{"id":89617,"date":"2018-03-21T08:57:04","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T12:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=89617"},"modified":"2018-03-21T08:57:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T18:17:48","slug":"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Editor\u2019s Note:<\/strong>\u00a0The following is a post by\u00a0Mark Kakkuri, a nationally published freelance writer who covers guns and gear, 2nd Amendment issues and the outdoors. His writing and photography have appeared in many firearms-related publications, including the USCCA\u2019s Concealed Carry Magazine. You can follow him on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/markkakkuri\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">Twitter @markkakkuri.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Read Mark\u2019s previous articles in this \u201cTop Five\u201d series:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/top-five-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-carrying-a-concealed-handgun\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">Top Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Carrying a Concealed Handgun<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/top-five-pieces-gear-first-aid-kit\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">Top Five Pieces of Gear for an Individual First Aid Kit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/top-five-outside-the-waistband-holsters\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">And Top Five Outside-the-Waistband Holsters<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/top-five-magazine-holsters\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">Top Five Magazine Holsters<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/top-five-night-sights-handguns\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">Top Five Night Sights for Handguns<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A .38 Special for self-defense? It&#8217;s not the fastest or most powerful round, but it is the best round if it meets two key criteria: It&#8217;s the one you&#8217;ll actually carry and you can shoot it accurately. So, yes, a .38 Special for self-defense.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, have you noticed how there are more snub-nosed revolvers available today than ever? Clearly, the market thinks it is still a viable concealed carry gun &#8211; simple and effective, easily hidden, easily deployed. Yes, there are some wonderful auto-loading 9mm pistols and a wide range of choices in 9mm self-defense ammo today. If you&#8217;re a &#8220;slim 9&#8221; kind of person, no problem &#8211; 9mm is a great round that has enjoyed some significant technological advance in recent days. But so has .38 Special. In fact, I&#8217;ve compiled a list of some of my favorites from over the years. And with that, here&#8217;s my top five to stay alive.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Black Hills 125-Grain JHP +P<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gastatic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-89622\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/BlackHills38.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>Black Hills makes great ammo and, by that, I mean it&#8217;s clean and consistent in its performance. That&#8217;s certainly true of this .38 Special cartridge as it&#8217;s often found not only my gun&#8217;s five chambers but also in a speedloader or speed strip when I&#8217;m carrying.<\/p>\n<p>I like this mid-weight bullet backed with some +P punch as a way to inch a little closer to .357 Magnum performance minus all the fireworks and drama.<\/p>\n<p>These rounds fire at a velocity of 1,050 FPS, delivering 306 foot-pounds of energy. You can also get it in a 100-grain HoneyBadger +P (1,275 FPS velocity, 361 foot-pounds of energy) and a 148-grain Match HBWC (700 FPS velocity, 161 foot-pounds of energy).<\/p>\n<p>To learn more visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.black-hills.com\/\" campaign=\"BlackHills38Special\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">Black-Hills.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Creedmoor 125-Grain XTP +P<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gastatic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-89623\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Creedmoor38.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>You might be more familiar with Creedmoor&#8217;s rifle rounds, but the company also makes a .38 Special round in one of my favorite recipes: 125 grains and +P. These, too, see regular duty in my snub-nosed revolvers.<\/p>\n<p>Just like the Black Hills Ammo, these rounds fire at a velocity of 1,050 FPS, delivering 306 foot-pounds of energy. That&#8217;s at the muzzle, of course. At 50 yards, the bullets will be at 977 FPS and 265 foot-pounds. And then at 100 yards (who shoots a .38 from a snubbie out to 100 yards?), the bullet is at 921 FPS with 236 foot-pounds of energy.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more visit<a href=\"https:\/\/www.creedmoorsports.com\/\" campaign=\"CreedmoorSports38Special\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\"> CreedmoorSports.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>3. HPR HyperClean 158-Grain JHP<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gastatic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-89626\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HPR38.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>Unfortunately, the company that made HPR ammo has gone out of business. But there are still a few online outlets that are selling remaining stock in a few caliber choices. But who knows for how long?<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, HPR&#8217;s .38 Special with the 158-grain JHP bullet is a classic load for snubbies. It packs a manageable punch that&#8217;s different from the lighter, faster +P rounds. In fact, when this heavier bullet hits a steel plate, you can hear it. HPR&#8217;s website is no more, but typical velocities for a round like this are between 700 and 900 FPS with energy around 200 to 270 foot-pounds.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Hornady Critical Defense Lite 90-Grain FTX<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gastatic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-89624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38-400x268.jpg\" alt=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" width=\"400\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38-400x268.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38-150x101.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38-768x515.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CriticalDefense38.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>You might be tempted to dismiss this round offhand, but I don&#8217;t recommend you do so. At 1,200 FPS, it&#8217;s the fastest round of the bunch. And the round only slows to 938 FPS after 100 yards. So, if you prefer more velocity from your revolver, this might be a good round for you.<\/p>\n<p>A 90-grain bullet is lighter than most, yes, and the result indeed is a lighter shooting round. But it delivers 288 foot-pounds of energy, which also ranks fairly high in this bunch. The key feature of this round is what Hornady refers to as a &#8220;soft polymer insert that delivers superior controlled expansion and large, deep wound cavities over a wide range of velocities.&#8221; That means the bullet will do its job all while resulting in less recoil and lower muzzle flash.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, the pink tip and the pink ribbon signify Hornady&#8217;s commitment to donate a portion of the proceeds on the sale of this ammo to help fund breast cancer research.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hornady.com\/\" campaign=\"Hornady38Special\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">Hornady.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Federal Hydra-Shok 129-Grain JHP<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gastatic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-89625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Federal38.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>Federal Hydra-Shok ammo has been around and established itself as one of the top names in self-defense ammunition in a variety of calibers. Look into any Hydra-Shok bullet and you&#8217;ll see the familiar center-post, hollow-point design, which aids in penetration and expansion.<\/p>\n<p>The .38 Special&#8217;s 129-grain bullet is an interesting weight, but it leaves the muzzle at 950 FPS and drops to 926 FPS after 25 yards. Energy at the muzzle is 258 foot-pounds, dropping to 246 after 25 yards. Few cartridges have the reputation of Hydra-Shoks and that&#8217;s not likely to change anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more visit<a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalpremium.com\" campaign=\"FedPrem38Special\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">FederalPremium.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Here&#8217;s everything in a nice, tidy chart:<\/h2>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/gastatic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM.png\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-89620\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM-1024x380.png\" alt=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" width=\"1024\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM-1024x380.png 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM-150x56.png 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM-400x148.png 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM-768x285.png 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-20-at-3.05.55-PM.png 1203w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>If you want maximum energy, go for a +P round, such as the Black Hills or Creedmoor. If you want maximum velocity and low-recoil, the Hornady Critical Defense Lite will do nicely. Like a heavier, slower bullet? HPR or any other manufacturer with a 158-grain bullet will do. And, if you just want a classic, Federal Hydra-Shok&#8217;s are hard to beat.<\/p>\n<p>These aren&#8217;t the only .38 Special self-defense rounds available today. These are just my top five. If you carry a revolver and prefer to shoot .38 Special, what ammo do you choose and why?<\/p>\n<p><em>Discover how you can join more than 200,000 responsibly armed Americans who already rely on the USCCA to protect their families, futures and freedoms: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscca.com\/GunsAmerica\" campaign=\"USCCATop5\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">USCCA.com\/gunsamerica<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">***Purchase Your New Concealed Carry Revolver\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Search.aspx?Keyword=Revolver\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\" title=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\">on GunsAmerica<\/a>***<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A .38 Special for self-defense? It&#8217;s not the fastest or most powerful round, but it is the best round if it meets two key criteria: It&#8217;s the one you&#8217;ll actually carry and you can shoot it accurately. So, yes, a .38 Special for self-defense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,234,340],"tags":[299,132,586,329,626,640,544],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-89617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gunsamerica-authors","8":"category-columns","9":"category-columns-ccw-edc","10":"tag-ammo-2","11":"tag-buzz","12":"tag-column","13":"tag-edc","14":"tag-opinion","15":"tag-self-defense","16":"tag-top-5"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A .38 Special for self-defense? It&#039;s not the fastest or most powerful round, but it is the best round if it meets two key criteria: It&#039;s the one you&#039;ll actually carry and you can shoot it accurately. So, yes, a .38 Special for self-defense.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/top-five-38-special-self-defense-rounds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top Five .38 Special Self-Defense Rounds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A .38 Special for self-defense? It&#039;s not the fastest or most powerful round, but it is the best round if it meets two key criteria: It&#039;s the one you&#039;ll actually carry and you can shoot it accurately. 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Looking to purchase a firearm online? 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