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Amo back in focus1/8/2024 Like anything, there are always caveats to an article like this. Thoughts on the Best 38 Special Ammo for Snubbies They’re the best, and if you can find a case, hoard it like Smaug the dragon. 4) sometimes the soft lead even expands a bit. 3) they’re easy to shoot thanks to mild recoil. 2) they usually hit right behind the front sight. They’re the best 38 Special ammo for snubbies, because they do several important things. We’ve talked about wadcutters for self defense before, and we stand by that position. Also, it penetrates plenty deep as well, meeting the FBI standard. It tumbles in tissue, which gives it a larger permanent wound channel. This round makes the list of best 38 Special ammo for snubbies at #2 because it’s even more likely than the 130 grain to hit right to the sights. Federal 158 grain Lead Round Nose American Eagle 14.5 inches of penetration is pretty nice.Ģ. That rotation increases the size of the permanent wound track, and the bullet ends up traveling backwards through tissue cutting a wider wound track. Especially out of short barreled revolvers. The 130 grain American Eagle FMJ is definitely some of the best snub nosed revolver defensive ammo because when it hits tissue, it starts to rotate. This round, along with the next one on our list, both share an interesting characteristic. Full metal jacket? Standard pressure? Not a semi wadcutter? Hear me out. However, even though the 100 grain bullet is 10 grains lighter than the 110 grain bullet in Hornady Critical Defense, this round works much better. The reason it’s not higher on the list is because it’s expensive, hard to find, and has significant recoil for a +P. The Honey Badger, as a +P round definitely makes our list of the best 38 Special ammo for snubbies because it penetrated 13 inches and cut a wound track similar to a wadcutter. How could a weird profile bullet that’s essentially an FMJ with a funny tip do well? Well, I was wrong and I’m happy to admit that. I’ll admit I was pretty skeptical of this round. Because it’s a +P loading, it will deliver some extra recoil smack to the shooter. Other tests indicate that this round works better out of a slightly longer barrel, such as a 3 or 4 inch revolver. However, with 13+ inches of penetration, it definitely meets the minimum standards there. In our test, the Speer Gold 135 grain round did fail to expand. It was plugged by the four layer denim covering the gel block, and didn’t expand the way you’d hope. Out of the vast field of 38 Special revolvers, we selected a 2 inch Ruger LCR in 357 Magnum. Lastly, we’ll look at expansion, if there is any. From there we’ll look at how hard a round recoils, because that makes it hard to get good hits with. A round that expands but doesn’t penetrate enough to hit vital organs is almost as useless as a Glaser Safety Slug, and those were genuinely terrible. For a round to even be in the conversation, it must meet the FBI penetration minimum of 12 inches. How to Establish the Best 38 Special Ammo for Snubbiesīefore we get into the results, here are the ground rules. Because 38s out of small revolvers range from “pleasant” if you’re shooting full wadcutters, all the way to “spicy” in the case of rounds like the Gold Dot 135gr JHP. Which brings back to finding the best 38 Special ammo for snubbies. 357 Magnum out of a snubby is about as effective as 9mm out of a Glock 43, and the Glock is a lot easier to shoot. Plus, it doesn’t really offer improved terminal ballistics. That’s because shooting 357 Magnum out of tiny revolvers is genuinely unpleasant. And if we’re being honest, the 357 Magnum models are usually shot with 38 Specials. These guns are commonly chambered in 357 Magnum or 38 Special. This technically means that a gun like my Ruger GP100 Wiley Clapp in 10mm is “technically” a snubbie, but it’s also huge. Usually when people think “snub nosed” they think a Smith & Wesson J-frame, or a Ruger LCR. Generally speaking, a snub nosed revolver, or snubby, is technically any revolver with a barrel that’s 3 inches in length or smaller. What is a Snub Nosed Revolver? (Photo by Jay Langston) But, we’re going to focus on the best 38 Special ammo for snubbies. There was even one beautiful 40 S&W Federal HST that mushroomed perfectly. Some were 22s, a handful of 45s, and a few 32 Magnums. Over the course of the Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup (as well as a few other events), Mark observed the results from 36 different rounds into ballistic gel. The answer to that question is simple: shoot a bunch of different bullets into ballistic gel and measure the results. 38 Special Wadcutters for Self Defense: Old School Tactical Ammo How do we Find the Best 38 Special Ammo for Snubbies
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