"Recent" Short Barrel 38 Loads?

[TheRoland]

What are the current recommended loads for short-barrel 38s?

I've been running the classic Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel in my J-frame, but it's become impossible to find locally, and somewhat rarer online. I'm unsure if it's still being produced.

I checked the sticky, but it seems to be several years old and there look to be a lot more options these days, such as heavier XTPs. Any of these good?

[Chuck Haggard]

The 135gr load is still being made, but it's not made in that much volume, and it's very popular so it sells out quickly.

[JHC]

Greg Ellifritz mentioned that Gold Dot load and two others in this recent blog http://www.activeresponsetraining.ne...ive-ammunition

[Mike Pipes]

Chuck,tell him about the wadcutter!...............CYA RETRO

[Chuck Haggard]

I'm carrying target WCs in my snubs now, at this time Remingtons. They shoot to my sights, group well, cut a full caliber hole, have mild recoil. At the Revolver Round-up I did a demo shot on a block of clear gel. The Gold Dot failed to expand, the WC did as well, but it would have cut a full caliber hole from front to back.

[nycnoob]

What do you mean by "full caliber hole"? Presumably if the Gold Dot did not expand, then it is
still "full caliber" and would cut a "full caliber hole". I do no think that is what you meant.

[pablo]

If recoil is not an issue, the 158 LSWC HP's are another option. The recoil can be rather stout out of the lightweight J frames.

[Jeep]

What do you mean by "full caliber hole"? Presumably if the Gold Dot did not expand, then it is
still "full caliber" and would cut a "full caliber hole". I do no think that is what you meant.

The wadcutter will basically cut a hole that is .357 of an inch in diameter. A hollow point that doesn't expand will cut a smaller diameter hole, because like a FMJ round its shape will tend to push tissue aside rather than cut it. You can get a visual approximation of that with paper targets--the wadcutter will generally cut a bigger hole than a HP round.

[Chuck Haggard]

Any bullet with an ogive will cut a hole small than the actual bullet, hence why WCs often work better in real life than JHP/LHPs that don't expand.

[Mike Pipes]

Chuck or DocGKR......any info or opinion on Atomic 148 +P Wadcutter?.......CYA RETRO