Best 38 spl self defence round

[sc00ter079]

hey guys just bought a new smith 637 and i was wondering what would be a good self defence round for my wife when i leave town and also a good one for me in down town cleveland when i take it with me out of town

[PegLeg45]

I would start out by getting a selection of several different brands and see which ones were the most accurate and then compare recoil, muzzle flash, etc. Use what you and your wife shoot the best in it.
Since it's a revolver, feeding isn't an issue so test several varieties and see what groups best.
It won't be cheap, but you'll have comfort in knowing the gun's capabilities and your own with it.



My personal ammo selection for SD has been Cor-Bon for about 10 years now because they balance power, accuracy, and reliability in my SD gun better than anything else I tested (I use a semi-auto which is not a factor here).


My brother-in-law is a city cop and after we tested his off-duty/back-up revolver with a wide variety of ammo, he settled on these in both his Taurus 85 and Rossi snubby revolvers:

38 Special Plus P 125gr COR-BON Self-Defense JHP
[SD38125-20]
$26.15


http://www.cor-bon.com/400.html

[CDR]

I highly recommend Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. +P short barrel JHP. 

[twyacht]

Also just acquired an M85 Taurus .38 snubbie, that's +P rated. but there are several brands. Have your wife feel the difference between a +P rd. and a standard one at the range. There is a difference that may be a factor, recoil, hand strength, muzzle flash, etc,..

Federal Nyclads kick at over 800 fps. Great SD round.

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=828

Winchester SXT, same as the old Black Talons.

Remington Golden Sabre's 125gr +P.( but they are a big round from a snubbie ) , Cor-Bon,  Federal makes a really good one that is not +P rated, 110gr, Hydra-shok JHP's.

For SD, get the good stuff and test it. Muzzle flash is a big factor. The Magtech 158gr ammo had a huge flash. Potential night blindness,...

The top shelf stuff, had minimal flash. As posted, accuracy at 5-7 yds, consistently, with recoil that is not off the hook with a "snubbie".  Ability to follow up shots, etc,...Your wife needs to get used to what is comfortable for her also, it may not be a +P rd.

Pay more, (even though it stinks), for top shelf SD ammo, get what you can for the range,,....

In a SD situation, I don't want bargain ammo....regardless of caliber.

[SigShooter]

I prefer rounds with nickel-plated cases, especially for my J-frame. I like the improved corrosion resistance of the nickel coating and it just looks better than a regular brass case.  

I highly recommend Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. +P short barrel JHP. 

I carry that round, but it's a pretty stiff round. It might not be a good choice for a wife or inexperienced shooter, based on watching my mother struggle with seven rounds (of ten rounds, through a 13.3oz J-frame).

[Sponsor]

[JdePietro]

I have a 5 inch .357 so the dynamics are a little different but I have tested Remington Gold Sabers, Corbon Pow'r ball and Fiocchi Extrema. The pow'r ball is some seriously hot stuff pushing 1400 fps out of my 5 inch barrel however recoil was the lightest of the bunch the con was the huge flash. Muzzle and cylinder flash on flame thrower proportions. The Gold Sabers was a decent round but not as accurate as my current favorite. The Fiocchi Extrema is loaded with Hornaday XTP bullets, cases are nickle and the powder is treated to reduce flash. The recoil was middle of the road and the accuracy was superb saddly the only reason I even tried it was because a box of 50 yeah thats right, 50! is only $30 at Cabelas. Easily accessible, affordable enough to test, accurate and low flash.

Now I'm not advocating you look for the cheapest round to satisfy your needs, but every once in a while it feels good to win in the game of life.   

[ellis4538]

I don't know how recoil sensitive your wife is but Federal has the non +P 125 gr. Niclad (sp) out again.  It was originally designed and sold by S&W as the "Chief Special" to be used in the CS.  Federal bought the rights and sold it for a while.  I carry it in a non +P 642.  I don't know where in Ohio you are but there are several GS in the NE where there is a guy that sells it sets up.  I have also heard good things about Cor-Bon DPX 110 +P and the Gold Sabre.

FWIW

Richard

[crusader rabbit]

No one's mentioned the MagSafe frangible.  Stuff is expensive, but it is supposed to be pretty lethal at under 15 feet and it's supposed to not penetrate drywall (in case one should miss one's target).  The idea of not actually shooting a neighbor on the other side of the wall has certain appeal (although actually shooting MY neighbor also has a certain appeal).  The MagSafe people claim their .32 ACP round has the same killing power as a .357.  There is certainly room for doubt on that claim, but there is less recoil, apparently good penetration of soft tissues, and the relative safety of a round that won't penetrate walls.  They claim their .38 Special is every bit as lethal as a .44 Mag.

My own choice for my .40 S&W has always been Speer Gold Dot or Winchester Ranger (Law Enforcement 155 gr HP).  They do kick, though.  Took wifey (Bunny Rabbit) to the range with that one and she shot once, quietly put my Glock on the bench, and started crying as she left the range.  (Daughter, on the other hand, got 10 minutes of instruction with my Glock 27 and put 10 in the black first time she shot.)  It was over a year before I could get Bunny back to the range.  Haz stepped up and showed her/got her to shoot his blued single six in .22 LR.  She seemingly enjoyed that, but she didn't like shooting MY ss single six in the same caliber.  Go figure.  Perception is everything, I guess.

[shooter32]

I use Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. +P short barrel JHP. Corbon's are another great choice.

[Dean Brevit]

What ever you get, go to the range and shoot. I would not get the latest and greatest whama jama, turn the bad guy inside out ammo, get what you can hit the target with (more than one time), my wife has a J frame and it's loaded with plain old 158gr SWC, she shoots it, practices with it (because it does not hurt) and she can light you up with it, if she had to, on the way to the shotgun.

Regards,
            Dean

PS at last count she has 4,000rds through that J frame.