KBintheSLC
Member
Hi Folks,
I did a bit of informal testing on some recently acquired ammo to see how it does out of my snubbie. I thought I would share the results with you. The test medium were highly coveted wet phone books, and the test gun was a S&W 637. The temperature was about 78 F, and I was shooting at about 5,400 ft. The range was 5 yards. Sorry... no chrono available.
The wet phone books each appear translate to roughly 8"-9" of calibrated ordinance gelatin (when compared to "real" gel tests with the same ammo). Each book was soaked for about 24 hours prior to testing to ensure thorough saturation.
The Ammo (all factory loaded):
Top Left: Buffalo Bore 150g Hard Cast Wadcutter (Standard Pressure). No expansion/deformation. Penetrated 2 phone books and were recovered in the back of the 3rd book. ~21"-24" of gel. This would make a great load for hiking in the woods if all you have is a 38.
Top Right: Sellier & Bellot 158g Semi-Jacketed Soft Point (Standard Pressure). I wanted to test these to see if the paltry .38 has what it takes to deform a soft point... it didn't. The tips got squished a little, but nothing to write home about. They all penetrated to about the middle of the 3rd book.
Middle Left (and Bottom Center): Remington 125g Golden Saber JHP +P. These all expanded nicely, but the ones on the bottom had the misfortune of striking other bullets in the book. So, the 4 in the center left are the only clean shots. They were all found throughout the mid-2nd book. ~11"-14" of ordinance gel estimated. This will be my regular carry load... for good reason. They worked as they should.
Middle Right Buffalo Bore 158g Soft Lead Semi-Wadcutter Hallow Point (Standard Pressure) LSWCHC. These also performed nicely. Penetrated mid-to-rear 2nd book, and expanded well. This too will make a good carry load.
All rounds were accurate and reliable in my Smith & Wesson 637. Despite being standard pressure loads, the B.B. stuff was quite warm... as was the S&B. I would certainly recommend any of these loads depending on your intended use.
Have fun out there.
I did a bit of informal testing on some recently acquired ammo to see how it does out of my snubbie. I thought I would share the results with you. The test medium were highly coveted wet phone books, and the test gun was a S&W 637. The temperature was about 78 F, and I was shooting at about 5,400 ft. The range was 5 yards. Sorry... no chrono available.
The wet phone books each appear translate to roughly 8"-9" of calibrated ordinance gelatin (when compared to "real" gel tests with the same ammo). Each book was soaked for about 24 hours prior to testing to ensure thorough saturation.
The Ammo (all factory loaded):
Top Left: Buffalo Bore 150g Hard Cast Wadcutter (Standard Pressure). No expansion/deformation. Penetrated 2 phone books and were recovered in the back of the 3rd book. ~21"-24" of gel. This would make a great load for hiking in the woods if all you have is a 38.
Top Right: Sellier & Bellot 158g Semi-Jacketed Soft Point (Standard Pressure). I wanted to test these to see if the paltry .38 has what it takes to deform a soft point... it didn't. The tips got squished a little, but nothing to write home about. They all penetrated to about the middle of the 3rd book.
Middle Left (and Bottom Center): Remington 125g Golden Saber JHP +P. These all expanded nicely, but the ones on the bottom had the misfortune of striking other bullets in the book. So, the 4 in the center left are the only clean shots. They were all found throughout the mid-2nd book. ~11"-14" of ordinance gel estimated. This will be my regular carry load... for good reason. They worked as they should.
Middle Right Buffalo Bore 158g Soft Lead Semi-Wadcutter Hallow Point (Standard Pressure) LSWCHC. These also performed nicely. Penetrated mid-to-rear 2nd book, and expanded well. This too will make a good carry load.
All rounds were accurate and reliable in my Smith & Wesson 637. Despite being standard pressure loads, the B.B. stuff was quite warm... as was the S&B. I would certainly recommend any of these loads depending on your intended use.
Have fun out there.
Awesome!
