Best .38 Special load for Snubbies
 

Recently,Firearmstalk had a great article about .38 Snubs.

I'd like to hear what you guys might consider the best load for these guns?

Some people like standard wadcutters,some people like the "Chicago load" represented by a 158gr soft lead semi wadcutter hollow point,and some like the relatively new "New York load" which is the 135gr Speer Gold Dot JHP,made expressly for snub nose revolvers.

Theres a bunch more,like the "treasury load",which I think is a 110gr JHP,and theres other new stuff like the Barnes all-copper JHP.

What do you ya'll like?

For legal reasons, it is best to run with factory loads for self defense. I like the Hornady Critical Defense.

The lighter bullets seem to be best in snubbies.

Do you have and legal rulings indicating supporting that statement?

I have heard a bunch of people give that advice. But I have never heard of a single case. I carry handloads all the time. If I am forced to shoot someone someday I believe that what load I chose to use will be the least of my problems.

There have been law suits already where the person had used reloads for self defince and the lawyers tryed to base the suit on the reloads being cruel because they were so much more powerful them factory loads. I know of only one that was a judgement against the defendant for this reason, and that was in Ca. the others I have read about lost the case.

I personaly use reloads in my .38 and will do so regardless of what a fat assed lawyer thinks.

I like the Gold Dot short barrel load. Shoots well out of my S&W.

do you have a link to the case in CA?

Wish I did, I used to save all links and after the last HD crash I gave up on most links but I will look to make sure

The old "Metro" load, or "FBI" load worked well for 50 years. It still works for thousands of experienced detectives today.

158 GR lead SWCHP +P
\
There are newer loads out there, but I'm not convinced there's a better one.