Recommend some .38 Special ammo?

A

ang4me

New member
Heya fellas,
After much ado, I finally bought my first handgun. It's a gently used Taurus 2" 5-shot 38 special. (I believe this makes it Taurus 85?).*

I'm looking to stock up on a bunch of cheap ammo for the range, and a good amount of self defense ammo (I believe this gun is rated for +P).

What do you recommend for a cheap range ammo and a cheapish self defense ammo? Right now I'm just going on CheaperThanDirt and trying to find something cheap that gets decent reviews... Bitterroot valley? Magtech?

Thanks!



*Aside: I know some folks don't like Taurus, but I got what I consider to be a good deal, and bought it from a great family-owned shop and gunsmith, and I'm sure they'll take good care of me if I run into trouble.
 
You can kill two birds with one stone and use the Federal 148 grain wadcutter which goes 16" in ballistic gelatin and makes a nasty hole. Great accuracy, nasty full profile melat, low recoil, and fantastic straight line penetration. Here are Brass Fetcher results and Brass Fetcher Comments:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/38wadcutter.html
"The recoil from this round was very slight, penetration depth was more than adequate, and slight expansion occured. I like it as a choice for recoil-sensitive shooters, using .38 Special snubnose revolvers"
 
I assume you're recommending that for the defense ammo? Looks like $30 for a box of 50, which is a good deal more than I want to spend at the range...
 
Good .38spl snub loads...

For target or general range use, I'd get American Eagle, UMC, Hornady or Winchester(white box). Full metal cases or JHPs or maybe semi wad-cutters. No lead or lead HP bullets unless you enjoy doing a lot of cleaning. ;)

For defense, I would get a box or 2 of the following; Buffalo Bore 158gr lead SWC-HP +P, the great Speer Gold Dot 135gr JHP +P, the Magtech Guardian Gold 125gr +P JHP, the Magsafe SWAT, the Corbon 110gr +P+ JHP, the Ranger T .38spl load, Hornady Critical Defense.

Any self defense round could serve you well.

Clyde
 
My favorites for practice and learning are 148 gr wadcutter target loads If this is your first attempt at a snub nose I would start with a nice mild target load and work up to self defense loads as your shooting skills improve.

I believe you should shoot what you carry, but you can do a a lot of practice with the cheaper, milder loads and practice with the carry loads after you "warm up" or get confident with the 2" revolver. (snubbys take some work to get good with).

All of the self defense loads listed above are good, I use the Speer Gold Dot 38 special and 357 mag "short barrel" gold dot loadings in my S&W Model 60. You can use the 38 variant and feel well protected.

P.S.

Lead bullets don't bother me, at the low velocities it isn't any worse to clean up that any other jacketed bullet. I find that certain powders are more dity than others. YMMV.

P.P.S.

Cast bullets on the other hand are much dirtier to clean up.

P.P.P.S

My Taurus 431 went everywhere with me for over 4 years. It saved my bacon a couple of times. If the revolver is reliable and shoots every time you pull the trigger you are good to go.
 
For range ammo, the commercial reloaders Georgia Arms and MasterCast have good prices and reputation.

As far as factory range ammo, the cheapest I see is Winchester White box at WalMart. Buy it for a while, save the brass, then use it to get the exchange price at Mastercast. Or buy a bag of used .38 brass on-line to get MC's exchange price. You'll still be ahead.
 
I'd get American Eagle, UMC, Hornady or Winchester(white box).
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All good choices along with Magtech. Basically any cheap .38 ammo is going to be good range ammo. Cheaper stuff is usually dirtier but it's not like expensive ammo isn't dirty either. You'll be cleaning your gun after any range session anyway.

If you are buying a used Taurus, just make sure to check it over well before plunking your cash down on it. There is a sticky at the top of the revolver topics covering what you should look for.
 
Winchester-USA 130gr FMJ or Federal's American Eagle 130gr FMJ are decent practice loads. They're mild and allow you to work on sight picture, trigger squeeze and precision shooting without worrying about recoil or the cost of shooting (well, not too much anyhow). Save the empty brass and when you collect about 500 - 1000, trade them in on quality reloads such as Georgia Arms, Mastercast or similar ammo for a discount.

For self-defense loads, almost any modern premium JHP ammo works well today. My preference is for Speer Gold Dot +P as the top-of-the-line. Remington's Golden Saber is also good. If these are too expensive for your wallet, see if your local dealer stocks or can order for you some Federal "Classic" line 158gr LSWC-HP +P ammo. This is generally cheaper than the Remington version.

Things to be aware of:
- Each gun is different. Some will be most accurate with one load over another.
- Most revolvers are "sighted in" with 158gr standard pressure ammo. Try it for accuracy first.
- Premium defense ammo will shoot to a different point of impact than slower FMJ practice ammo.
- Once you find a premium load that is accurate for your gun, stock up.
- Accuracy is your friend. I'd rather make a hit with 40¢ FMJ than a miss with a $2 JHP.
- If you can, buy premium ammo in boxes of 50 instead of 20. The cost-per-round is much less.
 
My prefered carry ammo for a snubnose revolver is Speer Gold Dot Hollow Point for Short Barrel Pistols. My second choice is just "old fashioned" Remington Semi-Jacketed Lead Hollow Point.

The second is HONESTLY the ammo that I have found to shoot almost perfectly to point of aim from S&W 442. The Speer great stuff and definitely my favorite. However, I have absolutely no problem or complaints with the cheap Remington.

I haven't tried the Hornady Critical Defense in my j-frame but it is hands down the best from my LCP and feeds well from my CW9.
 
I prefer to use standard pressure ammo (not +p) in my Colt Agent. So I keep it loaded with 125 grain Federal Nyclad hollowpoints. Moderate pressure, proven track record, and low recoil.
 
I use the 135 grain SB Gold Dots in my 642's.

I would advise against using light wad cutters for practice, and you use loads basically equivalent to what youre planning on carrying in the gun.

The light loads will teach you nothing, and the difference between them and the full power loads in small, lighter weight guns is pretty dramatic. Practice probably wont be real fun, especially near the end of the session, but it is necessary if you want to remain proficient.
 
Same as AK103 said , 135gr +P Gold Dot " short barrel". It was developed for, and carried by NYPD
In thier issue snubbies... Low flash powder, and a bullet made just for snubbie velocities... Its a win/win
 
Yes - Any 148 grain wadcutter will do the trick
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How about listing just one agency that still issues or approves the .38 as a duty weapon, that approves the 148 grain wad cutter (either type) as approved ammo for carry.

Ive shot a couple of critters over the years with .38 wadcutters, both solid and hollow based, and with the hollow base inverted, and none were very impressive.

I think if anything, if you prefer a lead bullet, a LSWC or LSWC/HP would be more appropriate.
 
Buffalo Bore loads a hard wadcutter for SD, as part of their snubbie line, but it's at much higher pressure that your typical factory WC. They're also expensive, definitely not range ammo - http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=111

and +1 on Mastercast. I've bought a bunch of 38spl from them in the past.

Magtech is good too, probably the best budget ammo I've tried. It tends to be a little smokey.
 
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