I carry Gold Dots in speedstrips. I occasionally shoot my old Gold Dot 135’s out of mine, when I cycle out carry ammo. It’s a bit sporty. But I carry WC’s in the gun for all my .38’s.Originally Posted by Leroy
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I carry Gold Dots in speedstrips. I occasionally shoot my old Gold Dot 135’s out of mine, when I cycle out carry ammo. It’s a bit sporty. But I carry WC’s in the gun for all my .38’s.
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Last edited by Sherman A. House DDS; 09-15-2018 at 03:36 PM.
I am. One thing that has kept me from switching is I have to have hollow points by department policy (mine is carried as a back up gun more than anything else). Second, even if I was rolling with wadcutters they are almost impossible to reload from a speed loader and not much easier from a speed strip. Secondary rounds would most likely be a hollow point and then you are back to carrying +P rounds such as the Gold dot short barrel or winchester bonded 130 grain +P
Last edited by rathos; 09-15-2018 at 03:12 PM.
Historically my 642 has only seen 158gr +p LSWCHP’s (Federal 38G). After it’s reborn I plan on just standard pressure WC or SWC.
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As regards ammunition choice for ANY given gun, nothing matters to me so much as that the ammunition shoots to POA.
Everything else is of far secondary consideration AFAIC, including ammunition brand, bullet weight, bullet construction, etc.
Anyway, because it DOES shoot to POA, I carry Gold Dot Short Barrel 135gr .38 Special+P JHP in my two Airlite S&W 340PDs.
It's pretty snappy, but not painful.
(FWIW, my steel S&W J-frames shoot to POA with .38 Special 158gr+P LSWCHP, so that's what they're loaded with.
OTOH, my Ruger LCRs shoot to POA with several brands of .38 Special 148gr wadcutters, so that's what gets carried in them.)
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
Yes, Winchester RA38B.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
I carry the same in my 442 and find it to be manageable for at least one cylinder. Wouldn't want to put half a case through it in a day ... but it's not bad. Also hits POA/POI for me.
I find RA38B (130gr +P) slightly more manageable than 135gr +P Gold Dot. Both loads are a bit of a handful compared to my wadcutter handloads (Precision Delta 148gr HBWC over 3.0gr W-231). I understand the reasons wadcutters are popular, and I wouldn't feel bad carrying them. If one was trying to standardize on one load to carry in the gun, and for reloads from strips or loaders, I think it makes sense to try the Ranger, Gold Dot, and DPX loads in your gun. Pick the one that shoots closest to the sights, and that you find manageable, and buy a good supply of that load, and then forget about it.
Practice with wadcutter, and if practicing reloads, use the carry ammo. Realistically, you wont be shooting 500 rounds at a sitting of +P anything from a five shot snubby, unless you are hard-friggin-core.
Personally, I carry the Ranger Bonded load, and practice with a mix of that, and wadcutters.
I have over the years shot all of the major +P loads out there from a snub (mostly 642). I still use the Remington 158-grain +P LSWCHP/LHP load in virtually all of my .38 special revolvers, be they a snub or larger. Except, for when the carpal tunnel I developed a handful of years ago flares up. When that occurs, I switch to shooting almost exclusively wadcutters and carry the LHPs in reloads.
All of that said - I tried the 130-grain 'micro-HST' load last year and found it very shootable. I wish Federal didn't seat the bullet to wadcutter levels, because it makes reloading difficult, but I find it to be a good load. I'll probably switch to it when I revamp everything, using the HST load for main carry and the 129-grain +P Hydra-Shok for reloads (because I find it shoots almost exactly the same, but you can actually reload with the damn thing). Even though the HST is a "+P" load, it tends to push ~750 fps out of a J-Frame. Meaning it's not really much different shooting wise than a wadcutter. My only real concern is inconsistent penetration from the HST in a J-Frame (particularly bare gel, but throw some clothing in there and it seems to get back to 14"+ pretty easily, and most people are clothed...). The flipside is the Hydrashok might as well just be a 130-grain ball round, if it expands it's a nice performing round, but most of the time it punches about 18"+ right on through.
I only use the 642 for a backup, no intention of ever reloading it. The day I was testing 125 gr +p it was 90 degrees, humid, and my hands were covered in sweat. The gun would start to slip around and shooting at a decent pace was not getting the accuracy I wanted. That was my issue.
Grip tape up the backstrap.
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