Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Whats your favorite .38spl load for a snubbie?

I got a lot of brass saved up and want an excuse to spend more time in my loading cave. So what do you think the ideal self defense load is for a Taurus .38spl with a 1&3/4 inch barrel would be.

4.0 231 with about any cast bullet around 160 grains. Nothing spectacular, but it shoots pretty good in most .38/.357s. If you use the Speer swaged bullets, you'll not be too disappointed.

Thanks for the reply ratsmacker. May give those a try. I had been loading Hornaday 125gr XTP's over 5.6gr of Unique but thought ask around and see what others were doing.

I load the Speers 3/4 Jacketed 146 gr HP over Unique for my two Smith Model 36 and I load the same bullet for my Ruger SP101 in 357 Mag

A wide meplat 160 grain haed cast with enough HS-6 to reach about 900 FPS is about as good as it gets in the Snubies

In a lightweight (12-16 oz) J-frame & small grips, that load would be right sporty.

MM

I am no expert, having shot exactly zero people, but my wife's Colt Cobra is loaded up with Speer 125gr +P Gold Dot hp's. From what I gather in my much reading these are about the best overall performers. I handload for my rifles but pistol and shotgun ammo is so good now I just shoot factory stuff in them. If I WAS going to handlaod for wifey's Cobra, I would find some cheapie 125-130gr bullets and load them so that they barely made it to the target so as to give her more confidence with the gun and save wear and tear on the old (but SMOOOOOTH) Colt cobra. Then, when play time was over back in would go the +P Gold Dots. Not gonna be firing the +P stuff through that older gun unless a life is in danger. In a time such as that, no one is going to notice recoil and I will not care at all that we might tear up the gun with the five rounds fired.

The Tuarus I'm loading for is actually a .357 Magnum. It has Hogue grips and is fairly comfortable with even stiff .38spl loads, but I rarely fire .357 through it. Too much snap to be comfortable to practice with. I'd rather fire plenty of 38's and be at home with it than fire a couple dozen magnums a year and call it good.

Thanks for the replies.

7.2g of AA#5 with a 125g HP in 38 Special is what I use in my 38 Snubbie.

I carry 148 gr. wadcutters in both my 442 on duty and in an old model Colt Agent, based on Gary K. Roberts recommendations. I carry speed strips or speedloaders with Rem Golden Sabre 125 +Ps because they are easier to get into the cylinder than wadcutters.

You never know if a JHP will expand for sure, but a wadcutter will cut a sharp, caliber-sized wound that will penetrate far enough to cause plenty of damage. They won't wear out older guns either.

Someone did make an homogenous bronze or copper, sharp edged wadcutter at about 850 fps, which would be ideal, but believe the company has folded.

For self-defense, I wouldn't use a hand load. I like Buff Bore specialty short barrel .38 Special loads.

As well as very effective for a 28 snubie

I use 6.5gr of true blue under 158g montana gold jhp, same load with lead rn for plinking. Hoping to clock them this week - very accurate in my colt snubbie. Good penetration on wood and phonebooks too.

Plinking 4.0 grs Unique 0r 231 & 158gr LSWC,for more serious
things I use a soft LSWC hp over 6.1gr blue dot.This should be worked up to.Factory loads I use Buffalow bores 158 gr.LSWC hp.
There version of the old FBI load.My hand loads are built with the same bullet B.B uses.

The best expanding 38 Special bullet is the Winchester-Western 158 gr. Lead SWC HP, and it even gives me double caliber expansion out of my S&W airweight 2 inch Chiefs Special. It has excellent expansion on flesh or in my media box it has proven better than any other ammo I have tried over the years.

Let's start by saying that my eyes were startled open by what I learned today...
I worked up a load for my .38 snubby (listed above) afew weeks ago. I've probably run 150 or 200 through it. Well, I chronographed those loads today...

6.5 grains true blue with hornady 158g lrn averaged 1300fps
Same charge under a montana gold 158g jhp averaged 1415 fps
I might be dumb, I'm aware, but I shot one round with the same charge under a 180g nosler partition hg and got 1390 fps

I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE SHOOT THIS LOAD IN A .38 SPECIAL FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY!!

That being said, I would highly recommend using it in your .357 snubby you are asking about. It can handle the pressures and is pleasant to shoot - even from my little colt. I can also tell you that penetration is ample inside 20 yards, I've been using combinations of 2x6, water bottles and phone books as test media.

wow!!!!!!!!!
Idont get those fps.out of my 4" gp100.
ID go carefull.

I'll be reducing my target loads, I'll keep six rounds of strong medicine for protection. I consider myself quite fortunate.

The shame of it is POA = POI at 15 yards consistantly, lower charges reqired adjustments in aim. better safe than sorry...

I am using a 140 grain Sierra JHP over a relatively modest load of BlueDot. In my short barreled .38 Special guns, it is accurate, and shoots to point of aim at 10 yards.
That last point, especially with fixed sights, is of great importance to me.