.38 snubby ammo?

**Ron3** · 07-07-22, 17:26

Definitely a place where loading your own is nice.

Soft 160 gr LHP's loaded to 850 fps are fine. Especially in a steel snub or 3-4 inch barrel.

**CAVDOC** · 07-11-22, 00:08

I attended a course called the revolver round up last year. Lots of very experienced snub carriers in the group, and we fired a lot of bullets into gelatin

Specific to 2” guns:
Short answer - if it expands, it doesn’t penetrate
If it penetrates it doesn’t expand.
Consensus- adequate penetration trumps expansion.
What load consistently penetrates adequately and has the added benefit of a full diameter wound channel and manageable recoil - wadcutters

**gunnerblue** · 07-11-22, 01:40

Originally Posted by CAVDOC

I attended a course called the revolver round up last year. Lots of very experienced snub carriers in the group, and we fired a lot of bullets into gelatin

Specific to 2” guns:
Short answer - if it expands, it doesn’t penetrate
If it penetrates it doesn’t expand.
Consensus- adequate penetration trumps expansion.
What load consistently penetrates adequately and has the added benefit of a full diameter wound channel and manageable recoil - wadcutters

What other types of ammo were tested?

**ST911** · 07-11-22, 07:12

Originally Posted by seb5

I recently broke my rule about only owning .22, 9mm, and .45ACP handguns and went back to my youth by purchasing an Airweight Centennial similar to what I carried as a back up in the 1990's. Anyway I'm way out of touch for ammuntion choices. As it weights like 12 ounces I'll stick with .38 or .38+P. What is a good round for a sub 2" gun? I hated snubby airweight .357's and see no reason to revisit them.

I like these: https://www.black-hills.com/shop/hon...-honeybadgerp/. Hit to my Js, accurate, speedloader friendly profile.

**SeriousStudent** · 07-11-22, 19:35

Originally Posted by CAVDOC

I attended a course called the revolver round up last year. Lots of very experienced snub carriers in the group, and we fired a lot of bullets into gelatin

Specific to 2” guns:
Short answer - if it expands, it doesn’t penetrate
If it penetrates it doesn’t expand.
Consensus- adequate penetration trumps expansion.
What load consistently penetrates adequately and has the added benefit of a full diameter wound channel and manageable recoil - wadcutters

I was there as well. You were probably in the session with Mark Fricke, Wayne Dobbs and Chuck Haggard.

Chuck's "Pocket Rocket's" class does a lot of research on projectiles fired out of 2" aluminum or Scandium frame 2" revolvers.

I own a lot of lightweight J-frames, and run Federal Gold Medal Match 148-grain wadcutters in them The speedstrip for the reload is the aforementioned Speer Gold Dots.

The trick is, find a round that shoots to your sights, and is controllable for follow-on shots. If you have to pull out an iPhone and do a much of math for holdovers, etc, that is not much use.

Wadcutters out of a 2" barrel tend to get 14'-16" of penetration, even through denim.

Mark was working on a big research paper of snub ammo testing this spring. We talked the other night, and that is now going to become a book.

Very few rounds are ever going to reliably expand out of a 2" revolver. Getting something that hits where you aim it is honestly more critical.

But hey, everybody carry what you like. I'm not going to be an attendee at your gunfight. I'm just a dude that's carried a J-frame in his left front pocket for the last 30 years, who practices drawing and stuff a round into someone's eyeball at 5 feet.

CAVDOC - are you going back this November? There are some more cool things in store.

**SeriousStudent** · 07-11-22, 19:36

Originally Posted by ST911

I like these: https://www.black-hills.com/shop/hon...-honeybadgerp/. Hit to my Js, accurate, speedloader friendly profile.

I really like those as well, and have started using them as the reload for drills. The also hit right to my sights on a lot of my 2" J and K frames.

**seb5** · 07-11-22, 19:58

Wow, I appreciate the info. I believe the new 340 says not to use anything under 110 grains. Any idea why?

I find myself carrying it more and more and gobble up whatever 38 ammo I find. I found the 158 +P loads on the high end of manageable recoil. The snubbie load is a bit tamer. I have plenty of Glocks and 1911's but last week on my range trip I took the Centennial, a 625, and a pair of 1917's(Colt and S&W). Just a lot of fun. I can't say that I feel undergunned in most cases with the J and a pair of speed strips.

As I'm still active LEO I carry a Glock 48 and 2 spares every day but it's nice to dress down sorta with the J. The science of many cartridges has changed but it sounds as if the old .38 hasn't changed much. I remember the old cops from the 70's carrying the wadcutters.

**CAVDOC** · 07-11-22, 20:23

Yes I will be back - living about 45 minutes away from gunsite this among other certain events held there, makes it crazy not to attend

**CAVDOC** · 07-11-22, 20:27

Originally Posted by SeriousStudent

I was there as well. You were probably in the session with Mark Fricke, Wayne Dobbs and Chuck Haggard.

Chuck's "Pocket Rocket's" class does a lot of research on projectiles fired out of 2" aluminum or Scandium frame 2" revolvers.

I own a lot of lightweight J-frames, and run Federal Gold Medal Match 148-grain wadcutters in them The speedstrip for the reload is the aforementioned Speer Gold Dots.

The trick is, find a round that shoots to your sights, and is controllable for follow-on shots. If you have to pull out an iPhone and do a much of math for holdovers, etc, that is not much use.

Wadcutters out of a 2" barrel tend to get 14'-16" of penetration, even through denim.

Mark was working on a big research paper of snub ammo testing this spring. We talked the other night, and that is now going to become a book.

Very few rounds are ever going to reliably expand out of a 2" revolver. Getting something that hits where you aim it is honestly more critical.

But hey, everybody carry what you like. I'm not going to be an attendee at your gunfight. I'm just a dude that's carried a J-frame in his left front pocket for the last 30 years, who practices drawing and stuff a round into someone's eyeball at 5 feet.

CAVDOC - are you going back this November? There are some more cool things in store.

As noted above yes will return.

Ironically I don’t have a 38 snub at the moment.
Maybe will fix that by class time, otherwise will show up with a 4”