Also, was the SP101 the 2.25" or 3.0" barrel?Were the Short Barrel Gold Dots the .38 Special variety or the .357 Magnum variety?
I favor Buffalo Bore 158gr .357 Magnum Jacketed Hollow Cone HPs in my Sp101s, mostly because they shoot to POA.
"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
Wow Rosanadana you ask a lot of questions!
I’ll try to cover them all...
It was the .38spl +P version. I don’t have the box but IIRC 135gr?
Gun was the 2.25” model.
It required (2) rounds (actually used a third for assurance). Deer was a medium sized spike buck that weighed approximately 175lbs Max I’d guess. I shot him at the base of the head/neck/spine from approximately 6’. I was unable to get closer as the poor guy was thrashing about with his hind quarters busted up pretty bad. I didn’t want to get injured. It was a rural area with fairly limited traffic. Due to the extent of the vehicle damage, I called the County Sheriff and they dispatched a deputy which took approximately 40min. Immediately after hitting the deer, I exited the vehicle and removed the debris from the roadway (various parts of my front end...) I found the deer about 15’ off the roadway.
I guess I was expecting more immediate results. I’ve hunted deer since I was a kid (in fact this trip was to do just that) so I am not a stranger to the effects of (rifle) bullets on deer. I have never hunted with a handgun. The first shot initially did not seem to have effect although I clearly hit him. A second shot was administered from the same range. There was still a bit of movement (involuntary?) and I administered a third shot for assurance.
In retrospect, I had 2 speedloaders of .357mag in the center console which would have been better suited. I honestly did not expect the animal to still be alive. Impact was at approximately 55mph. I would have had to walk back to the truck 200yds+, retrieve the ammo, exchange the ammo, and return to the deer. The poor fellow deserved better than to suffer any longer.
Thoughts? I need to be carrying something more than a .38snub in the winter...no matter how lazy I am. Especially up here. (Michigan UP). The deer could have been easily much bigger, and/or less injured. On the defensive side, your typical yooper clothing would most likely slow that .38 down a whole lot. My .44spl GP100 is looking much better the past few days. I also need to rethink my load out of a single speed strip (also .38) as a reload.
There ya go....
The most valuable item I had at my disposal once again was the bill bar/brush guard on the front end.
Last edited by entropy; 11-12-2020 at 09:56 PM.
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
What didn’t impress you?
I’ve had to do that with a 9mm before. 124gr Speer Gold Dot, standard velocity, 3” barrel, bang-flop - spine right below the base of the skull. 147 gr HST, same thing. 124gr +p HST pulled the insides out of a rabbit with a chest hit.
ETA- you answered while I was writing. Cool.
Sounds like it did the job.
Last edited by Duelist; 11-12-2020 at 11:08 PM.
Thats an interesting assertation given pretty much every military power in the early 1900s specifically going to semi-autos even when semi-autos were still pretty janky, with one of the reasons being field reliability of revolvers in dusty and muddy environments.
I mean, think about that; revolvers were less reliable in the field than even 1st Gen combat autoloaders, and were only used as a substitute standard. That's a pretty powerful fact. I highly doubt that a gun with what is basically a hand-fitted watch mechanism inside it would have done just as well as a modern service pistol when exposed to talcum-like sand 24/7. I mean, come on dude....it's a revolver. We can like them however much we want, but that's getting a bit absurd given the actual performance of revolvers as military sidearms in the field.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Nowhere in my post did I state that.
The entirety of my post was responding to your overconfidence in revolvers in that they would perform just as well as an M9 in field conditions, which if you want to act stupid at this point I'll just go ahead and say it: it's fucking retarded.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Im not sure what your experience is with using handguns overseas is. Mine was used but mostly to try to chalk up a m9 kill by a 20 year old. I would have been better served by another belt of 556 or a few more frags.
A revolver most likely would have been just as effective. My m9 was hardly used at all.
I'm glad you were ok. I don't know if they are available in your area but look into a ranch hand to replace your bull bar.
I see shooting a deer and man as two separate missions. I would be shooting the deer to kill it and want immediate death. The man I want to change his mind about attacking me. I wonder if a shot to the skull would have stopped him quicker? I know it's hard to hit a head that's moving.
Were you able to recover any of the bullets? I would be curious how they penetrated and if they expanded.