Posted: 11/13/2025 8:24:33 PM EDT
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Many years ago, speer gold dot was a good round for snub nose 38, stuff was designed for that type of weapon. What's a good round for a snub nose 38, it's rated for +P. I have a 38 "85ch" that I got back in the early 90's. I handed it down to my son. Thanks. |
| https://www.ar15.com/forums/handguns/Top-Ten-38-Spl-Snub-Nose-Loads-by-Gun-Sam/33-217891/ |
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No rules today, sport…just orders.
It’s not about how many people you kill, it’s about how many you save.
| I just ordered 2 boxes (100 rds total) of Federal 38 special, +P Hydroshock from Aim Surplus. $20 per box of 50 rds. Tax and shipping total was $62, or 62 cents per round. Beats the hell out of $25+ for 20-25 rounds of most of the current self defense ammo out there. Hydroshok may not be the newest hot SD round out there, but it's a proven performer from 1.5-3 inch revolver barrels. Thinking about ordering another 100 rounds just for grins. |
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If you need more than 8 rounds in a 1911 to solve your problem, you need friends with rifles.
I don't need your PERMISSION in order to voice my OPINION
If you need more than 8 rounds in a 1911 to solve your problem, you need friends with rifles.
I don't need your PERMISSION in order to voice my OPINION
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Originally Posted By 44-40pro: I just ordered 2 boxes (100 rds total) of Federal 38 special, +P Hydroshock from Aim Surplus. $20 per box of 50 rds. Tax and shipping total was $62, or 62 cents per round. Beats the hell out of $25+ for 20-25 rounds of most of the current self defense ammo out there. Hydroshok may not be the newest hot SD round out there, but it's a proven performer from 1.5-3 inch revolver barrels. Thinking about ordering another 100 rounds just for grins. It's sold out now. |
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Just watched the gun Sam video on his top ten. Hornady Critical Defense was on top for its consistency and availability. I think it’s tie was a Buffalo Bore Lead free round that is hotter, more expensive and harder to find. Whe Gold Dot was in the middle of the pack but still recommended. I shoot cast in .38 myself and carry a 43x loaded with Gold Dots so I really have no dog in this fight but like to review the trends. My revolvers get a lot of range time for recreational purposes but I seldom carry a revolver for social work. Mostly just the days I take them to the range I may carry one while I run errands on that outing. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Snubs? Speer Gold Dot 135gr +P, Winchester Defender (PDX1) 130gr +P, Hornady Critical Duty 110gr +P, or the venerable 148gr Wadcutter by Federal, Winchester, Georgia Arms, etc. 4" or larger? You get more latitude. Even the older tech loads like 125gr SJHP +P or 158gr LSWCHP +P are decent choices. Try some and pick whichever has best POA/POI. |
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If the gun is an airweight / alloy frame stick to wadcutters. I have reiterated these things a bouncy of times but here goes: At snub length barrels plus P gives you close to zero advantage The golden rule of snubs: If it expands it won’t penetrate If it penetrates it won’t expand Wadcutters do a lot of good: Manageable recoil Shoot to or close to sights ( many lightweight plus p’s will impact a foot or more off even at 7-10 yards) Inexpensive ( and if you reload super cheap) Meet penetration standards Sharp bullet cuts tissue instead of pushing out of the way unharmed like a round nose or plugged up HP. |
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Originally Posted By captain127: If the gun is an airweight / alloy frame stick to wadcutters. I have reiterated these things a bouncy of times but here goes: At snub length barrels plus P gives you close to zero advantage The golden rule of snubs: If it expands it won’t penetrate If it penetrates it won’t expand Wadcutters do a lot of good: Manageable recoil Shoot to or close to sights ( many lightweight plus p’s will impact a foot or more off even at 7-10 yards) Inexpensive ( and if you reload super cheap) Meet penetration standards Sharp bullet cuts tissue instead of pushing out of the way unharmed like a round nose or plugged up HP. Im comfortable with either wc or swc. I also load 147grain hst to 950fps so it will both expand and penetrate but finding a good factory .38 jhp isn't usually easy. |
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What round can you & the gun shoot well? Hitting the target is primary; I’ve never operated on anyone who complained about caliber or bullet choice. Clint Smith used to teach to hit the first part of the bad guy you can & keep shooting until you get to where it stops the bad guy. I’ve gone back to wadcutters due to arthritis issues. Although the muzzle blast of 110gr +P+ treasury loads used to burn off my crazy old man eyebrows better… 
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I can appreciate the work that Lucky Gunner did with their ammo testing. I really wish they updated their ammo tests as new products were available. It’s nice having a third party conducting tests, even if they don’t completely mimic the FBI tests. Otherwise people are dependent on watching YouTube videos or conducting their own testing which I would bet 95% of gun owners can’t. I really don’t believe marketing hype because that’s usually easy to disapprove just by looking at listed velocities on the box. I do appreciate everyone’s input. I’m using Federal HST’s in my 442, and I’m aware that they were discontinued, but I have no reason why. All the videos online are Lucky Gunner showed it being very effective. When I run out, I will probably go with 135gr Gold Dots, or 125 gr Golden Sabers. |
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Originally Posted By tooly: Thanks guys for all ya input. I had like 6 speed loaders filled with gold dot already. Just was asking if stuff has changed much.  
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Originally Posted By Ewald: No offense to OP, but this comes up a lot. That is "What round for 38 Spec snub nose?"There seem to be several different points of view. There almost needs to be an updated sticky with the various pros and cons of different point of view. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1001592795?pid=632195 They were accurate enough out of that gun, but they really shot tight out my 4” S&W M19-3. |
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In my personal gel testing experience, I had consistent expansion and good penetration with: Remington 125 gr Golden Saber +P; Remington 110 gr HTP +P; Federal 130 gr HST; Hornady 110 gr FTX +P. Money wise the 110 gr HTP +P is hard to beat. It performs as well as any of the higher priced rounds in a 2" barrel. I should add here that while I am normally a big Gold Dot fan, the 135 gr Gold Dots disappointed. |
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a new one that's getting good reviews is the Fiocchi 125 gr +P Covert X round.  The X-Files...NEW Fiocchi Covert X .38 Special +P Self-Defense AMMO Ballistic Gel Test & Review! |