Remington .38 Special 110 gr SJHP
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bangswitch
Member
What does the box say about muzzle velocity? 110's are short bullets and used mainly to up the velocity of the round. It probably does make a good short-range defensive round, but the light bullet sheds energy more quickly than something heavier, like a 125 or especially a 158 grain. Another thing is, you'll get more side flash at the BC joint unless a really fast powder is used, and the gun will be subject to flame cutting under the top strap, which usually doesn't do long-term damage that would cause the gun to fail, but doesn't do it any good, either.
"Low recoil" is a relative term. I don't find .38 Spl. to have a lot of recoil with any load, but I'm shooting magnums mostly (all my .38 revolvers are .357M's) and the occasional .38+P feels light no matter what.
"Low recoil" is a relative term. I don't find .38 Spl. to have a lot of recoil with any load, but I'm shooting magnums mostly (all my .38 revolvers are .357M's) and the occasional .38+P feels light no matter what.
https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/
I don't see the Remington 110 SJHP bullet tested, but a similar bullet Winchester Ranger 110 +p+ didn't expand very well (IMO).
Low recoil option? Hornady 110 Critical Defense but its expansion from a 2'' barrel in that test is not very impressive, IMO.
If I carried a snub, the 130 HST Micro, 125 Golden Saber +P, Winchester 130 PDX1 or 130 Bonded +P would be my top picks.
I don't see the Remington 110 SJHP bullet tested, but a similar bullet Winchester Ranger 110 +p+ didn't expand very well (IMO).
Low recoil option? Hornady 110 Critical Defense but its expansion from a 2'' barrel in that test is not very impressive, IMO.
If I carried a snub, the 130 HST Micro, 125 Golden Saber +P, Winchester 130 PDX1 or 130 Bonded +P would be my top picks.
mcb
Member
As @GRIZ22 states the target 148gr wad cutter are probably one of the softest shooting 38 Special you can find. That said they are sometime hard to find. The next best, at least from Remington, would be their 130gr FMJ 38 specials. The 130gr FMJ is their economical target ammo, and are a fair bit more available and will have pretty mild recoil. The Remington 110gr SJHP are actually 38 Special +P and are going to be snappy noisy rounds for most shooters. They are very much a self defense load not a target load.
I am not sure how much the 110 gr. sjhp REMINGTON load will expand. I used to shoot a lot of the REMINGTON 125 grain +P ammo and it expands from a 4inch barrel, but was not very impressive from a 2 inch barrel. I would recommend one of the premium +P loads using a 130 grain jhp like the FEDERAL HST, WINCHESTER PDX1 or SPEER Gold Dot short barrel load. I use the PDX1 now as it is available at ACADEMY SPORTS in my area. I used HST before that.
I have some of the standard pressure 110 grain jhp sold by COLT, but loaded by DOUBLE TAP. These loads are about 100 to 150 fps faster than the REMINGTON and are more likely to be effenctive. NOTE: RECOIL IS STRONGER THAN THE REMINGTON LOAD, but not heavy.
AVOID USING HE 130 GRAIN FMC LOAD FOR SELF DEFENSE. It is a very weak load for self defense, no more effective than the old 158 grain lead round nose. I use it all the time for practice ammo, but it will not expand for any reason.
Jim
I have some of the standard pressure 110 grain jhp sold by COLT, but loaded by DOUBLE TAP. These loads are about 100 to 150 fps faster than the REMINGTON and are more likely to be effenctive. NOTE: RECOIL IS STRONGER THAN THE REMINGTON LOAD, but not heavy.
AVOID USING HE 130 GRAIN FMC LOAD FOR SELF DEFENSE. It is a very weak load for self defense, no more effective than the old 158 grain lead round nose. I use it all the time for practice ammo, but it will not expand for any reason.
Jim
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