You folks who carry J-frames, Taurus 85's, ect....2" barrels....do you carry JHP's or FMJ's? I know the .38 spl. round is no canon, especially coming from such a short barrel. Several articles have suggested that due to the low velocity & average energy of the .38 projectile, little or no expansion can occur. Firearms Tactical Institute's tests a few years back found NO expansion from 110 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP's through 8 water filled milk jugs. The 147 gr. FMJ round (traveling at aproximately the same velocity) was superior in penetration.
Some people figure that +p's will solve the penetration issue. I have a 337 S&W AirLite Ti, and all +p's do is knock the hell out of my hand and make the gun rise straight up. If you check the "Calibers" website, +p .38 ammo ballistics are suprisingly no better than standard ammo. In my experience, all you get is more kick, more muzzle rise, more noise, and lots of flash.
Right now, my "current" carry load is 110 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP's. Before that it was 129 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP +P. Before that it was Cor-Bon, Triton, and any other promising looking +P.
Why not a reliable, standard, FMJ? Something in the middle of the road? I practice a lot with American Eagle (Federal) 130 gr. FMJ's--easy to handle, reliable, and according to "Calibers" the ballistics of this round is as good as anything down the list (I believe around 950 fps...260 fpe...from 4" barrel). How about carrying those? Overpenetration with a FMJ? I guess there is a lot of give and take here. I have 3 Glocks, a Steyr S9, and a variety of autos, but I carry my snubby ALL the time.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Some people figure that +p's will solve the penetration issue. I have a 337 S&W AirLite Ti, and all +p's do is knock the hell out of my hand and make the gun rise straight up. If you check the "Calibers" website, +p .38 ammo ballistics are suprisingly no better than standard ammo. In my experience, all you get is more kick, more muzzle rise, more noise, and lots of flash.
Right now, my "current" carry load is 110 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP's. Before that it was 129 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP +P. Before that it was Cor-Bon, Triton, and any other promising looking +P.
Why not a reliable, standard, FMJ? Something in the middle of the road? I practice a lot with American Eagle (Federal) 130 gr. FMJ's--easy to handle, reliable, and according to "Calibers" the ballistics of this round is as good as anything down the list (I believe around 950 fps...260 fpe...from 4" barrel). How about carrying those? Overpenetration with a FMJ? I guess there is a lot of give and take here. I have 3 Glocks, a Steyr S9, and a variety of autos, but I carry my snubby ALL the time.
Any advice would be appreciated.