.38 Snubby ammo choice

[Jaybird1980]

If she is recoil sensitive the LCR may not be comfortable for her. If she doesnt mind it then most factory defense rounds are gonna be good. The Speer short barrel is very good at taming muzzle flash.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Its true that you might not notice recoil and flash under stress, but if it bothers you when you are not stressed then you will more than likely not train and practice with it.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I'd MUCH rather shoot my wife's aunt's LCR with +p loads than I would my 642 with the same load.

I find the felt recoil of the LCR to be MUCH more manageable than in the airweight.

 

[Snapdragon]

I'd MUCH rather shoot my wife's aunt's LCR with +p loads than I would my 642 with the same load.

I find the felt recoil of the LCR to be MUCH more manageable than in the airweight.

 

[VERT]

I'd MUCH rather shoot my wife's aunt's LCR with +p loads than I would my 642 with the same load.

I find the felt recoil of the LCR to be MUCH more manageable than in the airweight.

I think the LCR shoots softer as well.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I think the LCR shoots softer as well.

Combination of the grip size & shape AND the polymer flexing *just enough* to mitigate.

No matter what stocks I have on my 642...it sucks. Sucks bad. Factory rubber - sucks. Walnut boot grips? Major suckage. Much larger Hogue Tamer grips? sucks. I just can't win.

 

[VERT]

Combination of the grip size & shape AND the polymer flexing *just enough* to mitigate.

No matter what stocks I have on my 642...it sucks. Sucks bad. Factory rubber - sucks. Walnut boot grips? Major suckage. Much larger Hogue Tamer grips? sucks. I just can't win.

Nut Up Buttercup.

You should try the hard plastic Crimson Trace grips. Ouch! I went back to the factory rubber stocks. Gun recoils hard enough that the cylinder latch rips the skin off my right thumb. But I have shot that darn little gun past 50 yards and can legitimately pass the FBI course of fire with it. Neither is something I would attempt with a micro .380.

 

[Snapdragon]

Has anyone tried the Delta Grips on a J-frame? They supposedly place your hand up higher to absorb recoil better. I shot a friend's J-frame (don't remember which model) with them, and I didn't like the angle. I suppose you could adjust to it with enough practice.

ERGO Delta Grip S&W J-Frame Overmolded Rubber Black

 

[Tactically Fat]

Has anyone tried the Delta Grips on a J-frame? They supposedly place your hand up higher to absorb recoil better. I shot a friend's J-frame (don't remember which model) with them, and I didn't like the angle. I suppose you could adjust to it with enough practice.

ERGO Delta Grip S&W J-Frame Overmolded Rubber Black

No, but I want to!

 

[spqr]

My LCR .357 Mag seems to have significantly less recoil than my 442 and 637 with equivalent 38 special loads. Also, I noticed that the LCR seems to be more accurate with heavier loads e.g. 158 grains, whereas, all my snubby Smiths (2.5" and less) seem to like significantly lighter bullet weights. I still have a box of 125 gr Fed NyClad that I load when I carry my J-frames (they were very accurate with these), however, shorter barrel Smiths also like 130 gr FMJ (for practice), 125 gr SJHP 38+P, and 110 gr frangible.

 

[in625shooter]

Your well pressed to get consistant expansion from a 38 snub but with that said some of the better performing 38's are the Hornady critical defense, any of the Gold Dot and the golden saber does extremely well at both penitration and expansion in snubby's more time than not.

 

[VERT]

https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/ammo-test-remingtons-ultimate-defense-38-special-p/

It would appear that Remington is taking marketing notes from Hornady. Boutique personal defense ammo is a nifty little market.

Golden Saber is s fine, older Bullet design. Should work.

 

[Cerberus]

Quality wadcutter running something like 700-800 fps. Low recoil, good terminal ballistics.

Is that 700-800 FPS out of a 2" barrel or 4"? I normally chrony .38 loads with my 4" barrel.

 

[Wolfhound]

I read somewhere that using +P ammunition in a snub nosed revolver is a bad idea. The reasoning was that the barrel was too short to burn all the powder in the +P load and the excess powder became a large muzzle flash as it was burned after the bullet exited the barrel. The article also mentioned the flash could be detrimental to the shooter attempting follow up shots in a low light environment.

Is this an old wives tale or is there some truth to it?

 

[VERT]

I read somewhere that using +P ammunition in a snub nosed revolver is a bad idea. The reasoning was that the barrel was too short to burn all the powder in the +P load and the excess powder became a large muzzle flash as it was burned after the bullet exited the barrel. The article also mentioned the flash could be detrimental to the shooter attempting follow up shots in a low light environment.

Is this an old wives tale or is there some truth to it?

Possible depending on the load. More of an issue with .357 snubs. Magnum cartridges must utilize a slower burning powder to achieve the necessary velocities. Slow powder and short barrels don't mix. I personally see little value in magnum cartridges in 2" barrels. 38+p is a different animal because pressure and projectile velocity are two different things. Using a fast burning powder with a heavy bullet can result in a lot of pressure but doesn't mean it will move any faster. Also premium defense ammo often uses powder with a flash suppressant. My suggestion is to carry a quality .38 +P short barrel load.

 

[BE Mike]

I'm changing over to Underwood for all my defensive pistols. A likely choice for you would be their 100 grain .38 SPL Xtreme Defender. https://www.underwoodammo.com/pistol-ammunition/

 

[Voldemort]

I'm changing over to Underwood for all my defensive pistols. A likely choice for you would be their 100 grain .38 SPL Xtreme Defender. https://www.underwoodammo.com/pistol-ammunition/

Curious why you are going with this ammo, Im unsure of that projectile. For now Im settling in on Buffalo Bore 20E version.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Is that 700-800 FPS out of a 2" barrel or 4"? I normally chrony .38 loads with my 4" barrel.

Out of whatever gun the ammunition is going to be carried in.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I read somewhere that using +P ammunition in a snub nosed revolver is a bad idea. The reasoning was that the barrel was too short to burn all the powder in the +P load and the excess powder became a large muzzle flash as it was burned after the bullet exited the barrel. The article also mentioned the flash could be detrimental to the shooter attempting follow up shots in a low light environment.

Is this an old wives tale or is there some truth to it?

I've yet to see a shooting where the shooter reported muzzle flash was an issue. Self defense shootings tend to be real up close and personal affairs and even the "low light" tends to be lit well enough that night sight isn't playing much of a role.

However, if there is a lot of muzzle flash, it's affecting the other guy too at the distances you're likely involved at. I *suspect* that muzzle flash and noise play in to psychological stops, but have no real way to prove it. In short, I think it's likely a wash. If the ammunition is otherwise accurate, reliable, and offers good terminal ballistics THEN I might start to compare muzzle flash.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm changing over to Underwood for all my defensive pistols. A likely choice for you would be their 100 grain .38 SPL Xtreme Defender. https://www.underwoodammo.com/pistol-ammunition/

If you want to pay more for boutique ammo, that's up to you, but it won't work any better than standard wadcutters. They are simply taking a light for caliber projectile, cranking up the speed, and then throwing in the "bullet voodoo" marketing twist for the propeller design. I'd still go with a heavier wadcutter at lower speeds.

Claiming a permanent wound channel twice as big as expanding ammunition...BS. A temporary cavity in clear gel, maybe, but in real meat it doesn't work that way. People have been trying this since at least the Devel bullet, and it's never as magical as they claim.