.38/.357
Carried the .38spl, the Treasury load, a +P+ 110gr JHP that was supposed to yield 1250 fps, for the first third of my career. During one detail I was on at academy, a Border Patrol instructor claimed his agency had no qualms with the load.
But my outfit had two distinct failure to stops in fairly close succession and the switch was made to .357/125gr , or .357/110 gr. At least for the parks that had K and L frames so chambered....there were more than a few sites that had Model 10's and 15's, and I don't know what they did. Five years later, everybody in the agency started with autos nationwide, so the magnum era only lasted 5 yrs or so. And I don't think we had a shooting in that time frame with magnum ammo.
The other issue with +P+ was that quality control and velocity was all over the map. One supplier would get it right, and velocities were consistent, and at the speeds specified. Another and there were lot to lot variations,and low velocity overall. Im my experience, Federal was our best source, and Winchester the biggest culprit. The two failure to stops, and the velocity and quality issues, spelled the end of +P+ for the NPS.
When I arrived at my last site, I promptly screwed on a set of Pachmyer grips that I had carried from site to site (in those years, the park owned the firearms, one did not receive an issue gun from the academy, as now) to their L-frame. This was a common practice, but my very old school district ranger objected. Problem was, for once, I had policy on my side,and he could not over rule, which was just the beginning of more than one conflict I had with the fella. At the time, .38 +P+ ammo was still issued.
When magnum ammo was authorized, folks started having some trouble. On the first qual with the new ammo, there were folks with blood blisters, (I kid you not). Folks had not been assuming a firm shooting grip with the .38s and mag ammo was beating them up. Also, about a 2/3 majority of folks complaining of flash blast and recoil. The District Ranger, he who caused me such grief over my square butt Pachs, promptly weht out and bought finger grooved Pachmyer Grippers for everybody, which helped some. With the Pach's, and the big L frame, .357/125 was manageable for me, but marginal shooters (and there were many in those days) had trouble with 125gr mag ammo. The 110 gr loads were a bit milder, and a quantity of those were kept on hand for those instances. The 110 gr loads made about the velocity the +P+ .38's were supposed to, somewhere around 1250 fps +/-.
Never had a shooting or a shooting on any site I worked. We did dispatch a lot of deer and other wildlife injured in MVA's, as well as feral animals. There was no comparison in the terminal ballistics of the .357/125 and the old .38/110 +P+ in that use.
All that's changed now. Flat guns instead of round guns, and 3 different auto pistol calibers are authorized. Screening, training and policy has weeded out many of the marginal LE types, and by and large, the Rangers are well equipped and good shooters who are tactically sound.