Prefersd .38 or .38+P ammo for Smith 642

[99TROUBLE]

I am interested in what everyone has come to like to shoot out of their Smith & Wesson 642's or similar j frames.
FMJ practice ammo
&
JHP carry ammo

 

[lockoutmonkey]

Search and you will find.

 

[Dbltap]

Usually win white box fmj to practice and carry Speer +P gold dots. Shoot up the old +Ps once a year when it's time to replace em.

 

[ldp4570]

Federal 158grSWCHP+P for carry, and Georgia Arms 158grSWCHP+P for practice. Both of my J-Frames are all steel 640ND and 60-4 w/3"bbl. All of my other .38spl revolvers get fed the same except my 14-3, she gets 148grHBWC.

 

[okie98]

Range is my neighbor's handloads of 158gr cast SWC over 3 grains of Bullseye. Carry is Remington 125 gr +P JHP. I have a S&W 638 and love it.

 

[aeropb]

Practice ammo is my own. Carry is Speer GD +P 135gr Short Bbl.

 

[99TROUBLE]

Is it posible to shoot the +P+ in a 642 w/ out trouble ?
I know you can shoot +P .

 

[ldp4570]

Is it posible to shoot the +P+ in a 642 w/ out trouble ?
I know you can shoot +P .

No, even the all steel guns are not rated for +P+. As to shooting +P in yours, you should only shoot enough to know where she hits, and shoot nothing but standard pressure loads for practice or plinking.

 

[ProBusiness]

i am a proponent that you need to hit an attacker until he stops. This usually means multiple hits to start the demise in the attackers ability to continue to be a threat.

Hit a guy in the head/brain (above the eyes) and spinal column (back of the neck) can paralize a guy immediately per my understanding.

Heart or vital organ and be a fatal hit but can take some seconds before he is out of commission and in this 10 second or so window he can still be a threat.

there is no defentive amount of time it will take a wounded attacker to become immobalized, it varies wildly per the studies.

so, what i am driving at, and my self defense approach, is that i load and shoot what i know i can control out of a j-frame. a hollow point or 158 grain will do you no good if you miss. You need to be able to follow up the first shot with the other four and make contact in center of mass. Start the bleeding process. More holes mean more blood loss.

So, take the bullets you would like to carry, go to the range, and see which ones allow you to put four to five, rapid fire, into a paper plate at say 15' or 20' or whatever distance choose for max self defense.

That +P and +P+ may sound great and have great ballistics but can you control it?

My 642 j frame really kicks. it is soooo much harder to put all five into a paper plate than a 4" semi. so I carry a light load so i can control the gun and not be afraid of recoil. just my opinion.

 

[Old Fart]

Standard 38spl loads are more than adequate in reality.
+P gives you a little more probablity of desired results.

But using +P for plinking is a bit of an overkill.
I use my home brew for plinking.