Originally Posted By: bubbatime
As a police officer that carries a snub nose 38 special revolver as a back up gun, I've done huge amounts of research on this very topic.
The following loads offer consistent penetration and expansion from a short barrel revolver (all 38 special):
1- Speer Gold Dot 135+p
2- Corbon 110+p DPX (all copper bullet)
3- Remington 125+p Golden Saber
4- Remington 158+p LSWCHP (FBI load R38S12)
Hope that helps.
+1, you really want a good carry ammo for home defense, and not Walmart JSP's.
Gold Dots are what live in both of my Glocks, and my grandma's .38
Golden Saber's are what live in my Kel-Tec, because it's very perticular about what it will feed.