All shots from a 1/7/8" barrel S&W J-frame at 10 ft.
.38 Sp Hornady 110 gr FTX "Critical Defense", Average velocity = 867fps
| Penetration | Recovered Diameter | Recovered Length | Recovered Weight | |
| Bare Gelatin | 12.1" | 0.47" | 0.41" | 109.4gr |
| 4-layer denim | 19+" | 0.35" | 0.55" | 109.6gr |
On the other hand, the Corbon DPX standard pressure load worked GREAT!!!
.38 Sp Corbon 110 gr JHP DPX (using Barnes XPB all copper bullets),
Average velocity = 1021fps
| Penetration | Recovered Diameter | Recovered Length | Recovered Weight | |
| Bare Gelatin | 13.0" | 0.52" | 0.52" | 109.5gr |
| 4-layer denim | 12.4" | 0.52" | 0.51" | 109.7gr |
.38 Sp Speer 135 gr +P JHP Gold Dot, Average velocity = 853fps (gold box)
| Penetration | Recovered Diameter | Recovered Length | Recovered Weight | |
| Bare Gelatin | 12.6" | 0.54" | 0.46" | 133.4gr |
| 4-layer denim | 13.8" | 0.55" | 0.51" | 135.5gr |
Due to the unexpected failure of the Hornady FTX, a new batch was obtained from Hornady:
Dave Emary of Hornady was good to his word and had the new .38 Sp FTX ammo
shipment to us the next day. The new lot of standard pressure Hornady FTX, as
well as a +P load, worked much better than in the previous test.
.38 Sp Hornady 110 gr FTX "Critical Defense", Average velocity = 876fps
| Penetration | Recovered Diameter | Recovered Length | Recovered Weight | |
| Bare Gelatin | 12.7" | 0.46" | 0.40" | 108.9gr |
| 4-layer denim | 14.2" | 0.42" | 0.55" | 108.9gr |
.38 Sp Hornady 110 gr +P FTX "Critical Defense", Average velocity = 940fps
| Penetration | Recovered Diameter | Recovered Length | Recovered Weight | |
| Bare Gelatin | 12.3" | 0.52" | 0.38" | 109.0gr |
| 4-layer denim | 14.6" | 0.46" | 0.43" | 109.5gr |
We also opened up a new case of Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP (53121), lot
#L24N34, packed in a new type of 50 rd black box (previous lots have used a
gold box) to serve as a control and comparison round.
.38 Sp Speer 135 gr +P JHP Gold Dot, Average velocity = 808fps (low of
744fps-high of 853 fps)
| Penetration | Recovered Diameter | Recovered Length | Recovered Weight | |
| Bare Gelatin | 12.2" | 0.51" | 0.51" | 135.0gr |
| 4-layer denim | 19+" | 0.39" | 0.62" | 135.1gr |
While the Gold Dots were acceptable in bare gel, the 4 layer denim test was
an unexpected and heretofore unseen disaster, with the NO test shots exhibiting
adequate expansion. The inconsistent velocity with overly large spread was of
significant concern and likely plays a role in this failure.
110 gr standard pressure Horn FTX in BG top & in 4LD middle; 4LD 135 gr +P GD
bottom:
