Test Gun: 1911
Barrel length: 5 inches.
Ammunition: Sig Sauer .38 Super 125gr V-Crown in Clear Ballistics Gel.
Test media: 10% Clear Ballistics Gel.
Distance: 10 feet.
Chronograph: PACT 1 XP with inferred sky screens.
Five shot velocity average: 1212fps
Gel Temperature 73 degrees.
I don’t think the .38 Super had ever been a very popular round for self-defense and it certainly isn’t now. I did, however, pick up a beat-up franking 1911 recently and picked up a box of this Sig .38 Super V-Crown from Target Sports USA. The reality is, there isn’t very much out there in the realm of SD ammo in this caliber.
I got an average five-shot velocity of 1212fps with a high of 1218fps and a low of 1204fps. This gun shoots a little to the left for me and the bottom two holes in the target were probably me. This round refused to feed in my gun. I have never shot anything but ball in it before so I don’t know if its typical with this pistol but it probably is.
I wasn’t able to set up the chronograph for the induvial shots.
Starting off with bare gel, both rounds penetrated to 16 inches. Round one expanded to .64 inches and had a recovered weight of 123.9 grains. Round two expanded to .63 inches with a weight of 124 grains.
Through heavy clothing, round one penetrated to 22.5 inches and expanded to .51 inches and a recovered weight of 123.9 grains. Number two penetrated to 23 inches, expanded to .54 inches and weight 123.9 also.