Mike Irwin
Staff
I've carried the 135-gr. Speer Gold Dot +P for years now.
All of the testing I've seen has indicated that it's a good performer.
All of the testing I've seen has indicated that it's a good performer.
Originally posted by wild cat mccane
New HST is the most expansive by .1" from others. But next are new PDX1 and Golden Saber, neither of which are large cavity.
Originally posted by wild cat mccane
No.
Hollow points do better. Let's not perpetuate myths
HST isn't +P. PDX1 isn't +P. HST expands .1" larger than any other. Crazy.
Originally posted by wild cat mccane
HST isn't +P. PDX1 isn't +P. HST expands .1" larger than any other. Crazy.
Originally posted by wild cat mccane
FPS isn't everything...or anything at this point.
The 147 gr 9mm Silvertip has an advertised muzzle velocity of 1010 fps, slightly higher than the .38 Special and with a substantially heavier bullet. Pressure may not translate directly to velocity, but a cartridge with over double the max peak pressure is going to be able to produce substantially higher velocities given similar bullet weight and barrel length.
Originally posted by HighValleyRanch
Buffalo Bore 158 grain .38 +P Outdoorsman.........1024, 1027 fps=370 chronographed from my 1 7/8 LCR,(1157 fps from 4" model 15 .38 special BB's data)
9MM +P OUTDOORSMAN 147 gr. Hard Cast FN 1,100 fps from 4" HK
1024 fps from 3" LC9 (data out of actual guns used by BB)
.38 special +P compared to 9mm using the same manufacturer (one know to produce some of the hottest loads) with comparable barrel lengths, both +P
In this case, the .38 special +P beats the 9mm and with a heavier bullet.
Originally posted by Radny97
But let’s get real here. Has anyone EVER seen a 38 revolver shot loose or blown up by +P loads? I haven’t. And I’ve owned and shot hundreds of 38 revolvers and none of them got loose with 38+P ammo. My opinion is go ahead and shoot +P in whatever 38 you have. It’s safe.
Those who disagree, please provide empirical evidence of +P ammo hurting a 38 revolver.
While I agree that it's unlikely that shooting +P in a .38 Special revolver that isn't rated for it will cause a catastrophic failure, the OP did not say why he was more interested in standard pressure ammo and I'm not inclined to second-guess his preferences.
A revolver in good condition and of reputable make like S&W or Colt probably won't be hurt by firing limited amounts of +P ammo even if not rated for it, I've done this myself with no ill effect. That being said, we do not know what kind of revolver the OP has or what condition it is in. While I'm comfortable shooting a cylinder or two of +P ammo through my older Colt or S&W revolver, I would not feel comfortable doing so in an RG or one of the various Spanish S&W-clones that were fairly common in the early 20th century. Also, even in a gun of reputable make and in good condition, continuous use of +P ammo will accelerate wear as opposed to standard pressure ammo.
Also, you assume that the OP would prefer standard pressure ammo because he's worried that +P will hurt the gun, but there are other reasons that someone might prefer to stay away from +P ammo. For example, I once loaned a S&W M10-5 to someone who needed a gun for home defense. According to S&W, an all-steel K-Frame like my 10-5 is rated for +P ammo and I would shoot and carry it in this revolver without hesitation. However, the person to whom I was loaning the gun was not a particularly experienced shooter and was fairly recoil sensitive. Because of this, I gave them standard pressure ammunition due to it's milder recoil and report. Perhaps the OP is recoil sensitive and/or has a lightweight revolver and doesn't want to deal with the flash, bang, and kick of .38 +P ammo.
In post #9 he states that it is a Charter Arms and he doesn't want to rattle it to death.Sorry, it's going in a Charter Arms, I don't use +P in a Charter as it tends to rattle them to pieces.