FBI Load .38 Special

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    I keep reading about this load. It's apparently a +P SWC Hollowpoint that gets high marks from writers like Massad Ayoob and others. The only problem is that the only place that carries anything like it is Georgia Arms, but when I did a search for reviews, I found that the only one gave it a poor review. Velocity and accuracy were fine, but expansion was terrible. The hollowpoint bullets looked as though they could have be reloaded again, and so I gave up on them.

    I've been unable to find them anywhere and according to what I've heard, they're very expensive when they are found. The bullets seem to be straightforward enough, and there's little in their description that would justify a horribly high price. The Georgia Arms load seems only to suffer from hard bullets. I have several very small .38 revolvers (early model 60 and 36). And despite not being made for +P ammo, their steel construction does let them handle the more powerful ammo.

    If anyone knows where I can get the FBI Load at a reasonable price, please let me know. Also, had anyone used this ammo in these bantum-sized pistols, please let me know.
     

    jawn

    YOU TROLLIN!
    Feb 10, 2011
    2,884
    INTARWEB
    Dunno about cheap, but Buffalo Bore still does a 158 +P lead semiwadcutter. You'll occasionally find some boxes of the Federal stuff floating around of the FBI load, but by and large the market has moved to faster burning powder ammo for snub-nosed revolvers (as seen with the Speer Gold Dots formulated for short barrel revolvers).

    https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=108
     

    Shazam

    Active Member
    Dec 20, 2012
    731
    Remington makes a "FBI Load" 158 grain lead hollow point +P. It has a softer projectile than any other factory loaded lead hollow point 38. It's not loaded quite as hot as the Buffalo Bore version but much less expensive and softer shooting. I keep a couple Model 10's loaded with it around the house.

    I like Georgia Arms semi wad cutter practice ammo. Never tried their hollow point.
     

    cstone

    Active Member
    Dec 12, 2018
    842
    Baltimore, MD
    I haven't seen it in years, but Winchester used to provide us our ammunition when we carried S&W Model 15 4" and it was labeled as 110 Gr JHP, +P+ It was known to many as the Treasury load. We put many thousands of these rounds down range out of our Model 15 revolvers and while it probably shortened their service life, none of us ever questioned whether they would do the job. The bullets were running about 1000 ft/sec out of the 4" barrel and most of us didn't count our scores but the number of X's on our targets. We had some excellent marksman on the job back in the day.

    http://winchesterle.com/Lists/CatalogAmmo/Attachments/7/RA38110HP.pdf
     

    Huckleberry

    No One of Consequence
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 19, 2007
    23,306
    Severn & Lewes
    As mentioned, checkout Speer Gold Dot 38 Special +P Short Barrrel 135g JHP for your Snubbies. It will also perform well with 4” barrel too

    The FBI load may have set the standard once but it is a dinosaur compared to newer, modern LE duty JHP designs

    Here’s a nice comparison of ballistics for all us Snubbie lovers

    http://snubnose.info/docs/snubby_ballistics.htm
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I have several very small .38 revolvers (early model 60 and 36). And despite not being made for +P ammo, their steel construction does let them handle the more powerful ammo.

    All S&W revolvers in .38 Special, made after WWII, are rated for +P ammunition. That's straight from S&W.
     

    Tebonski

    Active Member
    Jan 23, 2013
    631
    Harford County
    Lucky Gunner has it for $23.00 box of 50. Midway has Remington now for $23.34. I used to shoot these out of J framed Smiths, stung a little but how many are you going to shoot?
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    I have fired 158 grain lead ammunition powered close to the FBI load in a 2”
    M36 Chief’s Special, 3” M36 (using skimpy factory and Pachmyer grips), and an early Ruger 2” LCR. All recoiled stoutly but controllably. The Smith’s exhibited more muzzle flip. The Ruger is more straight back but hard into the palm. These are not beginner nor casual shooter gun/ammo combinations.

    I do use a pocket holster for the LCR and load it with 125 grain +P ammunition.
     

    Boom Boom

    Hold my beer. Watch this.
    Jul 16, 2010
    16,834
    Carroll
    As already mentioned , .38 Special FBI load is 158gr LSWCHP +P. I've practiced with it for years in my snubbies. Easiest one to get is Federal 029465084134:
    https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/prod...ial-federal-le-158gr-p-semi-wadcutter-hp-ammo
    https://www.luckygunner.com/38-special-p-158-gr-lswchp-federal-le-50-rounds

    If you haven't shot it, be prepared for brutal recoil out of a lightweight .38 snub-nose. My hands start to feel numb (and ache the next day) after two cylinders of it through my S&W 442.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    As mentioned , it's still offered by the big mfgs , albeit in intermittent production runs . Rarely seen on local shelves, you'll probably have to order online . ( Back in the day , W-W , R-P, and Fed were considered identical within lot to lot tolerences . Used by various LEA interchangeably depending on low bidder .)

    The Buffalo Bore is even more better-er , with an additional 50-100fps . Cool beans for medium frames, but alloy small frame snubbies, be careful of your control/ pain threshold levels . Even in the era when I regularly shot full power 125gr .357 , the FBI Load from a 13oz revolver was as much excitement on the back end as I cared for .
     

    Shazam

    Active Member
    Dec 20, 2012
    731
    There is a school of thought that favors a a non-expanding projectile for the snubbie.
    dewc.jpg
     

    Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    Thanks for all three responses. They're very helpful.

    The worst chore on the earth is shooting soft lead through a bore, then trying to clean it!

    --
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    The worst chore on the earth is shooting soft lead through a bore, then trying to clean it!

    When I was a LEO and agency instructor I made a recommendation to switch from 125 grain +P SJHP ammunition to the 158 grain +P lead hollow point as at that time (1980s) it had the best record for effectiveness. We purchased some to test...you should have heard all the whining and criticism from officers who tested it because it was harder to clean afterwards. So...we stuck with the 125 grain.

    There's all kinds of reasons to adopt or not adopt a particular caliber and bullet design...and not all reasons have to make sense.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,918
    Messages
    7,258,752
    Members
    33,348
    Latest member
    Eric_Hehl

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom