Need Good Snubby .38 Spl Reload For Wife

[E4 No More]

I need recommendations for a good .38 Spl snubby reload for my wife's pistol. I would like something good for defense, (well, as good as a .38 snubby can be), without a lot of flash, so I'm thinking a very fast powder.

Recommendations?

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Not sure about home reloads, sorry.

But two non +P loads that I recommend for SD are Hornady's 158gr XTP and Atlanta Arms 148gr FMJ full WC (found at OnTarget).

Both are low flash and the Atlanta Arms round is especially light recoiling.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Todd@CIS

[Guest 308Phantom]

i'm not so sure I would carry reloads. That would just give the lawyers something else to hit you on. I would just stick with factory ammo.

[I_Like_Pie]

Almost any modern 125 grainer with a dose of Bullseye or Unique will work. There is a HUGE range of velocity that you can work with from target loads down near 600fps up to a max of around 925fps and everywhere in between.

You will have to play with the load she likes and one that adjusts to a relatively close POA.

I also load up some 148 wadcutters for my wife to practice with, and let her shoot 2 or three SD loads at the end so she can know what to expect.

[Guest wdb45]

From what I've learned about the lawyers in this country I agree with 308phantom about reloads for carry. Ayoob specifically says DONT because of the legality.

My grandkids love to shoot my '38s and have cleaned me out of any cheap ammo I had left from when I lived in FL. (Used to buy 50 reloaded wadcutters for $7.00.) Do any of you know of a cheap source here in Mid-TN? I'm about 3 months away from getting my new shop equipped and am planning on setting my Dillon DL550 up as soon as I can.

[Trekbike]

I'm with the others, I don't recommend reloads for SD.

I also load up some 148 wadcutters for my wife to practice with, and let her shoot 2 or three SD loads at the end so she can know what to expect.

Sort of what I do too.

As for my loads for her practice, I will load 148g HBWC with WW231. I have varied the powder charge over time, with a low of 3.0g to around 3.7g. If your wife is new to the snub, the 3.0g load is very managable in the beginning. Just keep working her up so that you get closer to the +P load so she gets use to the recoil.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Do any of you know of a cheap source here in Mid-TN?

Refer to my 1st post. Cheap is relative these days.

[I_Like_Pie]

From what I've learned about the lawyers in this country I agree with 308phantom about reloads for carry. Ayoob specifically says DONT because of the legality

I will go on permanent record as recorded on this site.

If my wife has to shoot someone in our own house where my .38 is located due to fear of her life or my family. My reloads are personally selected to be grim reapers in a can purposefully manufactured by me to cut a man down with little more than a pull of an index finger. They are not intended to injure or maim, but to influence a cease of harmful activity as quickly and easily as possible.

[E4 No More]

Not to mention the protection from prosecution that we enjoy in this state if the shooting is justified. Now when I was a policeman reloads were definite no-nos.

[JAB]

Hornady's Critical Defense in standard pressure has very minimal muzzle flash from my Rossi 35102 and is not brutal on recoil, IMO. Of course, I'm not sure if the home reloader can get the same powder they use so that may not be of much help.

From what I've learned about the lawyers in this country I agree with 308phantom about reloads for carry. Ayoob specifically says DONT because of the legality.

I voiced such a concern to the owner of my LGS one day. Now, neither he nor I are lawyers and this is not a legal opinion but the gist of his response (which makes sense to me) was (not a direct quote):

If you are in a situation where you shoot someone and the shooting is questionable, the last thing that is going to 'get' you would be whether you use reloads or factory loads. If you are really acting in self defense, what difference would it make? The shooting is either justified or it isn't. Besides, unless you tell them, how are they going to know you were using reloads? If you don't volunteer that information, what are the chances that anyone is even going to think to ask?

I thought further on that and am now wondering, especially if you used components from the same company (say, a Hornady bullet with a reloaded Hornady case - you just work up a powder load you like) then how in the world would anyone know the difference without going to the extreme of pulling the bullet, testing the powder and so on? Are most lawyers - or even most LEOs - ammo experts to the point that they can tell by simply looking at a round that it is a reload? Are there signs that would give it away if using factory bullets (instead of bullets you have cast) with casings with the headstamp of the same company? How likely is it that anyone would notice even if you did use a Hornady bullet in a Remington casing, etc.? I haven't started reloading, yet, so these are intended as real questions, btw.

Now, there are very few people whose reloaded ammo I would trust to be dependable for SD, but that is a different issue.

Edited March 26, 2010 by JAB

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Posted by "JAB" Hornady's Critical Defense in standard pressure has very minimal muzzle flash from my Rossi 35102 and is not brutal on recoil, IMO.

Not my experience...see post #4.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/ammunition-reloading/27656-hornady-critical-defense-info.html

[E4 No More]

Thanks Todd. Curious what they use to load the 110 gr's?

[JAB]

Posted by "JAB" Hornady's Critical Defense in standard pressure has very minimal muzzle flash from my Rossi 35102 and is not brutal on recoil, IMO.

Not my experience...see post #4.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/ammunition-reloading/27656-hornady-critical-defense-info.html

Very odd, indeed. I was testing for flash and accuracy at dusk in the woods behind our house. From my gun, the standard pressure 125 grain Hornady XTP had a muzzle flash roughly equal with the 125 grain +P Remington Golden Sabers (which was the third of the three rounds I was checking out) while the muzzle flash from the Critical Defense was minimal and not very bright - almost unnoticeable, in fact. It was the only one of the three from which the muzzle blast didn't effect my vision in the fading light. I'm certainly not doubting your results - just really find that strange. Makes me wonder if there is a big difference between lots of the Critical Defense or something.

As with the rounds you tested, accuracy was pretty much equal.

Edited March 26, 2010 by JAB

[ftncityfatboy]

if you want something good just for target practice, I load missouri semi-wadcutters, 158 grain, any spp, and accurate #2 powder - 4.1 grain. Accuracy is a good as I can be, grouping are "tight". Now as for SD, Hornady Critical Defense.....as others have stated, no reloads for SD. IANAL, YMMV

[Guest Todd@CIS]

I'm certainly not doubting your results - just really find that strange. Makes me wonder if there is a big difference between lots of the Critical Defense or something.

Agreed and same.

[glockster157]

I am not going to get into the "reloads or not" argument, each to his own nut for some wicked manstoppers, load some Hornady Hollow based wadcutters upside down. Soft lead, kinda like a giant hollow point. Use normal 38 spl load data up to about 900 fps. Now days this is a novelty load for shooting water jugs but in the old days it was a self defense load. Too bad we can't use them anymore.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Some .38 wadcutters loaded backwards...

http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/pocket_dynomite/

...I wouldn't call that "wicked."

When it expanded, the penetration was too shallow.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Todd@CIS

[glockster157]

Last test I saw they loaded it up to 1000 fps. It actually pushed the base thru the expanded lead ring so they slowed it down to about 900 fps. They were getting .750 expansion. It is no surprise that they did not get much out of 780 fps. That is about wadcutters normal speed. Sped up it did work better but it was easy to tip and tumble if it was not point blank and I said it was a novelty load...for its day. Probably best to use some newer stuff.

As to the newer loads, I am a believer in size and velocity over expansion. I don't care how well made a bullet is, if you plug the nose with cloth, leather, wool, etc, it has become a solid. I used to carry 125 Corbons in my 38's but I have been using the soft Federal lead HP's as of late.

[leroy]

I need recommendations for a good .38 Spl snubby reload for my wife's pistol. I would like something good for defense, (well, as good as a .38 snubby can be), without a lot of flash, so I'm thinking a very fast powder.

Recommendations?

SW:__________

Try 5.0 grains of Unique and a hard cast 148 grain wadcutter. It is the old time "Defense" load for a j frame smith. I would recommend that you load a few of these up, shoot 'em yourself, and decide if the wife will be able to shoot 'em and hold on. My guess is this is about an 850 to 900 fps load in a short barrel.

Alliant data is here : Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide. The + p data is for speer lead swc's (...i wouldnt use em, get some hard cast 148 grain full wadcutters, .358 diameter...).

We have shot this load up to 5.2 grains of Unique in our old model 36 with no ill effects (...it aint + p marked, either...). It is a powerful and accurace load.

Hope this helps,

Kind regards,

Leroy