.38 Special In The Utah Mountains...Trail Gun??

Tahunua mentioned Buffalo Bore ammo earlier.

This stuff looks pretty potent as .38 special goes (about 1150 fps out of a 4" barrel...and Buffalo Bore seems honest about velocities) and the hard cast 158-grain bullets ought to penetrate well.

Spending $25-30 on a box of those to keep on hand might be a reasonable alternative to buying an entirely different gun.
 
I agree with to the above the Buffalo Bore ammo really makes the .38 Special stand up. At $25-$30 A box it sure beats spending money thats not there for a new gun, there is even a ".38 SPL OUTDOORSMAN " load now . Folks in general however really need to stop poo pooing the .38 Special as it is a great cartridge on it's own merits. It is much more versatile than most will give it credit for. Now granted it's not a magnum, but it can more than hold it's own when the proper bullet is picked for the task at hand.

If one is a hand loader the options are much more diverse. Do a little research and dig back into the older manuals and you will find data for some 200gr bullets. Just like the one that Paul B refered to up thread, and you can find them fro sale from certain casters. This thread is a real good read to show just how versatile the .38 Special can be, from target loads all the way up to some 200gr crushers.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/ammo/144598-some-38-special-chronograph-tests.html
 
Some 38 Special loads will penetrate pretty deep.
For many years I used to carry a S&W model 60 with 2" barrel and my neighbor would carry a S&W model 36 with 3" barrel when out hunting. We kept them loaded with 158gr cast SWC and enough Unique to get it to about 800 FPS out of our revolvers... today they would be considered +P load. That load was used frequently to apply coup-de-grace on many large hogs on the head and I don't remember a time when it didn't completely penetrate the head and exit out. That's a lot of bone to break through.
 
He says; "for now money is tight", so carry what you've got with the best load available. The old Model 10 is a moderate but reliable choice but he has it so......
Chances are slim it'll be used, anything is better than nothing, and when money isn't so tight step up to more appropriate gun.

Seems simple to me. Run what ya got till you can get something mo better. And get out into the great outdoors and enjoy yourself!

J
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top