38 special Buff Bore For selfdefense?

R

robert1811

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Who here (if anyone) carries Buffalo bores 158 grain heavy load. The one im looking at is

Heavy .38 Special +P Ammo - 158 gr. L.S.W.C.H.P. --G.C. (1,000fps/M.E. 351 ft.lbs.


I was wondering if the 38 could move fast enough to merit going with a HP. Or should you just stick with a simple wad cutter and add some +P to it? Is anyone afarid of a 38 really overpenetrating?

I also wanted to know if anyone has any experince with the recoil of shooting this bad boy out of a 642 or some comparable Airweight snub.


Please let me know what you think. What your experience is and what you like to load.
 
I have both my HD revolvers stoked with that BB load. Very stout stuff and
I have no doubt about how effective it would be. It's not something I'd carry in my pocket snub, though. That's just me.

YMMV
 
I have that exact ammo in my home defense weapon, a Model 10 with 4" heavy barrel.

I wouldn't carry it in my 642, though.

Buffalo Bore makes a different round that is better suited to a 642. It is standard pressure, low flash, and optimized for short barrels.

Here is a link to the ammo:
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=110

Here's a similar load, but with a hard cast wadcutter bullet. I like the look of this stuff and will probably get some.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=111
 
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There is NO way I am shooting anything stouter than the "normal" +p ammo in my 642 - that is harsh enough and personally, I doubt anything stouter is necessary
 
+1 on post #3....

I agree with post #3.
The Buffalo Bore 158gr SWC-HP lead +P is great for defense but Id agree that the low flash, copper .38spl +P HP for snubs/J frames.
Id also suggest the Corbon DPX, the MagSafe SWAT, the Speer Gold Dot 135gr JHP +P, Winchester PDX1 load.

Clyde
 
If it suits some ones needs, sure why not. I carried/shot Underwoods 125gr +P gold dots for quite some time and they are as stout, if not more so, than the BB 158gr. Btw, I was using them in my S&W 637 which is currently at S&W being destroyed due to a broken stud.

When I get my replacement (which in fact is a), I won't be shooting nearly as many super stout loads out of it. I'd like this one to last.

Check this video out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvVNtKicux4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

It might answer some of your questions.
 
I have found that the Remington LHP 158gr. +p expands reliably from my J frames when fired into water jugs. the Remington lead is apparently softer than the Winchester or federal brands which explains why it expands from a short bbl. I do not have a chronograph to see velocities but they feel plenty stout.

considering the cost im not sure the BB load gives you anything more than the Remington load.
 
I shot that BB load out of my 6" gun and got 1157fps 469ft/lbs.
Click to expand...

That matches the energy levels of Winchester's 145gr Silvertip - in 357Magnum.

It also blows the doors off most 9mm+P loads, and approaches the raw power of some of the lower-end 40S&W rounds.

Tim Sundles is a wildman but his loads are NOT reported as blowing up guns. Dude knows what he's doing. Reminds me, I have to get some of his stuff in 9mm+P or +P+ soon.
 
Robert,

I do use that Buffalo Bore load.

I personally chronoed the 158gr LSWHP out of my Ruger Speed Six at 1100 fps.

Yes that's Eleven hundred feet per second from a 2 3/4 inch barrel.

I higly recommend Buffalo Bore ammo.

I currently use their 'low flash short barrel' 125 gr DPX .357 magnum load in my S&W 2 1/2 inch 640-1 .357 Magnum. Chronos out at 1220 from that little barrel and I can shoot it one handed with good control rapid fire.

Deaf
 
Have some of the heavy .357 loaded in my Model 28 right now nice stout load makes a hell of a racket out of my Model 19 snubby lol
 
Although I prefer to carry a 45 ACP revolver, when I carry a 38/357 the BB Heavy +P load is what I carry. It duplicates the old 38/44 load from the 1930s, the grandfather of the 357 Magnum.

Dave
 
BB is the hottest 38+P your can buy from any ammo maker. A person would have to reload to do better.
I use the 158 gr in my Ruger Police Service Six 4 inch, Ruger SP101 4 inch and my S&W model 10-7 4 inch. I don't see a need to use any 357 magnum for defense when a person can buy BB.

Howard
 
I've tried it, and promptly switched to the other gold standard defense load out of my 642 snub: Speer Gold Dot 135gr +p short barrel loads. Much easier for me to get subsequent shots on target.
 
I still like a 125 JHP in the 38 for SD. Mine are loaded to 1,100 FPS (clocked from a 2" barrel S&W) and have worked well in my J frame guns.
 
I think the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P loads for short barrels is the gold standard for snubbies that can handle +P loads. My second choice is the Remington 158 gr. +P LSWCHP. As another poster noted, it has softer lead than some of the other similar loadings. I would think the Buffalo Bore lead loads would perform well.

However, I personally would not use any of BB's jacketed hollow point or semi-jacketed hollow points without confirmation about the type of bullet they are using. In the past they have switched from Speer Gold Dots (great) to Speer uni-core bonded (not GDs but okay) to Montana Gold bonded hollow points (not so good). I know they are at the mercy of the market in what bullets they can use, but the bullet makes a big difference in terminal ballistics.
 
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