Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Best 38 Special +P Ammo for Snubbies

If the Speer GD load is unavailable, them the tried and true 158 grain SWCHP +P "FBI" load is reliable and available. It is never a poor choice.

I'm a fan of the Buffalo Bore ammo for my .38 Specials. The +P 158 gr. LSWC-HP is a dandy. So is their standard velocity loading of the old "FBI load." If the gun is an Airweight, then I like their hardcast 150 gr. full wadcutter standard velocity load.

OK, maybe this is a dumb question but is that Fedral Nyclad ammo still being made. The only Nyclad ammo I've seen os a box of S&W marked Chief Special 125 gr. semi-wadcutter hollow point, #N387N. Apparently theyw ere not Plus P ammo. The only reason I even know about that one is the box of ammo was givent to me, mostly full. There are some other .38 shells that look like they're Nyclad but are headstamped Federal and appear to be 158 gr. SWC bullets. The 125 gr. HP's are hearstamped S&W.
Paul B.

Yep, here it is...
http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=828

I read that the 158 gr +P LSWC-HP bullet ("FBI" or "Chicago" load) is designed for a 4" or greater barrel. Are you guys who are fans of these having luck with them out of a 2" barrel?

I like the 135 gr Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel. I do have some 158 gr LSWCHP+p in my speed loader. I have tested alot of 38 loads out of my Smith model 638 snubby, those 2 loads do the best. The Corbon DPX does not open all the way out of my snubby, but I like it out of my 380, 9mm, and 45s.

PJ, hang on to that S&W Nyclad, it's become something of a collectors item from what I've been told. Back in the 80's when we were doing alot of shooting at the old Hodgdon's indoor shooting range, I was given some of it to test. The purpose of the Nyclad (according to the rep that gave it to me) was to lower airborne lead emissions while shooting on indoor ranges. Alot of us had highly elevated lead levels in our blood and the range had to change their ventilation system. I don't recall them giving any ballistic or barrel saving attributes to the ammo, just that it would produce less airborne toxins. Unfortunately I shot all but 1/2 box of what I had. Hang on to it.

One thing nobody has mentioned is - check your point of impact, especially at longer ranges, say up to 25 yards. It won't make a difference up close but at longer range the lighter bullets tend to hit low, and you could be surprised at how much difference it makes - or not.

This past winter I finished off a coyote with a 110-gr +P Hornady Critical Defense from a 2" Charter Off-Duty .38 Spl. Expansion was ovalized, measuring .50" on the long axis and .45 on the short. Retained weight was 98.2 grains. The recovered examples Hornady shows on their web site expanded into a jagged star shape but the "petals" on my example were rolled back, leaving a much smoother outline.

I shot it in the top of the skull aiming straight down into the brain box. I didn't recover the bullet on site but it fell out of the 'yote's mouth as I was skinning it out. Those are very respectable expansion numbers, and you'd expect a bullet to shed a little weight crushing all that bone, but it disturbs me there was no exit wound when it had so little dog in its way.

Max energy at close range with a lot of bone to penetrate and the bullet stayed together , pretty good performance if you ask me

http://www.grantcunningham.com/coltammo.html
I used to have a photo of a Colt's manual where it shows what this web site says. Just limited use on the Colt's.

Exactly, that's why I stay away from 110 grain bullets in the 38's

I concur that the post 72 DS Agent Cobras were rated +P. I had one of the last parkerized Agents that thrived on the 158 HP loads. I would still be carrying it but it was stolen by a first responder when my house burned to the ground (another story.)

I still carry +p 158 HPs in a non +p Bodyguard though I practice with non+p hand loads.

Kevin I hope you will add your two cents as your knowledge of the current situatiin exceeds that of a bunch of us, and IMHO the snub special still has a role in warm weather and drop in the pocket concealed carry.

I've got a full, pristine box of 125 .38 +Ps. I thought the nylon was to reduce barrel leading while still using a very soft lead bullet.

Expat

Me too. Now.

You sure could be right Expat, that may have been it's purpose. It's possible that the ammo's introduction was coincidental with our lead-level issues and I've just co-joined the two in my memory.

Correct.

I like the buffalo bore 158 grain LSWC HP in standard velocity out of the 2 inch guns.

The reason that the 158GR LSWCHP +P did so well beyond just being a good combination is that it is a Lead (soft, malleable) Semi-Wad Cutter (less taper and big hollow point), Hollow point...the +P gave it decent (for a .38 Special) velocity and the large opening and soft lead worked together to make it much more likely to open up than most the other stuff available...

Federal Nyclad was nearly the same bullet (with variances on velocity and weight) covered in a soft (when warmed by the exploding gasses) nylon jacket so it wouldn't get dented or dinged up in the revolvers (or pistols...they had it for other firearms too) or speedloaders as well as to reduce barrel lead fouling...

Bill

Speer Gold Dot