LSWCHP

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The Federal load has a velocity of 794 fps. Further down there's Remington offering with a velocity of 802 fps. And at the bottom of the page Winchester's version is going 750 fps. All this from 2" barrels. These anemic velocities are the problem.

Buffalo Bore's Heavy 38 Special +P 158g SWCHP-GC chronographs about 1050 fps from my 2.5" 386 NG. It probably stands some chance of expanding, but I'm not totally confident in it either. The ones from the Big-3 are pathetic and shouldn't even be called +P rounds.

YMMV,
Dave
 
Federal offered a “Nyclad” LSWCHP that was a soft lead slug coated with polymer that would expand a bit more reliably from shorter barreled .38’s... but I don’t know if it’s still offered.

Standard loads just don’t get the speed from snubs to reliably expand the harder alloys, even the +P versions. Guns with barrels of 4” and up have better results.

Stay safe.
 
Federal offered a “Nyclad” LSWCHP that was a soft lead slug coated with polymer that would expand a bit more reliably from shorter barreled .38’s... but I don’t know if it’s still offered.

Standard loads just don’t get the speed from snubs to reliably expand the harder alloys, even the +P versions. Guns with barrels of 4” and up have better results.

Stay safe.
They are no longer produced, I asked federal years ago if they would reintroduce it but they said there was no plans on the horizon and advised me to go with that wadcutter hp they have out now.
 
Does the LSWCHP not expand in short barrels?
There is no "the LSWCHP", although there are lots of LSWCHP bullets (and loaded ammunition) available. Snubs are generally velocity challenged, so softer bullets are necessary for expansion (if that's what you want). Softer bullets are industrially difficult, so you won't find them often, i.e. Nyclad.

I chose to prioritize penetration. . . with a 158 LSWC.
 
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There is a SWCHP that you can get from Rim Rock Bullets that is extremely soft. It is supposed to be the same bullet used in the Buffalo Bore Bullets. I've loaded them down to around 650-700 fps out of a 2" 38 special and they will expand in water jugs as well as anything I've ever shot. Problem is they won't penetrate. I know there are a lot of people who swear by the old FBI load with a LSWCHP as their defense load and for many years it was mine as well. But now there are so many offerings with jacketed bullets that are designed to expand and penetrate out of short barrels, I don't see advantage of the lead bullet anymore. Years ago it was the way to get expansion but you still had to push it fairly hard. Now the new bullets will do the same if not more with a lot less recoil which makes it a better defense load in my opinion. Especially for follow up shots. I just did a little playing around with several loads and water jugs with a buddy. Sort of a non scientific experiment. He is a die hard believer of using a hot .357 mag load in his snubby carry load. I had started carrying Remington Golden Saber +P 38 Special in all of my carry revolvers even the 3" .357 mag I carry a lot. Side by side, the Golden Saber out performed his .357 loads when all 3 factors I consider important were considered. Expansion was about the same. Penetration was a little better with the .357 but maybe a little too much, but due to much less recoil both of us were able to shoot shots 2-6 much quicker and more accurate. Everyone had their opinion on carry ammo and this argument will continue as long as there are guns to carry, but I put accuracy and speed of follow up shots at the top of the list on my carry requirements, so until something new comes out, I'm totally confident in the Golden Saber and a close 2nd is the new HST.
 
I load Speer 158gr hollow point SWC bullets to just over 900fps from a 2" snub Taurus model 85 and they expand fine in water jugs. I also do the Phillips screwdriver trick to the hollow point before loading them in the cases.
 
In older days the 158gr LSWCHP +P (also known as a LHP +P in at least one company's offering) enjoyed quite a satisfactory reputation when fired from regular 4" service barrels, and even from 3" barrels (like the FBI's Model 13 RB 3").

It even enjoyed a pretty good reputation when fired from little 2" snubs, although some of the FBI-influenced ballistic testing didn't seem to produce much in the way of expansion. I have some factory testing from Winchester somewhere in my older notes, dated 2002 (I think), in which the bare gel and heavy clothing results, using a S&W Model 60 2" snub, averaged .36 caliber.

However, anecdotal reports from older times over the years seemed to indicate decent effectiveness in actual shootings involving its use in snub revolvers. Maybe because the soft swaged LHP design would hit bone and deform and/or expand? Dunno. There were some satisfied LE users of it, though. Hey, an all-lead hollowpoint probably had a better chance of deforming or expanding than one of the old-style 158gr JHP or JSP loads, even in +P. Those older thick jacketed cup & core JHP/JSP's didn't exactly produce consistent expansion when fired from 4" service barrels, so you might imagine the potential falling off when even shorter barrels were involved. At least the all-lead hollowpoints didn't have to overcome a jacket, right?

The Rem version was reputed to be softer than the Win version, and it was observed to do better in some gel testing of the time, and the Fed version seemed to fall somewhere between? I still have most of a box of the original Fed 158gr Nyclad LSWCHP +P left over in my collection of older duty and off-duty ammo, as it was one of the then-newer 158gr loads I carried in my older J's back in those days.
 
A swaged bullet probably has a better chance of expansion over a cast bullet. Otherwise accuracy is your friend.
 
A swaged bullet probably has a better chance of expansion over a cast bullet. Otherwise accuracy is your friend.

Yes and always keep in mind that just because a bullet expands doesn't mean its a sure killer or sure stopper. We have been told for so long that hollow points are magic bullets that now we think an expanding bullet is the only one that will work. Round balls and round nose and flat nosed bullets have been passing out dirt naps for several centuries now. I'll take penetration over expansion any day.
 
Federal offered a “Nyclad” LSWCHP that was a soft lead slug coated with polymer that would expand a bit more reliably from shorter barreled .38’s... but I don’t know if it’s still offered.

Standard loads just don’t get the speed from snubs to reliably expand the harder alloys, even the +P versions. Guns with barrels of 4” and up have better results.

Stay safe.
Some years Federal did reintroduce their Nyclad ammo but for some reason they without their heart into it and it was hard to find. The price was high too. I do have 2 older 50 round boxes in the gold Federal box and 1.5 boxes of the newer stuff.

It was accurate enough but the 158gr LSWC/HP ammo was always more accurate for me. (FBI Load)
 
I remember when Nyclad was all the rage, then they faded away faster than a 35 dollar suit. :)

Stay safe.
 
IIRC, the newer RP LSWC-HP is much harder than the older ammo.
That could make a big difference in a 2" bbl.
 
I use both Remington and Underwood .38spl+P 158gr LSWCHP.

The Remington in my HD SW686 with 4" bbl, as all the tests I have seen show it penetrates and expands as it should from a 4" bbl.

The Underwood I stuff in my snubby as it generates roughly the same velocity as the Remingtons, but out of a 1 7/8" bbl.

The HD SW686 may well be used by a family member and the 4" 686 has hte mass to keep the recoil managable for them.
 
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