scruffy
Member
What .38 or .38+P self defense ammo do you carry in your snubby Airweight J-Frame? Manufacturer, bullet style, grain weight, etc. I've read so many conflicting SD ammo tests on the net, I'm curious what everyday real people rely on.
What SD Ammo in an Airweight J-Frame?
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gmiller0737
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Take a Look at The Winchester Silvertip 110 grain it is a Standard Non +P Load.
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135 gr Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P, if you can find it. Snappy recoil but proven.
I am currently using Fed 158gr LSWCHP +P. But I also have and like Win 158gr LSWC standard pressure .38. Both were available locally. I am on the lookout for standard pressure 148gr full wadcutters.
The +p Fed semi-wadcutter HP is not bad to fire out of a 442. I believe what most folks report that the +p loads are not all that hot.
The +p Fed semi-wadcutter HP is not bad to fire out of a 442. I believe what most folks report that the +p loads are not all that hot.
Edmo
US Veteran
I carry Hornady +P 110 grain Critical Defense...
Edmo
Edmo
Mine are loaded with the Speer short barrel 135 grain +P load. Many old Detectives that I knew carried a 148 grain WC in their model 36 and 37's. Their claim was that any 158 grain hollow point failed to penetrate for SD purposes while a solid WC load did.
rock_castle
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This^^^^^^^^^
K-framer
Member
148 grain, semi-soft, double-ended wadcutters in a mild +P hand load. Just a bit hotter than a maximum, standard 38 spl. load.
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I use the Federal +P load, as well. It shoots right on top of my front sight at 20 ft. Not all that fun to shoot, but not too bad for a couple of cylinders-full at a time.
Cal44
Member
Buffalo Bore 158 gr lead SWC HC -- standard pressure version
Mtnfolk325
Member
Buffalo Bore 150 Grain Cast Wadcutter, it is a standard pressure load. The Airweight is an 83' Vintage Model 38.
I don't want to get hit by anything coming out the business end of a handgun, and I suspect others frown on that as well . . .
shouldazagged
Absent Comrade
They were wrong. The 158 grain LSWCHP +P, the old FBI load, has been working very well for forty years or more. It appears to have been effective from both two-inch and four-inch barrels.
I now carry the Buffalo Bore standard-pressure version that is ballistically virtually identical to the older, faster +P load. It's in my four-inch K-frame house gun too. It's been my choice for years.
I'd like to try the Speer short-barrel loading, but it's hell to find.
mgriffin
Member
Gold Dot +P 135 gr. in my 442.
CCI Blazer aluminum case, 125 gr JHP, P+
elm_creek_smith
US Veteran
After an excursion into the lighter weight .38 bullets, I've returned to the standard pressure Buffalo Bore 158 grain LSWCHP-GC in my 1982 S&W Model 37 with magnas and a BK adapter. When I shoot them it feels like someone smacking my hand with a ¾" dowel rod, so I do most of my "back up" practice with lighter loads.
My work gun is a 4" S&W Model 686-6 with a Hogue round butt rubber Monogrip loaded with 158 grain Federal .357 Magnum HydraShoks, and my primary off-duty gun is a 3" S&W Model 13-3 with Bianchi Lightning grips loaded with 135 grain Speer .357 Magnum "Short Barrel" GDHPs. The Model 37, however, is always with me.
My work gun is a 4" S&W Model 686-6 with a Hogue round butt rubber Monogrip loaded with 158 grain Federal .357 Magnum HydraShoks, and my primary off-duty gun is a 3" S&W Model 13-3 with Bianchi Lightning grips loaded with 135 grain Speer .357 Magnum "Short Barrel" GDHPs. The Model 37, however, is always with me.
OLDSTER
Member
Standard Velocity ammo with 158 grain Hard cast semi-wadcutter lead bullet
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