Best .38 Special +P ammo?

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skydiver3346

New member
What is generally considered to be the most effective round for a .38+P? Solid lead, lead hollow point, jacketed hollow point. etc? Also, which mfg brand of ammo would you suggest as well. Thanks
 
Any good premium hollow point that shoots well out of your gun. I'm not so sure there is "one best". I would suggest a minimum of 125gn.
Speer Gold dot
Federal Hydra-shock
PMC Starfire
Remington Golden Saber
Remington 158gn LSWC (fbi Load)
Corbon
Winchester silver tip
Hornady XTP
All these are probably among the best but lesser brands also perform well such as any name brand hollow point by the companies listed above.
All of the above should deliver the performance and reliability you are looking for.
 
Depends on the gun somewhat.

2" barrel ultralight snubbie: Speer 135gr +P.

2" barrel and a gun not rated for +P (esp. older lightweight) or those who are recoil-shy: Hornady's new 110gr "Critical Defense" in standard pressure, or Buffalo Bore's 125gr Gold Dot-based standard pressure. If the gun is above 15oz and the shooter isn't all that recoil shy, Buffalo Bore's 158gr standard pressure lead hollowpoint is wonderful...lighter guns, it might jump crimp.

Hottest 38+P: Buffalo Bore's 158gr lead hollowpoint +P. Absolutely king of the hill.

Best that doesn't cost like a BuffBore: Remington 158gr lead hollowpoint +P. IF the barrel is over 4", Winchester's version of the same concept will perform the same except the lead is harder, needs more barrel to boost it into expansion territory. Probably somewhere past 6" the Winnie will win out.

Also very good: any of Cor-Bon's stuff, DPX included, the Winchester 130gr Supreme +P, some others. Not that many though, esp. when you're talking 2" barrel.
 
My personal favorite is the "FBI Load" - a +P 158gr lead semiwadcutter hollowpoint. I like Buffalo Bore the best, but Remington has a good record with theirs.
 
Any good premium hollow point that shoots well out of your gun. I'm not so sure there is "one best".
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Not all "good premium" HP's expand reliably from standard .38 Spec. bbl. lengths.

Few are reliable from snubbies.

+P135 GD HP. This ammo was developed specifically for short barreled revolvers and doesn't need to say SHORT BARREL on the box. My current ammo doesn't. Maybe they've changed

CorBon DPX +P
158 gr. LSWCHP +P
Nyclad 125 std. pressure (if you can find it. Heard it's being manufactured again).
 
I disagree that all premium hp's shoot well out of snubbies. For longer barreled guns you have more choices but for snubbies there are only two loads that I would consider; Speers 135gr short barrel load and Corbons 110gr. DPX load.

One "okay" load for snubbies is Winchesters 130gr. SXT +P.

158gr lead hp's have proven to be poor expanders out of snubbies.
 
The FBI load has been recognized as one of the best for many years and it's probably what I would choose were I to carry a .38 +P.
 
Buffalo and CorBon can keep their ridiculously expensive "magic bullets".
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I have no experience with the Buffalos but the 110gn corbons would not shoot worth a darn out of my snubbby. Your mileage may vary, that's why I stated "Any good premium hollow point that shoots well out of your gun".
I use many different types that shoot well for me, and personally, if I don't get "full expansion" provided the bullet gets where it's supposed to go and doesn't over penetrate then it did it's job. Anymore I don't bother with "boutique bullets" but purchase a good name brand hollow point that works reliably and accurately in my guns. Lately I've been using UMC 38spl+p JHP's. They use the same type of lead as the FBI load but have a jacket around them. I think if I do my job, they'll do theirs. ;)
 
thanks, great advice on my .38 ammo question

appreciate everyone's feedback. sounds like the 158 grain lead semi wadcutter should work well for me in my snubbie .38.
 
I dont really care if a bullit is +P or not. In a 38 special all I want is a jacketed hollow point from a quality ammo co. (federal, speer, winchester, IMI)
 
I dont really care if a bullit is +P or not. In a 38 special all I want is a jacketed hollow point from a quality ammo co. (federal, speer, winchester, IMI)
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If you dont care whether or not it expands or whether it penetrates enough then that is fine I guess ;)
 
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