Cor-Bon 38 special ammo

J

jim.greenesr

New member
I was at gun shop today and bought just about the only box of ammo they had. It was a Cor Bon 38 special +p+ 158 lead hollow point 50 round box. The box did not even have a UPC code on it; have a feeling it was more than a few years old. Does anyone know when the manufactured this load? I paid 30 dollars which with todays prices is a real deal.
 
There's probably a lot number/date code printed inside one of the box flaps. If not, it's anyone's guess.

If you post a picture, someone might be able to key off the box appearance.
 
In those days, Cor-Bon was generally the best and hottest ammo going...it was all I would carry in my duty guns (a couple decades ago.)

Larry
 
The owner could have also cashed out their personal stash but most likely they got the ammo free when someone sold them a gun.
 
Hi jim greenser,

It sounds like Cor-Bon's version of the FBI load. W-W FBI load used to sell for about 20 bucks for a box of 50.

The FBI load was the definitive .38 Special law enforcement load. For self-defense, for many reasons I used it in preference to .357 Mag rounds. In fact, I never use .357 Mag ammo for dirt bag self-defense.

Within the past year, an armorer of a large So Cal law enforcement agency told me that Speer Lawman 135 grain .38 Special +P has replaced the once famed FBI load for law enforcement use, which is moot because I know of no law enforcement agency that allows its cops to carry revolvers.
 
Sanch said:
Hi jim greenser,

It sounds like Cor-Bon's version of the FBI load. W-W FBI load used to sell for about 20 bucks for a box of 50.

The FBI load was the definitive .38 Special law enforcement load. For self-defense, for many reasons I used it in preference to .357 Mag rounds. In fact, I never use .357 Mag ammo for dirt bag self-defense.

Within the past year, an armorer of a large So Cal law enforcement agency told me that Speer Lawman 135 grain .38 Special +P has replaced the once famed FBI load for law enforcement use, which is moot because I know of no law enforcement agency that allows its cops to carry revolvers.
Click to expand...


Lots of cops carry an LCR or a j-frame as a BUG. I know several CA cops who do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Radny97,

I'll clarify for you:

I know of no law enforcement agency that allows its cops to carry a revolver as primary duty weapon. Do you?
 
Without a picture...

Real Cor-Bon rounds go in and out of production for some reason and always has done this since I recall while buying DPX for my P3AT. Cor-Bon was sold in 2017, but NEVER has been consistent in putting out volume. Even Buffalo Bore was in shops at almost Federal level volumes its first couple of years than Cor-Bon which was around much longer. Even online, DPX wasn't always easy to find when the P3AT and DPX were the gold standard of pocket carry.

Their bullets seem to be around more than their actual rounds.

I have seen many different boxes for Cor-Bon, but all have been rather old/boring packaging. DPX has been the only Cor-Bon packaging that I've seen that didn't look dated by 20 years, even when it is new.

In my experience of lots of ammo buying, Cor-bon is the smallest production manufacture that has ever existed. Even Barnes got bought quick and went large. It gets bullets to the bigger manufactures for loading, but none have ever put out less quantity of their own loads.

I wouldn't be surprised if what you bought WASN'T old.
 
A few years ago, testing for my personal curiosity, I shot some Sierra 38 cal. hp's into water jugs, and they failed miserably. A few more years later, the Cor-Bon folks were at a retail outlet, demoing their ammo in gelatin blocks. I looked at the 38 bullets, and they appeared to be the same as what I'd tested, but theirs did very well. When questioned, yes, Sierra made that bullet for them...but to their specs! A rather small operation, but good folks, and good product.
 
I just shot up some old Cor-Bon 9mm +P that I had for a long while. That stuff was pretty hot. That used to be my SD load in my CZ-75. It was good ammo. It's still good ammo if it was stored properly.
 
Try it before you trust it.

Long ago I had the very same ammo from corbon which was recommended to me for my S&W 642.
I took said ammo out to the range and loaded my 642. by the time I had fired the third round the other two had the bullets back so far out of the cases that the gun was tied up.

I called Corbon to complain and they said it was normal!!! It never happened with any other +p ammo I carried or shot in the gun.. And no the Corbon was not that hot to me I had federal +p 110 gr that had much worse recoil.
 
This from Michael Shovel from Corbon from a 7 year old thread on the S&W Forum.......

We used Remington bullets back when we loaded the 38 with the 158 gr LHP. The reason we stopped production was that the swagged bullets were so soft, we ended up with many rejects due to damage of the bullet nose when loading.
Click to expand...

He goes on to state it was something produced 20 years ago or so.

I would have to assume, that if the bullets were swagged and that soft, that +p+ velocities would tend to lead to severe leading.
 
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