Snubnose Bullet Options

[18Bravo]

Of the choices offered, I prefer the Lee 358-125. As others have mentioned it is a versatile round that is capable in 9mm, 38 Special and 357 Magnums. For defensive loads I prefer jacketed hollow points. For "just the fun of it" I love the 148gr DEWC. Load um like popcorn and shot um the same way.

[Good Cheer]

Short range self defense needs:
Penetration (including winter clothing and jackets) and disabling damage.

Prevention of leading, accuracy and expansion aren't on the list. A nose profile that works well for quick reloading might make the list but to my mind not (I'm not going to plan my loads around having a snubbie fire fight).

I've experimented with .38 snubbie defense loads, including the Lyman 358395 hollow base loaded backwards.




Now I've come to the conclusion that it's a good weight and a good design but the conical plug for the hollow base needs to be changed to a wedge that extends completely across the width of the slug. That way it cuts through leather or insulated ware without being a semi-pointy nose like a SWC. And I'm thinking it will turn sideways as soon as it hits and one side of the V shears off. Maybe it needs a catchy name, something maybe like "dum-dum".

[Good Cheer]

Short range self defense needs:
Penetration (including winter clothing and jackets) and disabling damage.

Prevention of leading, accuracy and expansion aren't on the list. A nose profile that works well for quick reloading might make the list but to my mind not (I'm not going to plan my loads around having a snubbie fire fight).

I've experimented with .38 snubbie defense loads, including the Lyman 358395 hollow base loaded backwards.




Now I've come to the conclusion that it's a good weight and a good design but the conical plug for the hollow base needs to be changed to a wedge that extends completely across the width of the slug. That way it cuts through leather or insulated ware without being a semi-pointy nose like a SWC. And I'm thinking it will turn sideways as soon as one side of the V shears off. Maybe it needs a catchy name, something maybe like "dum-dum".

[farmerjim]

I alternate lee 358-125-RF with half jacket concave.

[gwpercle]

After doing a lot of testing with different loads and every boolit design I could buy, beg , borrow or steal , the winner in both my J-frame and K-frame is the
NOE 360-160-WC-PB which is the discontinued Lyman 358432 160 grain wadcutter.
It's accurate , 160 grains in weight and has a wide meplate....works for me !
Also the 160 grain weight boolit shots to the fixed sights of both J and K framed guns, which is very helpful.
Gary

[Tenbender]

None of the options fit me . I use wadcutters . If I uses a snub for more than 10 feet I might try something else but the cutters do it for me.

[MT Gianni]

NOE 160 WFN is heavy enough to penetrate, has the profile I like and light enough to have some velocity.

[RogerDat]

I see what I think is some wisdom in using commercial ammo for SD, legal reasons if nothing else and removes any doubt about what performance will be like. Where my titegroup load is different than my unique load a box of commercial will have a consistent performance when wife uses it or I do.

Mold should make ammo you can practice with that is at least close to your commercial loads. E.g the Lee 125 grain for practice if you are going to carry the Speer Gold Dot in 135 grain. Mold should make bullets that you will enjoy shooting. This will encourage lots of practice time by being fun to shoot rather than pounding the shooters hand and eardrums.

I think the point made before about stopping the bad guy being the only function is a good one. At inside the house ranges or being accosted in a parking lot the ranges are not extreme and a firefight is not high probability. SWC, WC, RN, HP or RNFP all can probably get the job done. It does matter if the bullet can penetrate leather jacket or heavy clothing reliably but at 20 feet I'm guessing a WC would do that just fine. I think I read where the reversed HBWC is bad at penetration from a short barrel. It tends to expand on clothing or whatever instead of inflicting a penetration wound.

[imashooter2]

Speer 135 grain short barrel.

[jmort]

I think the 180 grain RNFP at around 800 fps is best choice
Will shoot through your target. The notion of over penetration is a joke.
If trained LEOs hit at sub 33% any miss is total over penetration
It boils down to lines of fire.
Nothing more
If you are more than likley to miss a shot or two, and we never like to admit or discuss this issue,
Then you are way beyond "over penetration"
Line of fire and big slow bullet, through and through
That is my opinion

[bedbugbilly]

Pick what YOU want and feel confident with. Whatever you pick, practice with it and practice often.

I often carry a Smith 36 snub - either loaded with factory rounds or my own loads of a 160 gr. WC, seated out over 3.5 grains of BE.

[Djones]

I know this subject has been thoroughly discussed for decades. I do appreciate everyone's input greatly. Your discussions and real world experience are priceless.

After reading through your posts, my plan is to buy a couple boxes of the Speer gold dot short barrel. I will shoot a handful of those and keep the rest for carry while with my family. For practice I will buy a NOE 360-160 WFN HP mold. According to the drawing the mold should come out pretty close to 135 grain in the hollow point configuration. And lastly for plinking I'll stick with the lee 125 grain over some trailboss.

While I am saving up for the new mold I will also try some of the 360-180 WFN.

Well at least I have a plan now.

Thanks again guys.

David

[CIC]

148 grain wadcutter hollow base or double ended get my vote. I do carry 158 grain SWC as reloads because I can get them in they cylinder easier. Both my 148 and 158 grain molds are Lee.

[RogerDat]

I know this subject has been thoroughly discussed for decades. I do appreciate everyone's input greatly. Your discussions and real world experience are priceless.

After reading through your posts, my plan is to buy a couple boxes of the Speer gold dot short barrel. I will shoot a handful of those and keep the rest for carry while with my family. For practice I will buy a NOE 360-160 WFN HP mold. According to the drawing the mold should come out pretty close to 135 grain in the hollow point configuration. And lastly for plinking I'll stick with the lee 125 grain over some

While I am saving up for the new mold I will also try some of the 360-180 WFN.

Well at least I have a plan now.

Thanks again guys.

David

Sounds like a good plan too.

[FergusonTO35]

I carry 3.1 grains Bullseye/Lyman 148 grain wadcutter/Federal primer in my S&W 637. It clocks a very consistent 712 fps, is very accurate and easy to shoot, and penetrates quite well. I think there is a point of diminishing returns with hot rod loads in small handguns, and I always say shot placement is king and penetration is queen.

For factory ammo, the Remington UMC .38 +P 125 grains SJHP is an excellent choice that costs only a few dollars more than standard lead rounds. It has alot of exposed lead and a scalloped, thin jacket for easy expansion. The Ruger SP-101 I used to have loved them, they penetrated and expanded in wet newspaper really well too.

[Biggin]

As a long time CCW holder and certified N R A pistol instructor my short answer is to carry factory ammo for legal reasons. However I would rather see an individual carrying something they can actually hit with
Rounds on target are what counts. My .02

[Johnny_Cyclone]

We could flip that cast and loading your own to mean:

We shot him with our home made hobby target ammo.

Then we seem like what we are recreationalists that had a bad situation befall us.
Rather than some wanna be Dirty Harry type who used ammo made by a factory that is professionally produced, and specifically designed to maim and kill.

6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

[KVO]

gwpercle, Your frequent praises of the 358432 (NOE 360-160 WC) mold have not fallen on deaf ears. I gave this one a try myself after realizing I needed a .38/.357 wadcutter, and it has quickly become one of my favorites. So much so that I picked up the .44 caliber version with HP pins as well.

[Forrest r]

A link to testing done with 2" bbl's & 4" bbl's/38spl & 357 factory ammo.
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revo...cs-test/#38spl

Myself I like 158gr to 170gr bullets in the snub nosed 38spl's. I have no problem getting 950fps to 1000+fps out of 2" bbl'd 38spl's (depending on the firearm) using 158gr/power pistol p+ loads. To me light bullets (110gr/125gr/135gr) are useless in a snubnosed 38spl. Buffalo bore has a 158gr lswc hp 38spl p+/1000fps (2") load/ammo.
Brian Pearce duplicated that ammo/load using a snub nosed ruger lcr (1.87" bbl), 158gr rimrock lead gc swc hp and 6.3gr of power pistol. The Pearce article was in the #276 handloader magazine (Feb-Mar) 2012.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...uct_list&c=146

[Edward]

I say carry what you train with,I do because I can not afford that kind of expense with factory and I hate suprises !