What kind of ammunition can I fire?

S

Sorre

Inactive
I have a Smith & Wesson 38 Special Model 67 revolver. The gun is stainless and in like new condition and fired three times at a shooting range. The gun has not been fired for a long time and I forgot what ammo to use. The specs on the gun refer to ammo as 38 Special and 38 S&W Mid Range. I was given two boxes of ammo: both are Winchester. One box is 38 Special, 110 GR. Silvertip H.P. (X38S9HP). The other is 38 SPL. +P, 125 GR. JHP, Personal Protection (USA38JHP). The +P box Warns that the handgun must be in good condition and be matched to fire the +P ammo.
The question is what ammo is best used for the gun? If neither of these, then what? The gun will be used as a personal protection handgun in the home. I tried to find information on Google but very little information was available on this issue. I hope I can get some help. :)
 
Sorre,

The Model 67 is the stainless steel version of the venerable Model 15. Quite a nice gun and suitable for home defense, police duty, a camp gun and a host of other situations.

Since these guns were first produced in 1972 to today, you should be able to fire most .38 special loads in your revolver without too much trouble. The standard cautions apply regarding ammo marked +P; a steady diet of +P ammo will cause excessive wear & tear on the gun and wear out parts faster.

The Winchester 110gr silvertips will fire just fine in your gun. So will the Winchester-USA 125gr +P rounds, though I suggest that you limit the number of +P's you fire to just those needed to sight in the gun with that round if it's your carry/primary ammo.

For general range use, try the 130gr WW-USA rounds or Federal's American-Eagle brand 130gr FMJ (AE38K). For target shooting it's hard to beat using 148gr wadcutter match ammo (GM38A) for it's mild recoil and accuracy.
 
What ^^^he^^^ said. feel free to use up the 110gr .38 ammo and practice with the +p stuff but for a longer gun life you should go easy on the +P ammo.

You won't hurt it by using +P ammo unless you use it alot and then even over a period of time. It's just like not running your car at top RPM for a long duration. not healthy for parts life.

You'll love that gun by the way. K frames are just about the perfect revolver and stainless is easy to maintain. take some pics and show that baby off.
 
excellent arm

you own a fine example of the American gunmaker's art. In spite of all the spooky talk about no caliber is big enough...if you will shoot 38 special and 38 plus p in that arm I think you will discover is not a man made who wants to stand on the business end...and few who would present a threat after one...one...in the ten ring. get you some fed 125 gr hollow point hp...or same in rem...or the win silvertip and feel protected..you are.
 
Info on Round Types for S&W 38 Special Model 67

:) Thanks so much for the info. I got what I was looking for. This is my first time on the Forum and the information was great. Thank you much for the replies. :) :) :)
Regards,
Sorre
 
38 Loads to consider:

158 grain LSWC-HP, either the Remington (R38S12) or Winchester load. This is also known as the FBI, Metro, or Chicago Load. It has a soft lead semi-wadcutter bullet with a nice, large hollow cavity at the nose. Time proven design with good penetration and expansion. It's been getting the job done for over 25 years.

Speer 135-grain Gold Dot JHP has been designed for snub guns, but would also work pretty well out of a 4" barrel. Probably would push the load fast enough to have it fragment, which would hinder penetration to vitals. Don't know enough about it to say conclusively though.

Winchester 130-grain SXT Supreme JHP has a cavernous hollowpoint cavity and has performed well in tests found in various websites.

The PMC Starfire JHP are a "sleeper" and much overlooked. They come in a 38 +P 125-grain JHP and are a later refinement by Ted Bryzincki, the creator of the Hydra-Shok bullet that is held in such high esteem by many shooters. I carry them in both 45ACP (Commander) and 357MAG claibers (M-65 & M-66 with 3" barrels), and they have proven accurate, and reliable expanders from my guns when tested and recovered in wet, bound phonebooks, milk jugs, and that freezer-burned hunk of beef roast covered with an old undershirt, ratty vest, and worn-out windbreaker.

There are a large variety of 125-grain JHP in +P for 38 special loadings by many makers. These lighter bullets seem to work reasonably well. My concern in fixed sighted guns would be the POA/POI issue with the lighter bullets as most fixed sight guns are calibrated to 158-grain loads.

I'm not overly fond of the lighter 110-grain loads in 38 specials. They simply lack sufficient momentum to penetrate deeply up North where I am at and people tend to be heavier and wear many layers of clothing. But they may be effective in sunny FL. The "Treasury Load" was a +P+ loaded JHP weighted at 110-grains. It seemed to work well while those fellows used SW-66s.
 
The M67 is a stainless steel K-frame built no earlier than 1972. It is fully capable of handling a lifetimes worth of +P pressure ammo. So any ammo for a .38SP will be alright for your revolver if it's in good mechanical condition.
 
Majic, Whose lifetime?

The information given was sound and I stand by it.

Go ahead and use it, but for longer parts life don't go wild on the +P ammo.

THe model 65/6/13/19 will last a lifetime on .357 ammo too but then the 686 will last a longer lifetime.
 
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