Need .38 advice

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Mark13

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I inherited an old charter arms .38 undercover in nearly unused condition and I've found I like carrying it because it conceals so well. I've always considered .38 as marginal for self defense, so can anyone recommend decent .38 ammo? I don't think it would hold up to +p ammo, although I would probably never shoot the hot stuff except in an emergency.

I currently have hydro-shocks, but I think with the low velocity of a snub .38, a hollowpoint seems like a joke.
I was thinking of a hot all soft-lead wadcutter, but not up to +p velocity.
What you all think?
 
charters don't handle +P's well, though I know folks who carry them but never shoot them, figuring that the 5 they would shoot in an emergency wouldn't harm the gun too badly.

Nice SWC loads or some of the premier hollowpoints would do well.

It isn't so bad a gun for self-defense. It will do if you can do it.

ted
 
I carry an old model Charter Arms Undercover .38 and it's loaded with Federal 158 gr. lead hollowpoint +P. I don't think brand matters that much. I use Federal because I like their primers. My Undercover has digested a limited amount of +P's, and it is still tight. I practice with standard pressure ammo.

If I wanted to use a non+P for self defense then I would find a box of the discontinued Federal Nyclad 125 gr. lead hollowpoint.

I don't like a 148 gr. wadcutter for self defense. If I had to use that bullet then I'd want it doing 750-850 fps from a 2 " barrel.
 
The older Charter Arms (exposed ejector rod, case-colored hammer are giveaways) were often quite good guns. I love mine. It can cope with limited +P; the 158grain lead hollowpoint +Ps by Winchester and Remington are good choices and shoot to point of aim on mine. The Federal flavor of same is loaded too weak, the Cor-Bon (out of production) and Bufallo Bore are TOO HOT.

When I can score some, I intend to try out Speer's 135grain Gold Dot +P. This is a "snubby special" load that's getting a lot of notice.
 
A limited amount of +p's won't hurt the older Charters.

I picked up a box of the new Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P's. I ran 2 cylinders full each through my 642 and Charter 2000 Undercover. I couldn't tell much diffrence recoil wise between them and the 125 +p gr Silver Tips. Accuracy was about the same.
 
I was thinking that given the limited power of snub .38s, I should forget about expanding hollowpoints and go with JSP for greater penetration?

I am guessing that I would be using my .38 one-handed at contact distances, and would be getting 5 gut shots. I've seen some pretty big guts out there.
 
Mark,

Don't think that shooting someone in the guts will work. You need to plan to make shots that will STOP a determined aggressor, and that happens by hitting the thoracic triangle (more or less).

For your well-placed shot, you should use a bullet that penetrates 12 or 14 inches, if you put any stock in what the FBI uses and demands from its ammo. A JSP is likely to go 18+ inches (in ballistic gelatin, at least), creating a narrow wound channel and penetrating beyond the zone of the body that will do any good--just wasting time and energy, IOW.

The classic choice for the snub is the LSWCHP +P, 158 grs. If it fails to expand, it will penetrate just as well as a JSP; if it does expand, it will do so in a limited way to give more than adequate penetration with a wider wound channel. The other one Jim mentions, the Speer 135 GDHP, is another excellent choice.

Cops and other pros who carry snubs load what they do because lots of smart people have done lots of testing and thinking about it, based on lots of real experiences. Benefit from their experience, and load what they do.
 
Mark13: the idea that JHPs won't expand in a snubbie is dated. The new Speer 135 was designed for snubbies. The Winchester 130 Supreme is another good one, with a big fat hollowpoint cavity.

The lead 158 hollowpoint +Ps do have a decent chance of expanding although I think the above two loads have them beat in that category.
 
I will second the motion for the wadcutter load. There may be loads that will reliably expand from a 2" tube, but that expansion is going to hinder penetration. The .38 wadcutter is a good, manageable compromise.

I had an older Charter which I now wish I had never sold. It was a 5 shot with a 3" barrel, and was phenomenally accurate. Of course, if I still had it, it would probably not shoot as well, because my eyes are a quarter of a century older. It would lob a wadcutter onto a quart oil can at 50 yards all day long.
 
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