110 grain standard pressure 38?

[BlueDog]

The 110 grain standard pressure 38 JHP seems like it should be an adequte round for a snub-nose, anyone have any fact or experience based opinion on this round?

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Can you define "adequate" please?

It honestly means different things to different people.

Often times the velocity out of a snubby is not enough to get the hollow points to open up like they should. The same holds true for many short-barreled semi-automatic pistols, too.

I carry a +p ammo in, generally, jacketed soft point in my 642.

 

[You'll shoot your eye out]

I carry 110gr Winchester in my .357 snubby precisely because its a snubby and I want to get enough velocity to expand the hollow point. It works. I get consistent explosive expansion in wet-pack. The bullet fragments, ripping the entire skirt off in a dozen pieces from a 2.25 inch barrel. Standard pressure .38 special should be slow enough to keep the skirt and perform properly.

You should test in wet newsprint before you count on it working properly. I have two different pistols each with the same length barrel. I have had bullets fail to open with one gun but do open properly using the other. test YOUR gun with any load you carry, don't trust other peoples results.

A five gallon bucket is $5 at the hardware store and newspaper is often available for free, just ask around for some. A full bucket will stop a .357 magnum.

 

[BlueDog]

Eye Out - good suggestions... Just so I am clear, are you shooting .357s or .38s in your .357 snub?

 

[Leo]

Federal makes a 110 grain personal protection round designed for snub nosed .38 revolvers. I shot some of them and they are accurate and do not make a very big flash in the dark, even out of a short barrel Charter Arms undercover. As far as expansion in criminal, I never had to test them in that way. I figure the boys in the ballistics lab at Federal designed them right.

 

[Sagamore - One]

I have abandoned the 110 and 125 bullets in snubbies because of lack of penetration and iffy expansion in favor of Speer 135 gr Gold Dots. These seem to work very well indeed .

 

[rimfire_crazed]

I carry the old Federal 38F 110gr +P round in my 642. Lucked into about 500 of them. Never bothered to chronograph them. Snappy, but controllable.

They are however, very flashy. I can't imagine the standard pressure versions are much slower. Maybe 100fps or so.