What is a good, hard hitting .38 special round? Are jacketed hollow points the most lethal? I haven't replaced the ammo in my S & W Model 10 (for home defense) in 20 years and I figure it's time! If I ever need to use it I want it to work! Thanks for opinions.
.38 Special Ammo
- Thread starter MADMIKE
- Start date
- Status
I dont think a .38 special has enough to fully expand jacketed bullets, such as JHP or jacketed soft points. I would opt for simple old fashion lead round nose, Its what I carry in my .38 special, when I carry one. Expansion is good, without the chance of overpentration, which alot of people fail to consider in a home defense senario. Another choice is a .38 +P ammo, such as Corbon or Federal, the model 10 is a very good, strong revolver and can handle a +P ammo. It would give a JHP the velocity to expand properly, but then overpentration becomes a issue. It all depends on you sitiuation. Those are my opinions.
Thanks Panzerman--I was definitely going to go with the +P and I think I'll stick with the standard lead round nose--now for the next question--what size bullet? I was thinking of 200 grain for max stopping/knockdown power--what's better for this purpose, faster and ligter, or slower and heavier? Thanks for your help.
Lead round nose ammo is the WORST choice in .38 Special for self defense. It will not expand. It might deform if it strikes bone but it will not expand in soft tissue. The terrible record of the old 158 grain round nose in gunfights was the reason ammo companies started working so hard to design hollowpoint ammo in the 60's and 70's. Forget the idea of "knockdown" power in a .38 Special, or any self defense handgun. There's no such thing. If you go with +P ammo you will have more recoil and muzzle flash. The 158 lead semi wadcutter hollowpoint would be easier to control and a lot cheaper. The key is practise, practise practise. Two hand, weak hand , holding a flashlight and or a cell phone. Moving, kneeling, prone. Get a couple speedloaders and practise reloading in the dark or one handed. There's a lot more to it than buying the fanciest trick ammo and hoping one shot will blow the bad guy off his feet. Multiple hits to the chest/pelvis area are what works. Head shots as the last resort.
I dont agree the lead round nose would be fine with a .38 special, I have dug out bullets fired into sand and the round nose impressed me. The lead semi wadcutters are so close a following its really your preferrance, but they are both good choices. As far as gunfights and the lead bullets, they didnt design a better bullet they designed a better gun, heavy loads for the .38 up to the introduction of the .357 magnum. The .38 is a adequete gun for self defense and is a good choice especially if you live in a apartment or duplex where the bullet has the potential to hit unintended targets.
You are absolutely 100% wrong. Period. Stop giving bad advice.The round nose lead bullet is a terrible choice. Human bodies aren't made of sand. Shoot one at a concrete wall and it'll expand perfectly, but they don't in tissue. That's why it hasn't been used in police weapons for the last 20-30 years. It's one thing for you to pretend you know what you're talking about when it comes to oil, but MADMIKE is asking about something that might save his or his families life. Yes, the .357 Magnum was designed as a replacement for the .38 Special and they did not load round nose lead bullets in the Magnum for a reason. They don't work.
Madmike,
With all due respect, pay attention to Farrarfan. I won't detail my background as to firearms, but you have two REAL choices if you're going to use a .38 caliber revolver: the 158-grain lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint that Farrarfan mentioned, or the 135-grain Gold Dot JHP that was manufactured specifically for shorter barreled revolvers.
The WORST choice is Barney Fife's round nose lead bullet. IT overpenetrates because IT does not expand. If you believe terminal ballistics can be measured using sand, be my guest, use the RNL, it's your life.
As for hitting "unintended" targets, that's also known as not hitting what you are aiming at because you weren't aiming to begin with. More like "spraying and praying." Try focusing on the front sight and practicing good trigger control.
Invest in your life by buying one of the two above cartridges and practicing. Center mass, multiple shots. Two yards out to five yards. Lowlight. Not pitch black, lowlight. And if you value your life as much as you value quality motor oil, skip the round nose lead.
With all due respect, pay attention to Farrarfan. I won't detail my background as to firearms, but you have two REAL choices if you're going to use a .38 caliber revolver: the 158-grain lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint that Farrarfan mentioned, or the 135-grain Gold Dot JHP that was manufactured specifically for shorter barreled revolvers.
The WORST choice is Barney Fife's round nose lead bullet. IT overpenetrates because IT does not expand. If you believe terminal ballistics can be measured using sand, be my guest, use the RNL, it's your life.
As for hitting "unintended" targets, that's also known as not hitting what you are aiming at because you weren't aiming to begin with. More like "spraying and praying." Try focusing on the front sight and practicing good trigger control.
Invest in your life by buying one of the two above cartridges and practicing. Center mass, multiple shots. Two yards out to five yards. Lowlight. Not pitch black, lowlight. And if you value your life as much as you value quality motor oil, skip the round nose lead.
Shot placement is what counts. As farrarfan1 stated, the round nose lead bullet is a terrible choice. Thats been proven in awhole lot of shootings, great ricochet potential also especially against a hard surface. If I were carrying a .38 Special it would be stoked with Buffalo Bore Lead 158 grain semi wadcutter hollow points.
The S&W model 10 is my all time favorite .38 Special Revolver. 4 inch heavy barrel. If running Buffalo Bore ammo through it I would make sure it is one of the modern day S&W models rated for +P ammo, not one of the old pencil barrel models of years past.
If you want something newer I would get a S&W model 686 .357 magnum revolver. I'm very partial to them since I carried one on the job. Very accurate and very smooth trigger pull. Used Remington 125 grain semi jacketed hollow points or Federal 125 grain semi jacketed hollow points in it.
I have seen first hand what a solidly placed .357 magnum round will do to a perp. Even if the bad guy gets a well placed hit to a leg or arm more than likely he is going down in a hurry. It shatters bone and turns muscle into hamburger.
The S&W model 10 is my all time favorite .38 Special Revolver. 4 inch heavy barrel. If running Buffalo Bore ammo through it I would make sure it is one of the modern day S&W models rated for +P ammo, not one of the old pencil barrel models of years past.
If you want something newer I would get a S&W model 686 .357 magnum revolver. I'm very partial to them since I carried one on the job. Very accurate and very smooth trigger pull. Used Remington 125 grain semi jacketed hollow points or Federal 125 grain semi jacketed hollow points in it.
I have seen first hand what a solidly placed .357 magnum round will do to a perp. Even if the bad guy gets a well placed hit to a leg or arm more than likely he is going down in a hurry. It shatters bone and turns muscle into hamburger.
Thanks for the backup fellas. I started my career carrying the S&W Model 15 before it was replaced by a stainless Model 66 .357.I've always been very fond of the .38 Special and I do think it has a place as a home defense weapon due to lower recoil and muzzle flash.I carried a Model 60 as a backup loaded with the Federal 125 grain Nyclad.I don't even know if that ammo is still available but it had a pretty good reputation at the time.
I live about 5 miles from Kieslers. I bought the house I live in from the owner of the retail part of Kieslers.
Since this is for a Mod10, I would look at what Double Tap ammo has for .38. This is very hot stuff, but should no problem for the K frame.
Thanks for the education guys--will definitely go with hollow points. My Model 10 is quite old (purchased new in 1980 when I turned 21) but it's the heavy barrel version and it's in very good condition as it's only fired about 300 total rounds in its lifetime. Considering it's an older version, do you think it's still OK to use +P rounds in it? Thanks again, I'm learning!
Your Model 10 should handle +P's without any trouble at all, especially since you shoot it very rarely.Does it still have the factory wooden grips? A pair of the replacement rubber grips makes a big difference.
Yes, original wooden grips with "serrated" side surfaces for better grip. It's a well-made and beautifully simple weapon, I consider it kind of a "classic".
The Model 10 is truly a classic. The wooden grips can be a little slippery if your hands are sweaty. The rubber grips help with that and also with the heavier recoil of the +P's.
Pile on guys, jeez. Anyhow, I dont use packed sandbags, it was lead round nose that I picked up after shooting in loose sand. It impressed me the most, it was my opinion as I stated in the first post. Most of my opinions are based on hunting and animal wounds. Ive killed alot of animals with handguns, hundreds, the most with a .22 magnum, because thats what I carried in the truck. So iam not a armchair advisor and all my "OPINIONS" are based on real life.It is most important to become proficent with the gun but in a high stress sitiuation its easy to miss, so always worry about whats behind your target. I remember a incident in Pennsyvania, where a State Trooper pulled over a car, the guy jumped out with a .45 auto, the cop pulled his gun a .40 with 11 rounds, both emptied thier guns without hitting each other, the trooper ended up shooting the guy with his shotgun while he attempted to reload. This is a State trooper that is thier very best up there,(thier law enforcement system is all different,then the south) who qaulifies with thousands of rounds. So the best advice may be just trade the .38 spl in for a Mossberg pump shotgun.
It's hard to resist the urge to "pile on" when someone is giving bad advice that goes against well established fact. I'm curious about this statement: "This is a State trooper that is thier very best up there,(thier law enforcement system is all different,then the south) who qaulifies with thousands of rounds".I've been a State Trooper for almost 28 years. How do you see it as being different in the south? The case you brought up about the PA Trooper's shootout is actually pretty common. In most armed encounters the participants are moving, ducking,hiding,yelling.Very seldom does a bad guy stand perfectly still facing his opponent waiting to be shot in the circular scoring rings. The lighting may be bad. The release of adrenalin causes the loss of fine motor skills which affect marksmanship.That's why training and practise are so important.
I read somewhere that the New York City police department had more confirmed kills with the 158 gr lead semi-wadcutter hollow point than any other round, and it was their standard load for many years. That's probably the best you can do at standard 38 special pressure levels. Smith and Wesson for one has been toughening up their revolver line to withstand higher pressure levels. The venerable old model 60 has gone from 38 special, to 38 special +P, and now it's chambered and rated for 357 magnum loads! At those pressure levels, jacketed bullets are almost a necessity to prevent barrel leading. I've heard of people handloading 148 gr hollow base wad cutters backwards like a super hollow-point. It would probably be devastating at close range, but a perpetrator's attorneys would probably take you to the cleaners for using such a load. Best to stay with factory loaded ammo for self defense, and nothing too fancy either (like the infamous Winchester Black Talon).
At home it's my Mossberg 12 GA, as I trust its effectiveness. With CCL in my billfold, it's a Star 9MM with blue-tipped Glaser Safety Slugs, or the 5-shot Taurus in .41 Mag with factory hollow point 210 grain.
- Status
Similar threads
