What 38 Special Ammo would you suggest?

[Doublegunner]

Assuming it's for general self defense against possible bad guys just get yourself some fresh hollow points. I would shoot up that old stuff as practice. Lots of good choices from remington, federal, Speer, winchester etc. Stick with 125-158 grain hollow points and you'll be fine. Given the ammo issues you may have some difficulty finding stuff but it's out there. Buffalo both has been pretty good about having stuff in stock. You can get free shipping if you order enough. They have some excellent loads for 38 special. On a side note model 15's are usually very accurate. Love mine. You used to be able to pick those steel K framed 38's up pretty reasonably because everyone wanted a magnum.

 

[noharleyyet]

Hornady 125 gr XTP is what this'n cylinders...

https://flic.kr/p/24Wfw9b

 

[Don Fischer]

My 148gr WC die is messed up so have been shooting 155gr WC with HP and fill the HP with silicone. Problem I read about with HP bullets is the HP tends to load up with material going through cloths and does not expand. At close range I'm not sure expansion is important. But having no experience shooting bad guy's in slef defense I think I'll rely on the 9mm loads I use unless all I have with me is something else. I do believe the game is probably wide open for what you use. That 125gr LE went to in 357 I understood it was to elminate shooting through and getting someone on the other side. You should shoot what ever you shoot best. Something I believe about the bad guy's, once they see you have a gun and are willing to shoot back they start thinking hard about leaving! The only worry to me seems to be the one high on drugs, pretty small chance of finding him and even if you do a properly placed 22 mag will stop him dead!

I somehow doubt any of us will ever find a need to defend ourselves, think about it, just not as common a problem as we think it is. Of course doesn't stop me from carrying everywhere I go, you know, just in case. If I need it better on my belt than home in a drawer.

My own 38 is not a carry gun. S&W 38/44. Big and weight's a ton. But I really do prefer revolver's so tried out a S&W Dective special. 125gr factory and that won't happen again. Little thing with factory 125gr loads really numbed up my hand. I'd shot one to scare the guy then put it away and hide! My CF autoloader's exist only because I found one small enough to hide away well and shoot soft enough that they don't bother my hand at all. Had a 4" Colt Trooper years ago I shot 148gr wadcutters out of 38 spec cases and carried it in every major city in the US, I drove trucks for a living! I have been into every hell hole in the US and never but one time had to get out a gun and the sight of the gun ended the problem immediately.

Something I'd learned about bad places in my years driving was to pay attention to where I was in a particular area, be aware of whats around you and don't get brave and go where you please just because you have a gun. Ass holes in those places will try you! You really are better off knowing how to use your gun and using it if you have to but better than that is avoiding situations.

I wish everyone carried, the bad element would be much more cautious!

 

[Don Fischer]

Not sure I agree with that. If you don't have justification to take his life, you don't have justification to permanently maim or disable him.

This is really true I believe. If I have to shoot someone they are going to die. Then I will take the advice i was given by a NTC cop years ago. I drove trucks for a living and have been into all the meat market's in NYC, nasty places! Unloading times started at 3am! Imagine Harlem at 3am! Been there done that! Anyway the cop told me they all knew most us driver's had guns in the trucks so if we had to shoot someone don't call the cops, leave them lay and they will eventually find them! His reason was, less paper work that way! You shoot someone and leave them alive, you have turned loose a witness! My attitude, I suspect, displays a complete lack of faith in our legal system! I do believe that if I shoot someone in self defence he'll go to the morgue and I'll go to jail for defending myself, I'm not a movie star!

 

[millerkiller77]

I'd go with a proven round in that caliber. Speer 135gr GDHP .38special +p

 

[Redmt]

Hard cast lead removes a lot of variables. Consistency would be important.

 

[buffybr]

Hornady 125 gr XTP is what this'n cylinders...

https://flic.kr/p/24Wfw9b

Where's the barrell???

 

[noharleyyet]

Where's the barrell???

 

[Nicoli7153]

I bought the hydro shock Federal +P cause I heard good things, but that was long ago.

Thank you

Shot a lot of deer with those back in the day when I was in law enforcement, mostly car/deer survivors. They get the job done!

 

[glazer1972]

I prefer 158gr but I’d take what I already had.

 

[Mackay Sagebrush]

A 158 grain +p Lead semi wadcutter will do the job nicely.

Do not discount wadcutters though. Even though they do not expand, knowledgable handgunners/cops etc have long carried full wadcutter loads in the snubbies and back up guns for decades due to the ability of the WC to penetrate and track record of consistent deep penetration.

I run some +P polymer coated 158 grain SWCs in this Model 15, and carry a heavy wadcutter load in my J Frame: