Ordered some Underwood .38 Special +P ammo

J

JonathanZ

New member
I was excited to see this stuff in stock and ordered a 50 round box. They use 125 grain Gold Dot bullets, which they rate at 1,200 fps, and Underwood ammo seems to be pretty true to their velocities.

Planning to keep this in my 6" GP100 at home. Saw in a recent poll on here that people favored a .38 Special vs. a .357 magnum for home defense by around a 2 to 1 margin, and the main reason seemed to be the deafening blast of the .357 magnum. I was in that camp for the same reason, as I once had ringing in my ears for several months from firing a gun, and it was AWFUL. I want to protect myself, but I also want to have a decent quality of life.

Anyone else use this ammo? The bullet is the same bullet Speer uses in their .38 Special ammunition, not their .357's, so I don't have any questions about the rounds ability to expand. The 1,200 fps seems to be a good compromise between the 950 fps and 1,450 fps you typically see in .38 or .357 loads. Call it whatever you want, a hot .38 or a light .357 load, it is something in the middle. Wouldn't want to shoot it out of a gun chambered for .38 Special, but I don't plan to do that.

I'm interested to take this to the range and see how the blast compares to other rounds.
 
Cheapshooter nailed it. You will be hard pressed to tell the difference between a full 357 load and that hot 38 load from the blast.

I have loaded the same type of 38 loads in the past and they are ear busters. A heavier bullet at around 1000fps will be less intense but probably not that much.

The first 357 I ever fired was from inside the cab of my truck. I had just bought a model 19 with a 6" barrel and a box of remington 158gr 357s. It felt like someone had clapped a pair of symbols with my head inside them. That was the last time for that stupid crap.
 
I can tell the difference between a 9mm and 357 and I'd expect the Underwood ammo to be in line with the 9mm. Guess we'll see when I take it to the range.
 
Underwood makes good ammo, but they shine in calibers that have been traditionally watered down like the .44 special and the like.

you can find quality ammo loaded to its potential for less money in most other calibers.
 
I've used the Underwood 158Gr. Keith ammo, and have been VERY impressed with it. Ya gotta love a 158Gr SWC at 1,200 FPS.

The only downside is the batch I shot was VERY dirty, according to the Underwood web page, they are now using a different powder that is much cleaner burning.
 
I also keep .38spl +P in my Security Six in the house. I prefer Hornady Critical Defense and the price is not bad either. Cheap enough you can practice with it.....
 
The bullet is the same bullet Speer uses in their .38 Special ammunition, not their .357's, so I don't have any questions about the rounds ability to expand.
Click to expand...
Gold Dot bullets are designed with a range of velocities in mind. So, if the .38 and .357 bullets are different, you may not get the performance you anticipate. For example, using the same Gold Dots in Underwood 10mm as those used in .40 S&W may lead to under-penetration as shown in this video or in jacket separation as shown here. There was over-penetration when using Gold Dots in Underwood .357 magnum loads as shown here.

The point is that I don't think it is safe to assume the Gold Dot is going to perform better when loaded to a higher-than-designed-for range of velocities.
 
Speer's 357 Mag 135g GDHP SB chrono's at 1223 fps though a 686 4" bbl (1176 fps, 3").

I think I'd rather have this round ^ for defense (it is what I carry, actually). It's turning the same velocity with a bullet with more weight and a superior profile for the velocity. (The 125g GDHP bullet is designed for higher velocity.) And the short barrel design of the ammo means it uses a fast powder that is also flash suppressed. Less flash, less noise, less recoil; and probably more power.
 
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