New revolver guy -- and new to .38 special

Reloading isn't something I'm up for at this point in life -- barely have enough time to get to the range as it is!

Anything wrong with steel or aluminum cased .38 loads? I know those can have trouble feeding in semi-autos, but in a revolver cylinder it would seem to be a non issue....?
 
Sheesh, looking around at internet bulk specials, once shipping is included, even the cheap crap comes out to $15/box. I should've picked a cheaper caliber :)

I can get the Crimson Trace boot grips for $175, which would be about 11 boxes of ammo, but then every shot with dry fire would show exactly where I'd be hitting. I guess a laser might pay for itself pretty quick, not to mention make me more accurate given the tiny sights on this 442.

My shooting skills improved tremendously when I got a 9mm laser cartridge, suddenly every dry fire session became valuable feedback. I can see real value in the laser.
 
"All you have to do is basically know the alloy of the various sources of lead available".

Do you analyze the alloys in a chem lab? (I've done that, and it is a bit of a pain in the rear), or is there a printed source available?

Years ago, I bought a surplus 6000 pound soft lead ballast weight forc$25, and cast bullets out of that sucker for years. Eventually, it was stolen, but I got my money's worth out of it.
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JimCunn,

I don't go to the degree of doing a laboratory analysis of every piece of lead, but rather accept the commonly held opinion as to what each type of lead represents. For example, lead pipe and lead sheathing are considered pure lead for the most part. Linotype is considered to be 84% lead, 12% antimony, and 4% tin. Clip-On wheel weights are considered to be 96.5% lead, 3% antimony, and 0.5% tin. Any slight differences in alloy content are simply background noise. I use an Excel file that allows me to mix the different alloys together to create the alloy I want. I am a big believer in restraining antimony content and using more tin than antimony. BTW, lead ballast can be anything, so I tend to stick with lead sources of known content, of which the above examples are the most commonly found at scrap yards. Hope this helped.

Don
 
JimCunn said:
"All you have to do is basically know the alloy of the various sources of lead available".

Do you analyze the alloys in a chem lab? (I've done that, and it is a bit of a pain in the rear), or is there a printed source available?

Years ago, I bought a surplus 6000 pound soft lead ballast weight forc$25, and cast bullets out of that sucker for years. Eventually, it was stolen, but I got my money's worth out of it.
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For most of my shooting (.38 revolver with very light target loads), the lead alloy does not matter. Since the last primary lead smelter in the U.S. has closed, and the sources of lead lessens, bullet casters will do well if they can find any lead alloy in quantity with which to cast bullets. I don't turn up my nose at any source of lead inasmuch as I have never found any lead that is uncontaminated with zinc that would not make an acceptable revolver bullet for reasonable velocities.
 
OhioGuy said:
Looks like, out of really short barrels like this one, no ammo is really going to steal the show, and minus a few total flunkies, most that he tested came in around the 12-13" average penetration. +p didn't seem to matter much in the 2" barrels, maybe a slight edge when he tested with the 4" barrels.

All came up consistently short of typical 9mm performance from 3" barrels.
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....and 9mm will come up consistently short of typical .44 magnum performance. So?

Folks put too much on gel tests. You ain't gonna get to a BGs vital with only 12-13" of penetration? Ain't what I learned in anatomy. While you will be at a slight disadvantage over larger calibers and higher capacity, the ability to carry it easily and have it readily available can and will make up for that. Odds are if you miss the BG with 5 rounds, you're already dead. If you're facing a school shooter with an AR, multiple high capacity mags and body armor, throwing more ammo indiscriminately is probably only going to produce more collateral damage. Your CWC does not make you an offensive player, it gives you the opportunity to defend. Your awareness and other defensive skills have to come into play too.

I daily carry a 637 with handloaded 158 JHPs running right at the cusp of standard and +p. This gives me the best accuracy while still giving me enough oomph, without excessive recoil. The JHPs I use will give me a slight amount of expansion at those velocities, while still giving me excellent penetration. I worry more about my shooting skills than how much penetration I get on a block of gel. While one must carefully consider what they use for SD/HD, most projectiles, from reputable manufacturers, designs for SD, will give good performance. Comes down you gotta hit the target and hit it in the right place with them. Look at high priced boutique ammo used for hunting big game. Very seldom, if ever, does bullet performance trump shot placement.
 
Yeah, all good points. I wasn't knocking .38 vs. 9mm vs. .44 magnum or anything else. Just stating that all of this ammo appears to perform to within such a close margin, that selection of specific brand or grain weight isn't going to be a huge factor. I guess I'm stating the obvious.

I like your point about defense vs. offense. Right now, high-cap micro-9's are the rage, and it seems that what really sells these is their ability to make people feel somehow safer just knowing they can expend 2-4 more rounds before reloading. There's a thread-that-won't-die in the semi-auto forums in which people argue over whether anyone "needs" that capacity, and there's always someone who will say you *could* find yourself facing two mass shooters armed with rocket launchers, and you'll be glad you had the extra rounds, etc. and so forth.

I think this .38 J-frame will play the role of deep/dress-clothes concealment, and I'll mostly continue to carry my (not much larger) semi-auto 9mm with 9 rounds loaded into it. Then I'll be ready for the rocket-ninjas!!!
 
I own several LCR's in 1-7/8" and 3" and an SP101 2-1/4" all in .357. I practice with Remington .38 Special +P's 125 grain SJHP which are manageable in the small revolver. I carry for my defensive round .38 Special ARX in 77 grain to mitigate recoil. ARX also offers a .357 in 86 grain.
 
Recommending some of the 135 grain speer gold dot short barrel +P or some old-school-but-current-production 158 grain remington HTP LSWCHP +P. My preference is the Speer offering because it was specifically developed for the NYPD in S&W 642s as acheiving roughly equivalent terminal performance as their 9mm duty load.
 
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I got a chance to run some Critical Defense 110 +P through it this afternoon. I could feel a slight increase over the standard pressure target loads, but I don't know if I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for it.

Hornady will be my carry load, because I already bought it :)
 
"Well, the Altamont combat grips hanging on your revolver near ones carcass will certainly help make for a classy death picture from the crime scene".

Well, they sure saved my Dad's behind a bunch of times. He was finally killed with a brickbat on a day he wasn't carrying. If they were good enough for him, they are good enough for me.
 
I got a chance to run some Critical Defense 110 +P through it this afternoon. I could feel a slight increase over the standard pressure target loads, but I don't know if I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for it.
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It does all right on the Lucky Gunner tests and also makes DocGKR's list. Does it shoot to point of aim in your gun? Does it have the same point of impact as your training ammo?
 
As near as I can tell, yes. I'm still getting used to the DA small revolver, I was keeping about a 4" group at 30' with CD as well as training ammo.
 
Ohioguy, I like hollow points and that is what is in my wife's nightstand gun. If I wanted to carry and practice with less expensive round I would go with 158 gr. semi wadcutter. IOt will make holes in paper or a BG.
 
Good Morning Ohio Guy,

My advice is to rethink a J-Frame for self-defense.

A J-Frame is easy to carry and conceal. But so in a small 9MM.

I used to carry the FBI load in my J-Frame.
 
asked and answered, again.
and 9mm will come up consistently short of typical .44 magnum performance. So?

Folks put too much on gel tests. You ain't gonna get to a BGs vital with only 12-13" of penetration? Ain't what I learned in anatomy. While you will be at a slight disadvantage over larger calibers and higher capacity, the ability to carry it easily and have it readily available can and will make up for that.
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-ease of carry, means you will, carry it, whatever it is.
-reliability, along with fun to shoot, means you will, shoot it, lots, get to know it
-which means accuracy, good shot placement.
 
JimCunn said:
I carry an Airweight 9mm J-frame. Small, light, and reasonable power.
Suits my needs.
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I didn't know there was a 9mm J-frame option? I see them from Ruger and Charter Arms, but don't see anything on the S&W site. I was really considering an LCR or LCRx in 9mm just because I already have bulk 9mm, but I got the used S&W at half the price I'd have spent on the Ruger.

The trigger on the Charter Arms was designed for bodybuilders, I think!
 
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