Page 1 of 11 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 109

Thread: Snub Ammo: FBI load or Short Barrel Gold Dots

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Brooklyn NY

    Snub Ammo: FBI load or Short Barrel Gold Dots

    What is the recommended ammo for a Snub?

    I assume the two main contenders are:

    1) the FBI load: tried and true with lots of history and data

    2) short barrel gold dots: a modern ammo with all the amazing ammo improvements that have been made over the past few years


    Anyone with some actual knowledge on the subject?

  2. #2
    Very Pro Dentist Chuck Haggard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Down the road from Quantrill's big raid.
    Wound ballistics wise the Gold Dot is ahead of the LSWCHP. The FBI loads from all of the various makers often fail to mushroom when launched from a snub.

    Have you read this yet?;
    http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.p...0-ACP-vs-38-Sp


    Although, one of the things I do with my snubs is to shoot for POA vs POI, which can vary widely from gun to gun at times. I would rather have a load that shoots to my sights than the absolute best bullet for terminal performance if the "best" bullet doesn't hit where I am aiming.

    Tom Givens has written about this also, ref his Colt Cobras

  3. #3
    In the M38 I carry most often I load Gold Dot 135 grain JHPs.

    I still have a speed strip, or two, of a LSWCHP around because that used to be my carry load.

    Finished off a young deer with one of them years ago. It appeared to make a .38 caliber hole through the neck.
    I dug a bit trying to find it in the ground but couldn't.
    Shot nothing but paper with the 135 grain Gold Dot as yet.

  4. #4
    And dont over look the 110gr Corbon DPX load in 38. I belive this is Givens perfered carry load, and it and the 135 GD is my two go to loads.
    Founder Of Keepers Concealment and Lead trainer. Affiliate of CCW Safe, Use discount code ( KC10off )Sign up here https://ccwsafe.com/ref/B65241653

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Brooklyn NY
    Quote Originally Posted by Prdator View Post
    And dont over look the 110gr Corbon DPX load in 38. I belive this is Givens perfered carry load, and it and the 135 GD is my two go to loads.
    I thought there was some issues with rounds not expanding at the lower speeds of a revolver. I remember Farnam's informal rule from watching gelatin tests was to try and get 1000 ft/sec as nothing he saw worked well below that.

  6. #6
    Very Pro Dentist Chuck Haggard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Down the road from Quantrill's big raid.
    The 110gr DPX expands very well from a snub.

    Doc has tested the Critical Defense as well and it shows to be worth considering.



    If the extra penetration isn't a factor for you the Buffalo Bore 150gr wadcutter is also a good load.

  7. #7
    Member JHC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Georgia
    IIRC the Winchester PDX1 130 gr load (essentially a Ranger) has tested well. They are fairly widely available.
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  8. #8
    Cor-Bon came to my dept for a gel test. The 110 .38 load wowed everyone. Everybody who carries a snub uses it. We also issue their 5.56 load for the ARs.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Carolina
    Other pluses of the DPX round are relatively low recoil and pointy bullets that make reloading easier.

  10. #10
    how does that Corbon load compare to the 135gr +P Gold Dot in terms of felt recoil?

    I haven't seen Corbon anywhere, but I can get 50rd LE boxes of 135gr +P Gold Dot locally, so that's what I use.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •