Stephen A. Camp
Staff In Memoriam
Hello. I recently tested some of this standard pressure ammunition using three thirty-eight's so that velocities, accuracy, and expansion characteristics could be seen from a 1 7/8" J-frame as well as from 3" and 4" K-frame revolvers.
The bullet used is from Barnes and is called an "X bullet". I've seen good results with it from some rifles and Thompson-Center pistols in the past.
This was my first exposure to the pistol caliber X bullet. It is homogeneous and has no jacket to separate or fragment away from the lead core. As it is less dense than lead, an X bullet of the same weight as one of lead will be longer.
Here is the profile of the Corbon DPX. It is loaded in Remington cases and the bullets are firmly crimped. In none of the guns used did any bullets unseat in the least. "DPX" stands for "Deep Penetrating X (Bullet)".
Shooting was done no farther than 15 yards today and average velocities listed are based on 10 shots fired approximately 10' from the chronograph screeens. Not so scientific as tests performed by others, I simply fired the .38 DPX rounds into water and recovered the bullets.
The revolvers used were a 1 7/8" S&W Model 638, a 3" Model 64, and a 4" Model 10.
Corbon advertises this load at 1200 ft/sec. I didn't quite get that in my guns, but the 3 and 4" barrels provided average speeds in that general area.
S&W M638:
Average Velocity: 1017 ft/sec
Extreme Spread: 40
Std. Deviation: 16
S&W M64:
Average Velocity: 1118 ft/sec
Extreme Spread: 84
Std. Deviation: 27
S&W M10:
Average Velocity: 1122 ft/sec
Extreme Spread: 72
Std. Deviation: 25
Here are some recovered bullets fired through the barrel lengths written next to them. The "worst" case is the bullet at the bottom right that was fired from the J-frame. The rest were surprisingly similar from all barrel lengths. Recovered bullets appeared not to have lost but one or two grains after expansion, but I cannot say exactly as I did not weigh them before shooting. Essentially, no bullet weight was lost. The "worst" case bullet measured 0.48 x 0.44". The rest hovered right around 0.67" diameters.
At 15 yards, six shots were fired in slow-fire and single-action. The ammunition grouped better than most of us could in a fight; better than I could, anyway. Groups fired from the Model 10 were equivalent.
From the smaller gun, I fired a slow-fire double-action group of 10 shots.
There were 2 key holing hits, one each at 7 and 9 O' clock. These shots were fired at 10 yards.
I do not know if the key holing was due to the longer bullet in the ammunition or peculiar to my particular revolver. I fired 5 shots from a Model 642 I had with me and no such problems occured.
Recoil felt considerably less than that of my usual snub "carry load," Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P.
Corbon advises that this DPX load will penetrate into 12" or more and others testing it in 10% gelatin report that it both penetrates and expands whether striking bare or clothed gelatin.
If interested, there is a more detailed report here:
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 38 Special Ammo.htm
Best.
The bullet used is from Barnes and is called an "X bullet". I've seen good results with it from some rifles and Thompson-Center pistols in the past.
This was my first exposure to the pistol caliber X bullet. It is homogeneous and has no jacket to separate or fragment away from the lead core. As it is less dense than lead, an X bullet of the same weight as one of lead will be longer.
Here is the profile of the Corbon DPX. It is loaded in Remington cases and the bullets are firmly crimped. In none of the guns used did any bullets unseat in the least. "DPX" stands for "Deep Penetrating X (Bullet)".
Shooting was done no farther than 15 yards today and average velocities listed are based on 10 shots fired approximately 10' from the chronograph screeens. Not so scientific as tests performed by others, I simply fired the .38 DPX rounds into water and recovered the bullets.
The revolvers used were a 1 7/8" S&W Model 638, a 3" Model 64, and a 4" Model 10.
Corbon advertises this load at 1200 ft/sec. I didn't quite get that in my guns, but the 3 and 4" barrels provided average speeds in that general area.
S&W M638:
Average Velocity: 1017 ft/sec
Extreme Spread: 40
Std. Deviation: 16
S&W M64:
Average Velocity: 1118 ft/sec
Extreme Spread: 84
Std. Deviation: 27
S&W M10:
Average Velocity: 1122 ft/sec
Extreme Spread: 72
Std. Deviation: 25
Here are some recovered bullets fired through the barrel lengths written next to them. The "worst" case is the bullet at the bottom right that was fired from the J-frame. The rest were surprisingly similar from all barrel lengths. Recovered bullets appeared not to have lost but one or two grains after expansion, but I cannot say exactly as I did not weigh them before shooting. Essentially, no bullet weight was lost. The "worst" case bullet measured 0.48 x 0.44". The rest hovered right around 0.67" diameters.
At 15 yards, six shots were fired in slow-fire and single-action. The ammunition grouped better than most of us could in a fight; better than I could, anyway. Groups fired from the Model 10 were equivalent.
From the smaller gun, I fired a slow-fire double-action group of 10 shots.
There were 2 key holing hits, one each at 7 and 9 O' clock. These shots were fired at 10 yards.
I do not know if the key holing was due to the longer bullet in the ammunition or peculiar to my particular revolver. I fired 5 shots from a Model 642 I had with me and no such problems occured.
Recoil felt considerably less than that of my usual snub "carry load," Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P.
Corbon advises that this DPX load will penetrate into 12" or more and others testing it in 10% gelatin report that it both penetrates and expands whether striking bare or clothed gelatin.
If interested, there is a more detailed report here:
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 38 Special Ammo.htm
Best.