Why are .38 & .357 Silvertips Different?

T

tyro

New member
I just received a couple of boxes of 125 grain .38 caliber Silvertips. The bullet tips of the .38 Silvertips do not look like the bullet tips of the .357 Silvertips: the color is different (the .357s are shiny like silver; the .38s are dull, like lead), and the formation of the tips is different (the splits are longer and more pronounced in the .357s).

Can anyone tell me the reason for these differences? I ordered the .38s for carry in my SP101, but I think I'll stick with the .357s in the SP101, unless I can find out for sure that the the different calibers are made of the same material...and maybe even then I'll stick with the .357's :) .
 
The differemces in muzzle velocity and probable striking velocity requires differences in design fven though the bullets are the same diameter and wieght.
 
to add to Hard Ball's comment's

The longer, deeper cannelure's offer more controlled and unified expansion; which is why some manufacturer's employ
this method.:) Some of the older manufactured ammo could not
be depended on to expand in a uniform manner.:D:) I can't address why you have two different variations of color; as
both should retain the original Silver-Tip look.

Fuel for thought, my conclusion was based on an exert from
MagTech ammunition; and I think they very well may have a
valid point. I now use their factory loaded ammunition in
all my carry weapons.:D


Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

PS: Advertised velocity for MagTech .38 Special +P from a
4" test barrel is 1407 fps.
 
Hardball and Ala Dan are right. So are you about the bullet color being different.

The 38's use aluminum as it is more fragile than the usual cupro-nickel used for jacketing. It needs to open more easily than the 357, and then stop expansion at a relatively small diameter to provide adequate penetration.

The 357's on the other hand, use standard cupro-nickel jacket material as they need a sturdier jacket to hold together as it expands to a much larger diameter and dumps at least twice the energy. After forming the bullet, the it is then nickel plated.

While the basic principle is the same for both, they are two very different slugs. The 38 behaves more like a lead hollowpoint, the 357 more violently like the other 357s. Each caliber is designed separately depending on what it has to do, thus the jacket material varies, the lead hardness varies, etc. It's a good design. Not sure if it was Tom Burzinsky who designed it ( along with Hydra-Shok, Starfire, and the Triton Quik-Shock ) but I wouldn't be surprised.

I carry Silvertips in my 41 mag S&W 58's and my 57.
 
Error on my part

In my previous post on this thread my footnote stated that as per MagTech research data the advertised muzzle velocity
for their .38 Special +P was 1407 fps. That was incorrect and inaccurate information on my part. I do
hereby apologize to my fellow member's who may have been
mislead by my post. The correct information should have stated that the advertised MV from a 4" vented test barrel
is 1,017 fps.

Respectfully,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
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