The only factory ammo I have for my 442 .38 is Fiocchi 125 Gr SP which patterns like a shot gun at 7 yards. it shoots great in my 686 so I know itbisn't bad ammunitionm. What non plus P ammo does your J frame like?
That's interesting in that my 442 shot my 148 gr wadcutters as well as any stock small size fixed sight .38 special revolver that I've shot. My only hesitation is the oft-repeated advice not to carry reloads in case a DA will use that fact against someone involved in a defensive shooting.My 642 likes pretty much any 148-158 gr wad cutter. While I don’t carry it anymore (switched to semi-auto), I carried 150-158 hard cast wad cutters. Many people think that they are for target practice only, but you won’t find a better defensive .38 spl round that a wad cutter.
Lead bullets seem to shoot fine, jacketed is a problemI will say that I’ve never heard of a case where the ammo being reloads was an issue.
More on topic, have you checked the throats? Often times they are cut inconsistently which causes some bullets to be undersized in the barrel so you get leading and poor accuracy. This can be fixed.
I have noticed the same phenomenon where jacketed bullets (especially light weight) would not shoot well in the J frames. I wondered if it is a combination of barrel twist, velocity and bullet ballistic coefficient? These are certainly a critical factor in rifles but not sure if it coulld make such a dramatic effect as I, and some others on this thread have seen.Lead bullets seem to shoot fine, jacketed is a problem
What's a reasonable priceI like Federal GMM 148s when I can get them for a reasonable price. Very soft shooting and very consistent. Otherwise, a 158gr LSWC loaded over 3.5gr of W231.
What's a reasonable price
My 642 performance center shoots Norma 158gn standard pressure jacketed flat nose rounds like a champ if I didn’t carry the underwood 125gn JHP +P loads I’d feel confident with the Norma loadThe only factory ammo I have for my 442 .38 is Fiocchi 125 Gr SP which patterns like a shot gun at 7 yards. it shoots great in my 686 so I know itbisn't bad ammunitionm. What non plus P ammo does your J frame like?
Yes. And the same is true for the Ruger SP101 and LCR models.I have always believed the fixed sight J frame .38's shot better with 148 to 158g ammo, because that is what the sights are calibrated for.
Every revolver I’ve ever owned has worked flawlessly with 158gn ammo maybe I’m just lucky I’ve owned multiple rugers and Smiths those cz produced Alfa revolvers and even the ubertis all were dead on with 158gnI have always believed the fixed sight J frame .38's shot better with 148 to 158g ammo, because that is what the sights are calibrated for.
if it’s got the animal on the box it’s probably good ammo lolFor a non plus P load I'd go with a wadcutter from Federal, Winchester, Remington or Buffalo Bore.
That’s what I carry. Good stuffI have a couple boxes of these for my 442.
38 Special 150gr. Wadcutter Black Cherry Coated Hard Cast Hunting & Self Defense Ammo
Underwood Ammo offers the most comprehensive and innovative Underwood Ammo™ Subsonic Handgun Ammo for personal defense & hunting. Shop now .38 Special Lead ammo with Hi-Tek Coated Hard Cast.underwoodammo.com
That’s what I carry. Good stuff
For giggles here are some sectional density numbers.ALL J frames here and with our shooters are 230 Grain Full Wad Cutter at 800 FPS...See @Etruett for specs..they AIN'T Recreational!