Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Do they increase "stopping power"?
Is there a downside to using hollow points as compared to "smooth points?"
(Rephrased: do "smooth points" have any advantages?)

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

In a 2 inch snubnose revolver, 148 gr. wadcutters or 158 lead semi-wadcutters will at least penetrate and are about as effective as anything else. Hollow points need velocity to expand and you are not going to get much out of a short barrel.

Maybe try some of the specialty loads such as the Glaser...

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Theoretically a solid point round will be more accurate over distances than the hollow point simply due to improved aerodynamics.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

what he said...

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Speer makes a 135gr +P short barreled round.
It did very well in tests.
Thats whats in my cheifs special.

Mike

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

I would use full metal jackets in a snubby not hollowpoints.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Thanks.
These suggestions are all hollow points or "blunt" points.
Does anyone still manufacture a "smooth" point 38 or 357?
Be well.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Big Rob,
Sorry.
I did not read your post well.
The FMGs appear to be "smooth" from most of the photos online.
Thanks.

PS When I looked up acutal data on hollow points and snubby guns, the "stopping" power did not seem to be significantly better,

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

There is a wide variety of projectiles you could shoot out of it

Hollowpoints
Full Metal Jacket
Semi Jacketed
Semi Jacketed Hollowpoint
Lead Round Nose
Wadcutter
Semi-wadcutter

Here is an example - without the semi-wadcutter

http://www.a-human-right.com/38ammo.jpg

The ones that arent "smooth" are the hollowpoint and both types of wadcutters

Here are both tyes of wadcutter

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...iwadcutter.jpg

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

I changed my mind. I would use a semi-jacketed hollowpoint in a snubby .38

http://www.kacknor.com/images/img/hollowpoint.jpg

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Speer "Gold Dot 38 Special 135 gr JHP +P "Stubbie" Ammo

Speer "Gold Dot"ammo designed specificaly for short barreled revolvers.

38 SPecial +P
Patented "Gold Dot" 135 grain Jacketed Holllow Point
Muzzle velocity; 860 FPS (from a 2 inch barrel) Law Enforcement requested it... and Speer/ATK obliged in Gold Dot.

Apparently most ammo makers and designers felt that, with the wide-spread move to auto-pistols over the past 20 years, that the "snub-nosed" revolver market was something to which they need not devote much attention.

But then, in August 2003, a team from the Speer division of ATK visited a major municipal law enforcement agency whose duty round was the 9 X 19mm Speer 124-grain +P Gold Dot HP, and listened carefully when the subject of a "better-performing .38 Special snubbie round" was broached. And when the Speer representatives returned to Lewiston, Idaho, they set about engineering a GDHP round that was optimized for the velocity parameters of a two-inch barreled .38 Special revolver... or in the case of the S&W J-frames, actually a 17/8-inch barrel.

And within three months, the +P-rated newly designed 135-grain Gold Dot HP, with its patented broad, deep cavity and genuine bonded-core construction, was not only created by Speer and approved by the agency which expressed the initial interest, but adopted by another major agency on the other side of the country as well. Ernest Durham, Development Engineer on the snubbie ammo project, said: This round is perfect for both law enforcement professionals and personal defense use. Its consistent expansion and patented Gold Dot bullet technology offer users extreme confidence in its performance. And with an increasing number of citizens gaining concealed carry licenses, we feel it's just the right product to chamber in the most demanding of situations.

Extensive lab testing of this application demonstrated excellent terminal performance using the exacting standards of FBI Ammunition Test Protocol. Velocity exceeds 860 feet per second in 1-7/8" production revolvers (4" test barrel velocity is 975 ft/sec).

http://www.northwestshootersupply.co...ammo20rds.aspx

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Well, the Speer HPs work well according to the Box O' Truth...at least on water jugs. How realistic compared to flesh and bone? How well will they penetrate heavy clothing? Dunno.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot27_2.htm

If I were going to carry a 38 snub, I MIGHT carry the Speer SB HPs in SUMMER and switch to the 158 SWC for WINTER carry.

EDITTED TO ADD: My brother likes to shoot at water jugs, and as I recall he was able to get just about any hollow point bullet to expand dramatically when shooting into water...even standard velocity 45 auto would mushroom to the size of a quarter without much effort. I usually shoot into soft sand to get the same effect. I have a whole jar full of various bullets expanded to 2-3 times their caliber this way...SO, I am not particularly impressed with Box O' Truth's water jug test and don't believe it necessarily proves the effectiveness of a particular bullet on human tissue in a real-life shooting situation. JMHO. Regards y'all. SC

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

What is the advantage of FMJ in a 38 snubby?
Higher velocities?

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Velocity is simply a a matter of barrel length, amount of powder and bullet weight.

The shape, weight and construction of the bullet/jacket determine the expansion. However the design of a particular bullet takes into account the expected velocity to acheive expansion of the hollow point. If you have insufficient velocity the hollow point will not expand and your bullet will perform much like a round nose. The reason for using a hollow point is that hopefully the bullet will expand to a larger diameter and cause more damage to the target.

Hollow point, round nose, wad cutter have little to do with velocity.

FYI, do not compare velocity between calibers. What is average for a 9mm would be great for a .45, because the .45 can weigh twice as much as the 9mm.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

yah, they work. my brother hunts birds with a S&W centennial.
the hollowpoints always go bang, pheasant stops moving.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Proper aim = stopping power.
From what I've seen, a .38+P loading in comparable bullet weight to a 9mm is ballistically very similar to a 9mm load out of an equivalent barrel length. Same same in my book.
Get training. It's clear you're a newbie. Worry about safe handling before you sweat ballistics.:shocked_ma:

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Under no circumstances should you use hard bullets in the place of expanding (or frangible) for personal defense. Do some research, back in the early 1900's the US military sidearm was a 38 Long Colt, of similar power to a 38, shooting hard ammo. It was totally ineffective in close situations, leading to the introduction of the 45.

In Atlanta in the early 1970's a black police Superintendent, reacting to community anger over police shootings, made the police force use wadcutter ammo. The ammo quickly became known as "Reggie Pellets" for it's ineffectiveness in bringing people down who really needed to be brought down, and now. To make matters worse, ammo that did not expand over penetrated and would hit other people. Reggie Pellets were abandoned after a couple of years and I doubt that there is a police force anywhere that would consider the use.

Hypervel is right, .38 +P is essentially equivalent to 9 mm.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

I use Hornady Lever Evolution in my Ruger sp-101....:D

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Another's opinion:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/3...r%20LSWCHP.htm

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

I would suggest you get a box of Barnes XPB bullets and several other types and brands , find a rotting tree or log and do your own comparison and figure out which seem to expand the best in the soft wood at the range you would expect to use your firearm. http://www.barnesbullets.com/products/pistol/
I know they make some damd good bullets, this video shows a .22 hitting a grape, I will have to pick up a box of .38's and take them out back and see how they work in my wifes detective colt.
I am not sure how to put a video on this post so here is a link to the video

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

I use MagSaf ammo +p 38 and 357 and it is DEVESTATING out of my Ruger SP101 with a 2 1/4 inch barrel.

Remember, BY DEFINITION, a snubbie is a purely defensive handgun; so you are shooting at 21 feet or less. So great accuracy is not the prime requirement in a snubbie; concealability and stopping power are.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Well, if you lik ea 22 hitting a grape (???) you will LOVE shooting a 357 MagSaf into a 1 gallon jug of red jello.

Re: Do hollow points work in snubby 38s?
 

Speer 135 Grain Gold Dot Short Barrel. Designed specifically to meet the FBI/IWBA performance criterion to penetrate 12" through heavy clothing and still expand.