.38 Special Penetration, Part 1

A Handloading Experiment
59

Lindsey did his testing with new Starline brass, Aguila primers,
and CFE Pistol powder loaded on his Redding T-7. Lindsey
experimented with roll and taper crimps and eventually settled on taper.

I have been testing the efficacy of cartridges for more than 20 years. As everyone knows, the goal of defensive cartridges is to have your projectile exceed 12″ in gelatin and stop somewhere short of 18″. But what if the intended target requires more penetration? For part one of this study, I asked, “Can a .38 Special NON +P load achieve more than 18″ of penetration in ballistic gelatin?” The goal was to construct a low-pressure cartridge that could consistently shoot through the entire block, thereby overcoming the often inadequate penetration of the .38 Special.

Lindsey used RMR bullets for his .38 special cartridges.

RMR Smiley and Teardrops

For this test, I used one of my favorite bullets, the RMR (Rocky Mountain Reloading) 147-grain FMJ Smiley. These are a truncated cone design with no cannelure. One of the reasons to pick this product for penetration testing is the extra thick jackets. When I crimp them hard, shoot them at hard materials, or test them for accuracy, they never disappoint.

The Smiley face on the 147-grain bullet is stamped right into the meplat. The 124-grain bullets are stamped with a teardrop. It was explained to me that the stamped nose was a method to quickly identify the product and tooling. I’m sure this is the practical explanation, but these guys have created an icon. The bullets themselves are a testament to manufacturing consistency. I love loading and shooting them. When I went through these tests, the RMR bullets I recovered looked like they could be loaded right back into the case.

Cartridge testing is all about applying the scientific method — 
changing only one variable at a time. All loads were tested
with Lindsey’s 1970s Model 38.

Lindsey uses a Caldwell Ballistic Precision G2 Chronograph, a very reliable tool that connects to a cell phone.

The Test

I began testing with 3N37 first. 3N37 has tiny tubular grains, which don’t get chopped off in any of my powder measures. I worked up to the 670 fps level, but no matter what I did, I got unburnt powder. One of my favorite 9mm powders didn’t work for my project. I tried using CFE and it burned cleanly and completely.

Most of the similar load data for .38 loads use longer barrels, giving some reloaders unreasonable expectations about velocity. For example, Hodgdon’s published load for a Speer 146-grain JHP and CFE drives the bullet up to 964 fps with 5.1 grains. However, this is in a 7.7″ barrel. In a 2″ barrel, I was expecting about 700 fps.

I began experimenting with the crimp on a non-cannellured bullet. I was using new brass, so the type of taper, given the low pressure of the load, is a little less material. Cannellures are for roll crimps. A consistent crimp allows for consistent ignition and is integral to good accuracy. The trend these days is taper crimps, even for revolvers. For non-cannellured loads, this works well. With a taper crimp, trim length is a little less critical. For both the 124-grain Teardrop and 147-grain Smiley loads, I used a 1.416″ OAL.

I was shooting light loads, so “bullet creep” or “crimp jump,” the condition where the bullets begin to creep out of the cartridge from the recoil of the gun, was not an issue. When using heavy bullets with heavy loads, the issue can be severe enough to lock up the cylinder.

I had to go all the way to 5.1 grains of CFE in order to approach 700 fps. It cleanly went through the entire gelatin block. It also grouped under 2.5″ at 25 yards. It burned cleanly, and the copper fouling resistance, the namesake for CFE, kept the gun and barrel clean. I believe I had a winner.

I also tested CFE with RMR Teardrop bullets too. These are 124-grain bullets with the same structural integrity as the Smileys. It was a little easier to push them over 700 fps with 5.4 grains of CFE. I started with 4.9 and worked the load up. The higher velocities allowed me to print exactly where my sights pointed. The 5.4 grains gave the best accuracy.

What did these tests accomplish? First, if a low-pressure cartridge can achieve the desired penetration, imagine what would happen if we kicked it up a bit. I was testing these standard pressure loads in a +P-rated gun. It is a simple thing to kick up the pressure a little. While a .38 is certainly not a .357 magnum, it produces outstanding performance.

What’s next? Stay tuned for the next couple of tests. First, we need to look at the penetration of a cartridge purpose-built for large animal defense. After, we will revisit the Smiley bullets. As you might have guessed, they make me smile.

For more info: RMRBullets.com

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