.38 Special +p Ammunition for Short Barrels

FWIW, NYPD uses Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel Hollow Point +P in both .38 Special and 9mm for their 4" and shorter service and off-duty guns. They developed it together.
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From what I hear they are pleased with the 38 version. I have not heard any feedback about the 9mm version.
 
Thanks everyone for the insightful inputs and opinions. Empirical evidence regarding ballistic performance, especially in terms of the issues having the most relevancy in terms of stopping a human assailant-bullet expansion and bullet penetration, can be difficult to ascertain, if not "prove". Often, the medium the projectiles are shot through (wet newspaper, wood, ballistic gel, etc.), can skew the validity and relevancy of the attendant measurements. I appreciate the opportunity of hearing all the available evidence objectively before reaching a decision.
Again, thanks to all of you who took the time to respond to my question.
 
Often, the medium the projectiles are shot through (wet newspaper, wood, ballistic gel, etc.), can skew the validity and relevancy of the attendant measurements.
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While not being a perfect replication of various tissues, bone, etc. making up a human body, ballistic gel has become the standard for comparison of bullet performance.
 
TBM900 said:
Better practice
Better placement
Better penetration

:)

And you can roll your own for peanuts with almost no equipment

148wadcutter.jpg
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Little off topic, but it's always nice to see someone whom appreciates the Lee Safety Powder Scale.;)
Also nice Wadcutters too TMB900.
 
dgludwig said:
I'm thinking about loading my Ruger LCR snub-nose revolver with Speer Gold Dot "Personal Protection", .38 Special +p ammunition-which claims to be made specifically for short barrels. No ballistic information is provided on the box except to say the cartridge is topped with 135 grain weight (JHP) bullets. Anybody have any information and/or experience with this ammunition?
Thanks.
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I know I'm late to the party but here's a different take on it that embraces newer bullet technology. My EDC is a Ruger LCR.357 that I carry Inceptor ARX ammo . It is an ammo that is designed for short barrels. It's a frangible polymer-copper round that utilizes hydraulic cavitation to achieve comparable wound cavities that are generated by heavier lead hollow points. It does this using a lighter grain bullet and generates a lower-recoil signature. You can observe a test and review HERE. I use the .38 Special 77 grain bullet but have been thinking of moving into the .357 Magnum 86 grain but am concerned with over penetration.

Needless to say, recoil from my LCR is pretty minimal and averaging around 1050fps is desirable.
 
ratshooter said:
That Buffalo Bore stuff looks like good ammo loaded even hotter than my version of the same load. I bet its a tough load to shoot in a light weight snubby. Heck even in an SP-101 I bet it has some notable recoil.

But at a $1.60 a round I think I will stick with my loads. I don't understand why that can't be sold for $25 a box of 50 and still make money? If they did this they might own the SD market for that type of load.
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I've fired the BB 180gr Hardcast our of my SP101 2.25in barrel and it handled them just fine... even the stout 158 grains. The power is significantly more than other ammo, but no pain in the palm. The problem with the higher powered cartridges in the SP101 is that one or two of the casings will stick and not come out easy. The max load I stick with is Fed 158gr hydrashok... very powerful round and never sticks.
 
Dfariswheel said:
Another option is the hot Buffalo Bore 158 grain +P, lead, semi-wadcutter, hollow point.

This is the load that ended the police problems with failures to stop with the old standard load. 38 Special with a round nose bullet.

The Buffalo load is what the original +P load was before manufactures began down loading it because of problems with people shooting +P in older small frame guns not built for it.

The Buffalo load has a soft lead bullet with a gas check to prevent leading.
These seem to work well in short barrels, and it's loaded with low flash powder.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=108
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I didn't know Buffalo Bore's +P load was what was standard before manufacturers cut down on the charge. That's a lot of power from a 2" barrel. Through a 4" barrel it is not far off from today's typical .357 mag loads.

Buffalo Bore also has two non +P loads, IIRC. One is a 158gr semi-wadcutter hollow point. The other is a 148gr straight wadcutter. Both are good for about 250 ft./lbs. of pressure at the barrel.
 
Nanuk said:
I saw several shootings where target wadcutters from snubbies did not penetrate well. Swaged lead Hollow Based target wadcutters are quite different from cast DEWC's and target velocities do not help when if you are lucky you will get 650 fps in a snubby with a factory target wadcutter. If I was using a WC for SD it would be a handloaded DEWC or this.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=111
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Those are Federal, Winchester, et al loads. Buffalo Bore's non +P wadcutter loads are substantially more powerful out of a 2" barrel. Check them out.
 
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