over all performance seems excellent. Sometimes I wonder if bullet separation isn't actually a good thing, as long as penetration and expansion are also good. Still up in the air about that!

 

[hoc9sw]

I picked up a case in a department close out when they retired revolvers. No complaints.

 

[rwsmith]

I've recovered some..

...Golden Sabers and I find then to be excellent performers. I haven't tested the Federal HST but I really like the way the way they performed any tests I've read.

Gold Dots are top quality ammo, but it seems that they aren't as consistent as they should be.

I really like the very large hollow point opening concept.

 

[rbmac52]

This round is currently available at CDNN for $9.99 per box of 25 rounds. Not a bad price!

 

[HorizontalMike]

I am getting Avg. 905fps with 8.0gr HS6, out of my 2in K6S Kimber. Under the same load, I get ~924fps using a 125xtp. I prefer the 125gr Golden Saber because of its expansion rate at this speed, whereas the 125xtp have nearly no expansion at all.

If I recall, LuckyGunner stats show similar results.

 

[Riverboys]

This round is currently available at CDNN for $9.99 per box of 25 rounds. Not a bad price!

Is - the Remington UMC 38 SPL + P 125 gr SJHP the same round?

Walmart has these for $32/100 rounds

 

[dmn57]

Is - the Remington UMC 38 SPL + P 125 gr SJHP the same round?

Walmart has these for $32/100 rounds

Nah, different bullet altogether, but the UMC's will probably do what needs to be done.

 

[Frank46]

Was a fan of the remington Golden Sabre 125 grain load always bought it at the local gun shows. Then it became like unobtanium and switched to the Speer 135 grain Sb load,Frank

 

[stansdds]

Is - the Remington UMC 38 SPL + P 125 gr SJHP the same round?

Walmart has these for $32/100 rounds

Nope, different bullet. The Golden Saber is a brass jacketed bullet that completely covers the lead core all the way to the opening of the hollow point and it has spiral skives in the jacket.

The UMC bullet is a traditional cupro-nickel jacket that leaves much of the lead core exposed at the nose of the bullet. It's the same bullet Remington uses in their traditional 357 Magnum 125gr SJHP load.

 

[Rammer Jammer]

This round is currently available at CDNN for $9.99 per box of 25 rounds. Not a bad price!

I just got a couple boxes of these from CDNN and they are the real deal old school Golden Saber load, not the newer weaker Ultimate Defense loads Remington sells now.

This quote is from a customer review on BudsGunshop from someone who seems to know what he's writing about.

Reviewed By: Tom C on 09/05/2017
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars!

I purchased 10 boxes of this ammunition for several reasons. First, I have a great deal of experience with this load, and know it to be an excellent performer, especially in 2-inch barrel revolvers. Its performance in professionally conducted testing is virtually identical to the highly sought after 135 grain Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel load, which can be very hard to find. Second, Bud's had an excellent price on this ammunition. But third, and most important, this load is being discontinued by Remington, in favor of something called Ultimate Defense, which looks the same, but definitely is NOT the same, although it uses the same Golden Saber bullet.

This ammunition, the actual Golden Saber load, in my testing averages about 70 fps faster, gun for gun, than the new Ultimate Defense load. I can only guess that Remington was trying to address complaints about recoil, or save a buck or two on powder with the new load, and it is still fine from a 3 inch or longer barrel, but the new stuff does not work well at all in the much more common 2-inch snub nosed revolvers most people have. There is absolutely no expansion whatever from the new load, while this load works just fine in a pocket gun.

My advice is to buy a supply of this while Bud's still has it. That is why I purchased ten boxes. I may buy more. Bud's shipping was super fast also.

 

[mike campbell]

I'm skeptical of this....

"...the same Golden Saber bullet ... absolutely no expansion whatever from the new load ..."