Buffalobore .38 special Outdoorsman in LCR

H

HighValleyRanch

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My brother and I chipped in together to purchase a ProChrony Chronograph.
Today we finally got a chance to take some stuff to the range and actually get some real data from my LCR, LCRX, and Ruger security six.

He brought his Ruger Blackhawk 3 screw model, 6.5 inch barrel, so we were able to test various loads in various length barrels.

The most shocking of the day was when I shot the .38 special Buffalobore +P outdoorsman out of his 6.5 inch Blackhawk. We got an incredible 1239 feet per second on the first shot. This motivated me to record with film and we are posting a youtube video of the second shot coming in at a respectable 1218 fps.

Out of the 4" Ruger Security six the same load got 1174 fps.
Out of the 1.78" Ruger LCR a respectable 1027 fps!

158 grain Keith hard cast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUDGAvTsQ5o&feature=youtu.be

As a comparison I had some Armscor .357 and some Magtech .357, both 158 grain, and neither one was able to match the BB .38 special load out of my .357 LCR for top speed.

I had the large hogue tamer grips on the LCR and it shot fantastic and no problems with recoil or comfort. I shot over 35 rounds of .357 mag and it was very comfortable.
 
I am a little surprised at the lack of response to this thread.

This test kinda debunks some myths from other threads.

1. That a shooting .357 magnum in a gun as light as an LCR is too painful, and that you are going to shoot only .38 special through it anyways. FWIW, the LCR with the hogue tamer grip was more comfortable than my twice as heavy Ruger Security Six with the exposed metal backstab with original grips.

2. That it would not be possible to get to the 1000 fps with a 158 grain out of a shorter than 2" barrel.

3. That BB's load of a .38 special +P would have to be way over pressured to achieve these results.

I admit that before doing these test, I was not sure of any of this. But now you have one person's alternative facts!LOL;)
 
Buffalo Bore from an LCR hits about ten sweet spots at once. The 38 special +p outdoorsman is my go to load for anything outside my home unless I'm in grizzly country and the HPSWC low flash short barrel 38 special is my CCW and home/office defense choice.
Tim Sundles (owner) knows what he is doing and is an expert in the field. The rounds are NOT over pressured (as alleged improperly above) and everything meets SAAMI guidelines (if there are guidelines for the round at issue and 38 +p does have guidelines). As a manufacturer BB has access to non-canister powders that have different characteristics than powders available to the consumer.
There's something special in the water in Salmon Idaho, so that probably contributes to their great ammo as well. :)
 
This load caught my eye when it came out but I haven't gotten around to buying any yet. That's some serious ballistics for a standard pressure 38. It looks like I might speed up my purchase.
 
I am impressed by the load, but I guess I'm not seeing the niche for it.

Is it a way of saying "okay, so here's a .38 load for black bear country, if a .38 is all you have?

Is it a load for punching 1930s steel car bodies?

Perhaps a "camp meat" doe deer load for a light sidearm?

Surely not urban self defense? I know not all are sold on hollowpoints, but... well isn't some expansion desirable when we get above .32 & .380?

Help me see the purpose of this load in a world full of .357 choices. I see that it actually BEAT some .357 loads in the LCR (and it's GREAT performance from such a short barrel! ), but a .38/158 Keith at 1027 fps would seem light for some jobs, and too much for others.
 
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Yes, it was specifically designed for four legged critter protection, i.e. small bears, big cats, etc. with the Keith hard cast in mind for penetration. That is the niche.
Or any other reason for penetration over expansion, although the hard cast is designed to cut a bigger hole than FMJ.

And BB uses this same idea for their 9mm penetrator and .40 outdoorsman as well with a 200 grain. Interesting that all three have pretty much the same ME capabilities of around 400 foot pounds ME.

Although not the best, all things are a compromise in handgun carry.
So if a .38 is all you have then it expands the upper range of that weapon as much as possible.
 
Gotcha. I have to admit, I wouldn't be afraid to pop a southern deer with it, given a close enough shot. It'd be a natural for Javelina. I'd hate to rely on it on some of the big black bears I've heard about in New England, but it seems like it would knok the edge off the appetite of the typical sub-250 pounder.

Impressive power from such a handy package.
 
Re: "3. That BB's load of a .38 special +P would have to be way over pressured to achieve these results."

There is no such thing as a free lunch... The only way to get a bullet going that fast is with pressure much greater than 38 +P. No pressure signs would occur until you are well above .357 Magnum pressures so that means nothing. The fact that the velocity is 1027 out of a 2" barrel is proof the load is greater than SAAMI pressures. The only thing that Buffalo Bore's ammo proves is that there is a LARGE safety margin built into modern handguns.
 
The only way to get a bullet going that fast is with pressure much greater than 38 +P.
Click to expand...
You have pressure measuring equipment to prove this?
Reloaders don't have all the various powders available to manufacturers, nor the pressure measurement equipment.

Jim
 
I don't have a pressure tester, but I'm guessing BB isn't going to tell you the pressure it's operating at either.

You can't get that high of velocity without exceeding +P pressures by quite a bit. It's simple physics. If there was some magical powder that allowed you to increase velocity 50% using the same pressure all manufacturers would use it. As it turns out only the manufacturers who don't follow SAAMI specs are the ones who can get those velocities.
 
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