Any defensive loads in standard .38 Spl?

D

Dain Bramage

New member
Took the wife shooting last night for the first time. Bless her heart, she liked it well enough to recommend getting a family membership at the local range. She says I don't get to do enough things with my friends. My buddy, whose wife didn't want to come, had his jaw hit the ground when he heard this.

Anyway, she had a lot of fun shooting 130g PMC .38 Spl target load, but positively hated my 125g Hydrashocks in .357 Magnum. She switched back after 2 rounds, and happily went through the PMC box.

We keep our 4" Trooper III as the home defence gun. I shot off the Hydrashocks, and now have the PMC FMJ in the gun, which may be slightly better than jumping up and yelling at an intruder. Does anyone make a decent JHP in standard .38 Spl while we continue shooting and build her confidence up to a nice +p defensive round?
 
I believe that Federal makes either a 125 or 110 gr. std. 38 Spl. in their HydroShok line. I know it is NOT labled +P, as I bought a 20-rnd. box for exactly the same reason. I'll double check the box and let you know.

Doug444
 
After trying several defense rounds, my wife settled on Federal Ny-clads. Low recoil and very accurate in a 2'' barrel. The only drawback is they can be hard to find.
 
The range had 129g Federal Hydra-Shoks in +P. I thought we'd work up to those in future sessions. Might try the Ny-Clads if I can find them.
 
I have 110-grain .38spcl (not +P) Hydra-Shoks in my defense pistol. I got them a couple of years back, so I am not sure if they are still available.
 
I carry the Federal Nyclad 158gr.+p swhp in my 2" .38 for defense.
Nyclad also has a 124gr.hp. I have never tried the 124.
Does anyone know anything about the 124gr. hp, and which one is better in the .38 2" ?
 
Federal definately makes the HydroShok Personal Defense ammo in .38 spl in the regular variety as well as +P. Around here it is easier to find than the +P variety. It has very mild recoil, lower than many standard .38 loads (I read somewhere that they designed it that way to make for quicker follow up shots), yet it is an effective defense load. I've seen it at some of the local sporting goods chain stores and I think I've seen it at Wal Mart so it should be easy to find (I'd be surprised if you couldn't find a gunshop that carried it).
 
Federal "Personal Defense" Hydra-Shok 110 grain JHP (PD38HS3) is not rated +P. Federal claims 1,000 fps muzzle velocity and 245 ft-lbs of energy. I pick them up at $10 a box. Probably not the best price around, but they perform admirably and she shoots them well out of her Model 66 4". She really likes the ammunition and that is plenty reason enough to get it for her.

The light projectile makes for minimal recoil in a 4" revolver. I know because we used my Trooper III as a test bed with a few boxes before having her test them in her Model 66.

I use Federal Hi-Shok .357 125 grain JHP's when I carry outside the home but stoke the Trooper with .38's when it is sitting around the house as a backup to my normal home defense pistol.

Personally, when "downloading" to .38 Specials, I tend to prefer a heavier bullet weight (158 grain) for better penetration.

A lighter projectile weight will reduce recoil dramatically for her, especially in .38 Special, while still offering the penetration and expansion desired.
 
The Federal Personal Defense 110 Hydrashocks were chrono-tested by the guys at www.firearmstactical.com from a 2" S&W J-Frame of some sort. Velocy 6' from the muzzle was dissapointing, as in down below 850fps.

I wouldn't trust a JHP with that little energy to expand, Hydrashock or not.

The Federal 125grain Nyclad standard pressure has a much better rep. Nyclad hollowpoints of any size will expand easier at low velocities than something with a copper jacket.

I would also suggest having her try one of the lead hollowpoint 158s in +P. I find recoil in my fairly light snubbie quite tolerable, and in a Trooper 4" they'd be quite controllable and *very* effective. Winchester 158+P lead hollowpoints are very easy to find, with the Federal 158+P Nyclad hollowpoints less so and the Remington all-lead equivelent scarce as hen's teeth - but Remington seems to be the hottest.
 
Speer Gold Gold 129 gr. 38 Spec +P in a 4" GP-100. Or a bullet that I use in all my pistol for defence the Federal 38 Special 129Gr Hydra-Shok.

Another one that is popular is the 38 Special (High Velocity +P), 158 gr. Nyclad SWC-HP



Tony
 
The standard .38 Special 158gr LRN load is a defensive load. The cast 158gr SWC is a better defensive load.

Both loads will get the job done with proper bullet placement.
 
I carry either 110g pers protect Hydrashoks or Wins silver tips in 38 special for my 2 inch snubbie. These are both pretty mean standard 38 special loads.
 
I like the Federal ammo line, however I do find it to be loud and offer alot of flash. Winchested makes/made silvertip in several loadings for .38 special. I have seen it in 95 Grain, 110 Grain. The 148 Grain wadcutter is a good defensive round with modest recoil.
 
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