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View Full Version : +P's in snubby's question.



joen
10-04-2004, 04:50 PM
I haven't a chrono or geletan blocks to determine this, but it seems the 130gr +P bullet wouldn't get enough velocity outa snub revolver to be more effective than the old 158gr lead rn standard .38 special bullet in the same gun. Seems to me, for the +P to do it's thing effectively, one would need 4" or better barrel. Any thoughts?

enfield
10-04-2004, 05:14 PM
I have no data, but I do know that people smarter than me favor the 158 gr SWC +P hollow points from Winchester and Remington in snubbies.

Dale
10-04-2004, 06:39 PM
It is my experience that high velocity rounds from a short barreled pistol do two things very well. They hurt and they are inaccurate.

At typical stubby ranges, lower velocity rounds do just fine, do not cause flinch, and are more accurate. Lead SWC hollow points work well, I use lead SWC in my 442. It is comfortable to shoot - I do not fear pulling the trigger - and it is fairly accurate.

If I want more power than that, I have a really nice Mag-Na-Ported Colt Python with a six inch barrel. It feels like I'm shooting .38 Special wad cutters and it is dead on. I use 158 grain SJHP in that one.

alex-vitek
10-04-2004, 06:59 PM
I haven't a chrono or geletan blocks to determine this, but it seems the 130gr +P bullet wouldn't get enough velocity outa snub revolver to be more effective than the old 158gr lead rn standard .38 special bullet in the same gun.
It is no longer as simple as it used to be. Modern bullets behave in a more predictable way than they did as recently as the early 1980s.

When you think about it you are asking about two seperate issues. The chrono will tell us how fast the bullets are traveling. The geletan will give us an idea of how the bullet would perform. If the +P bullet is a hollow point then expect it to expand at velocities as low as 800 fps.

As far as velocity being effected by the short barrel the loss in fps is now figured at approx 25 fps per inch in handguns and as much as 100 fps in a rifle. So, I would think that the 130 gr +P load out of the snubby would be just as effective in the long run, and probably more so, than a standard 158 gr LRN out of the same gun.

joen
10-05-2004, 05:54 AM
I guess it does make sense that 158gr +P would work better than the lead RN of same weight. The +P stuff I have been using is .38 Special UMC 130gr +P hollow point and PMC 158gr RN; same caliber.

banjobart
10-05-2004, 09:28 AM
I would choose the modern hollow point anyday.

They are loaded with powders that give maximum velocity out of short barrels at lower pressures while using a bullet designed to expand at the specified velocity.

It's the same thing as the choice between walking to town or riding in one of those new-fangled iron horses! Why not employ modern technology if it is available at an affordable price?

piper
10-06-2004, 08:38 AM
Accuracy was my criteria. My S&W 642 shoots the Federal Hydra-Shok 129+P best (5 shots under 2" at 50') so that's what I carry. I also have faith that it will probably expand reliably.

All of the other loads I tried (from 95 gr. to 158 gr.) coldn't duplicate this accuracy.

enfield
10-06-2004, 03:13 PM
If I were evaluating a load for carry, my first priority would be reliability, followed by penetration, then accuracy. I doesn't take a whole lot of accuracy on the part of the gun, ammo or shooter to hit the vital area at 20 feet, and there isn't any prize for smallest group size.

But, to each his own. :wink:

edited to korrect speeling - the older I get, the worse I spell. Go figure!