What's the Best .38 Spec. Defense Ammo?

[Myron_Holley]

Depents. Remember first is accuracy,  You can have the best stopper in the world but if not in the target first time its like going to the bath room in the woods with no tolit paper, with 6 feet of snow. YOUR S.O.L. if the other is shooting back. If you can handle the recoil and reload go with the heavest you can. and practice practice practice. Solid lead I wheel weights work fine, Left hand, Right hand, standing, sitting, on left side on ground on right side on ground, etc. As with most self defence situations. You dont get the choice of positions. If you have to buy the Gold dot by spear is very good. But again expensive to practice with. I have traveled all over the world, Been in the Viet war, Camboida and many other places that were hot spots. Found that If I watch where I was and kept escape route open. Very seldom needed so called self defence weapon. If in a area where I suspected would need one, 12 gauge shot gun with double OO Buck is best followed by a Very good slug. That is the best in a tight close encounter.

[williamlayton]

May we expand this thought to include the 9MM??
If we are talking about these bullets in the defined calibers are we then not defining these bullets to pistol formats?
Seems to me that what we have concluded is a determination that formats--2", 4", 5" barrel lengths define the bullet, not the bullet defining the caliber.
Should we expand the question too--depending on format.
Blessings

[OLDHandgunner]

I would rethink about using a 38spl when there are so many other choices. If a 38spl is all you have it will do the job with the right bullet. Use a light bullet at +P velocity. If you reload you could try the reversed HBWC. I started shooting these loads back in the 70's in my 357 Mag. My load was 9.5grs HS-6 under a upside down Speer 148gr HBWC. (I put a gas check on the bottom of the bullet.) I shot alot of chucks & hedgehogs with this load at close range. It would about cut them in half. I can only imagine what it would do as a self-defense load.  Just hope we never have to use it.

[gwhilikerz]

Many folks think a 38 special is just not enough gun. In reality I think it does a pretty good job. Oh, you can always hear horror stories about failures with this caliber. All I know for sure is that a S&W loaded with 130 gr. hardball was my best friend for a while. It works pretty good in a tight spot.

[Lawndawg]

I just don't see where 158 gr. bullet traveling 1000 ft. per second out of a 2" snubby isn't good enough.  When people start to claim that isn't good enough except for last ditch choices.  Then I feel they are just anti-.38 special.  A 200 grain mini-atomic bomb wouldn't make them any happier, if it was stamped .38 special.

[Almtnman]

Lawndawg, if you're satisfied with a 158 grain bullet use it. If you will back up to my post on the first page you will find where I stated that a smaller grain bullet is better in a 2 inch barrel pistol and a 158 grain bullet performs better in a 4 inch barrel pistol. I made that suggestion from an actual shooting in that 158 grain bullets in a 2 inch barrel pistol was not good enough to do the job. It took 4 rounds to put the perk down, so there was a problem with bullet performance. All four bullets went through the chest area and the guy spent four days in the hospital. People ask for advice on here and it is given, some from paper and velocity facts and some from actual shooting facts, so it's up to you or anyone else to determine what you prefer. Some on here know a lot about bullet performance and some know a lot about actual shooting from being there done that and seeing what does what. I have been to many shootings and killings and investigated many in my younger days as a LEO. I don't know all that much about ballistic facts, so I have to base my decisions on what I have actually seen and witnessed in real life situations. If you want to accept paper facts on bullet performance, that's entirely up to you, but I gave a real life shooting experience just in case some of the others wanted to have just a wee bit more info. So why do I suggest a smaller grain bullet in a 2 inch barrel pistol? After an incident in which the bullet didn't do it's job, a lot of questions were asked as to why, and it was highly recommended that if using a 2 inch barrel .38 special a 125 grain bullet would be a better choice. I accepted that answer without question. Now here's why, say you have 2 perps coming at you and it takes 4 bullets to put one down, what do you do then when you're left with 2 bullets? That's something that you might want to think about. And on the question of yours about the bullets I mentioned were too high in price, is your life worth a cheap box of bullets? From real life experience never under gun yourself in a desperate situation.

[papajohn428]

Gents, we can argue all day about light VS heavy bullets, and all that stuff, but in some situations arguing caliber is moot.  I work armed, but I am limited by local statute to a 4-inch 38, not even my gun, it's company-issued.  I carry the best ammo I can find, and in my mind that's the Speer 135-grain Gold Dot.  I tested everything I could find in Duxseal, which isn't a perfect medium but it gives me a basis for comparison. It expands well out of a 2-inch barrel, and is absolutely devastating out of a 4-inch.  I carry a minimum of 30 rounds, six in the gun, twelve in speedloaders, and twelve more in an ammo wallet.  And yes, there's still a rifle in my vehicle, with several loaded mags.  I work solo, have no backup, and might not have time to dial 911.  I have complete faith in my ability to shoot and reload well and quickly, which is why I practice two or three times a week with my duty gun.  

Argue all you want about calibers and bullets.  Shot placement still matters most.  And while I once considered the 9mm marginal at best, the newer bullet technology is VERY good stuff!

Papajohn