Where is the FBI load?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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Hello everyone!

I've had a heck of a time finding a box or two of any 158 grain .38 special +P Lead Semi-Wad Cutter Hollow Point (LSWCHP) ammo, otherwise known as the "FBI load". I was planning on getting some for my Model 64 police trade in that's coming to me from J&G Sales.

I just have searched EVERYWHERE, Gun Broker, Ammoseek.com, Arms List, Gun Auction... for whatever reason I just CANNOT find this load for sale either commercially or in private transactions.

I know Remington still has this load in there lineup, marketed under there "HTP" line. Here it is at Sportsman's Guide dot com, but it's out of stock w/ no backorder like every other place on the internet:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...terminal-performance-ammo-50-rounds?a=1500063

I understand this was a popular defense round in .38 special revolvers, and gave good performance out of both snubs and service revolvers. So what gives? It appears that it has all but disappeared on this planet and for the life of me I don't know why, so if anyone can help me in finding some that would be TREMENDOUSLY appreciated! :)

Thanks!
 
Since you want a factual answer, here it is.

It doesnt seem to be a large production capacity round.

the rounds for 38 special that are easiest to find at any time are lead round nouse and 130 grain fmj. and 110-125 grain jacketed hollow points.

wadcutters, semi wadcutters, and derivatives are almost impossible to find. its almost impposible to find lswchp bullets to reload your own.
 
Buffalo Bore sells the best FBI load. Somehow they get more juice out of theirs than anyone I have ever seen. We ran some thru our chronograph and got an honest 1,000 fps from a 1 7/8" J frame.
 
Buffalo Bore dot com.
Their version is better than what the big 3 make.
 
Cool! That's my favorite 38 load. Shoots to P.O.A. out of my Snubbies and 4" Smiths.
Also, it's usually vfry accurate. Nice to know where to find it. Been very scarce lately.
 
^ It's also a very effective SD load. It has a lot going for it.

I bought some Hornady SWCHP bullets to use in practice loads for the FBI load.
 
I ran some of the Buffalo Bore stuff (FBI loads) in my Model 15 recently. It felt almost like I was shooting .357s out of it. Powerful stuff.

I also really like the Buffalo Bore .38spl non +P hard cast wadcutters. They are great in my J Frame snubbies.
 
Last edited:
Buffalo Bore... That's good stuff right there. Their loads with Barnes copper bullets are awesome too.
 
351 WINCHESTER said:
Buffalo Bore sells the best FBI load. Somehow they get more juice out of theirs than anyone I have ever seen. We ran some thru our chronograph and got an honest 1,000 fps from a 1 7/8" J frame.
Click to expand...
+1.

Yes the best FBI load. You can get the non+p rated load to (860 fps or so).

I've choroned the +p BB load and from my 2 inch 64 it did get 1000 fps, and from my 2 3/4 Speed Six 1100 fps.

Not bad at all.

Deaf
 
At the risk of ticking off a whole lot of folks, I honestly think the FBI load has been eclipsed by modern bonded jacketed hollow points. I think the ammo manufacturers are in agreement, judging by what they've been offering for Personal Defense loadings over the past decade.

Personally, I would buy some PDX-1s and carry on.

Your mileage may vary...
 
I can vouch for Buffalo Bore's load too. I have tried both the standard and +P loadings. The +P is too much for my little J frame IMO. Their standard pressure variety shoots very well, and is on par with the big mamufacturer's velocity specs for +P anyway. This is my chosen carry round.

At first a guy may think they are full of crap, but Buffalo Bore has some of the most accurate velocity advertising out there. No test barrels, real guns.
 
At the risk of ticking off a whole lot of folks, I honestly think the FBI load has been eclipsed by modern bonded jacketed hollow points. I think the ammo manufacturers are in agreement, judging by what they've been offering for Personal Defense loadings over the past decade.

Personally, I would buy some PDX-1s and carry on.

Your mileage may vary...
Click to expand...

In many other calibers I would agree. I like PDX1 in 9mm. But with the generally low velocity of 38 special I think the soft lead semi wadcutter HP makes a lot of sense. If it expands, great, should be as effective as anything out there. If it does not, at least you've still got a hard hitting heavy bullet with cutting and tearing characteristics.
 
Buffalo Bore loads it, but it's only available in 20 round boxes:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/45...in-lead-semi-wadcutter-hollow-point-box-of-20

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/17...mi-wadcutter-hollow-point-gas-check-box-of-20

Hornady and Speer both make 158 Grain LSWC-HP bullets for reloading. I've found them at Midway a time or two, and they just had the Hornady version on sale a few days ago when I checked.

If you order from Midway, be sure to look up the appropriate promo code. You can get $5 off a $25 order or $15 off a $100 order. If you're almost at $100 anyhow, might as well add a box of ammo or something and basically get it for free...
 
I'm with mboe 794 on this.

Remember, what's new and popular is rarely what's better.
What it usually is, is marketing.
Marketing is just another word for BS, a way to sell ice cubes to Eskimos.
 
That settles it then, I will get the Buff Bore load.

I am wondering though, does the +P version have a great deal or recoil in a 4" K-frame .38 special? If so I will probably go with the standard pressure version instead.
 
Without having shot either, from the youtube gelatin test I just checked out, I'd probably go with the +P version. The standard averaged 850 FPS from a 1 7/8" S&W snubby and penetrated about 20" with less expansion than you'd expect given the LSWC-HP's reputation. It'd probably expand a little more from a 4" barrel, but I'd expect the +P to expand even more reliably.

The standard load would make more sense in a J-frame if you needed to try to manage the recoil a little, but in a heavier gun, I don't think a +P would be hard to handle.

YMMV. But in either case, it's certainly better than nothing!

I think the BB stuff just came back in stock at Midway, so unless you find a better price elsewhere or something, I'd probably buy it soon. Ya' never know when the ammo you want might be sold out these days... Make sure you go for the "New customer" promo code - they change it every day, but it'll work whether you've already bought from them before or not.
 
Here is the expansion/penetration I got from the Buffalo Bore LSWCHP with the chrono data:

May22011carddump-164.jpg

Compare that to the lighter Barnes bullet, out of .357 (Federal loading... not Buffalo Bore) This round, I later ran through Ballistics gel and got 15" of gel and one water bottle that was used as a backstop.

May22011carddump-165.jpg
 
I load the +P data from Hodgdon, 158 gr. Gold Dot, Longshot, and I get 1050 fps..

The 125 gr. JHP's almost get 1300 fps. with Longshot.

GS
 
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