Hottest .38 defence load available

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kojak

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As a S&W M15-3 owner I try to find the best possible defense load for hunting purposes in central europe (especially wild boar). I know .38 special is not that potent, nonetheless I like the caliber.

My current choice is the Fiocchi 158 gr load that is advertised with 325m/s from a test barrel. Has anyboday measured that load? Same for the RWS Geco 158gr load.. I guess they'll make 260m/s or 850 fps from my 4" barrel.

Magtech and Remington loads are way slower in advertised speeds but are measured from 4" vented barrels so that these loads equal the Fiocchi one.

No Corbon suggestions please..

Which is the right bullet? Finishing shot for deer, defense against humans and against wild boar should be possible. Training, too. Hollow points are ideal against humans, but are expensive and not suitable for training, then again I fear wild boar could only be killed by headshots so that round nose lead or jacketed flat nose bullets or even full metal jacket bullets could be better..

Is jacketed flat nose the way to go?
 
Trade that pistol and get one more suited to hunting Ive seen boar take high powered rifle shots and not always go down . 38 spl not known to be best people stopper in world and you want to take on a wild animal. Good luck .
 
.38 special reputation is so bad because of all that slow non +p stuff and a lot of snubbies out there. In real life .38 +p from 4" barrels has 375J of energy while 9x19 has 440J or 17% more. The 9x19 round has 115gr while .38 special has 158gr. When you have the same energy a bullet with more mass and lower velocity is more effective as it is longer and has a higher mass per square inch. Just look at .45 acp: often same energy than 9x19, but lower speed and more mass. It seems .45 acp is superior to 9x19. .38 special gives you more bullet type choices, too. So in fact .38 special +p is equal to 9x19 loads except +p+ In fact from my 6" revolver .38 +p tops most 9x19 loads.. .38 special fired from lever action rifles tops 9x19 by a very significant amount btw.

Remember I'm not planning to hunt or to make finishing shots with my revolver. It's just for those moments when you need a gun and don't have 2 hands to operate a rifle. Still better than a knife. And those moments don't come as often as you think, i encountered enough wild boar without any handgun at all and every time they decided to retreat (althoug h I have to admit I never loaded my .30-06 that fast..)

If I had the choice I'd take a .44 magnum, unfortunately I'm too small to carry N-frames. Don't like L-frames at all, nearly as big and .357 is a little too weak for my taste at least for a gun of that size. Perhaps a K-frame .357 would have been optimal (650J vs. 375J), but they don't last with .357 loads. I like to train with the same ammunition i use while hunting..

I would never buy a semi-auto. If I need a gun chances are I won't have a free second hand. Murphy's laws dictate that your semi-auto will be underloaded or the safety on. Chances are that it won't cycle or the slide interferres with your shooting hand, too. Lying on the ground and trying to fight off that wild boar isn't the optimal position for firing a gun and 500x reliable cycling at the range doesn't mean your *recoil-operated* semi-auto will do that when you hold it in a funny position.

So perhaps I've made clear why I like .38
Wild boar defense is perhaps 1/3 of the usage of that gun..

I guess I'll load jacketed flat nose bullets for the first two rounds and the rest full jacket. First two for human attackers, 4 ones for wild boar head shots. One WC in the pocket for deer finishing shots, too.

I just want to make sure I don't use some weak loaded ammo like IMI for instance.
 
I can't speak from personal experience but I've heard from several sources that the 38 +P 158gr lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint made by at least a couple manufacturers is best for self-defense (and I would guess for hunting, too). I carry Winchesters in my snubbie. Remington supposedly makes the same round but the lead is softer so you get better expansion but more leading in the barrel. Federal may still make the round.

Like stated above, Buffalo Bore makes a stout 38 load.

If it was me, if I was going after boar (or any other dangerous game), at a bare minimum I'd use a hot 357 magnum load. Just about any 38 special is margional against human targets and, I think, woefully inadequate against any dangerous game.

Good luck.

Lou
 
I'm not sure I'd shoot the Buffalo Bore in my own Model 15, but any 158 LSWCHP +P ought to be the best choice in a 4 inch K-frame. I like the Winchester version personally.
 
Ok, I made up my mind.

For my target revolver it's 148gr WC.. nothing else ever.

My M15 gets Fiocchi 158gr semi jacketed flat point. (no barrel leading)
Winchester 158gr LSWCHP is the way to go when hunting.

The advantage would be to have a round for training that doesn't lead the barrel, that is comparable to the duty load and that could even be used "on duty". It's cheap and precise, too.
The LSWCHP is ideal at +P velocities. Jackets are more or less nonsense for expansion in the 158gr bullet. They just do not open at those speeds. In 125gr they could be quite reasonable..
The scenarios I think about are human attackers (probability 70%), charging wild boar (20%) and defending against wild boar lying on the ground (10%).
I think the LSWCHP is the best compromise between situations 1, 2 and 3. Although I doubt a headshot would enter the skull.. my brother tried to shoot a pig with 9x18 makarov with a placed shot.. only the second shot entered the skull.

Next gun I'll buy is a M19, that's for sure. Although I don't like the possibility of a beaten up gun because of too much .357 firing from previous owners. Or the need to train with totally different rounds. Or the muzzle flash. Then again it's a K-frame and a K-frame can never be the wrong choice ;-)
 
kojak Quote – “The scenarios I think about are human attackers (probability 70%), charging wild boar (20%) and defending against wild boar lying on the ground (10%).”

Is the (10%) lying on the ground, after you shot the charging wild boar with your 38 and made him mad?

I think if I were facing a charging wild boar I’d want my 44 Mag or 50 Beowulf.
 
Get yourself a nice 44 mag and load it with Hardcast LSWC's. 38 Special is best for very small game. Wild swine love to charge when wounded or with young and those tusks are razor sharp. Use enough gun as we hunters say.
 
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