Do you shoot factory ammo or handloads?

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Long ago and far away I did just that. I was working as a sworn LEO in a large city that required us to carry revolvers with ".38 spl. ammunition of 125 or 158 grs". It was stipulated that the revolver could be a .357 but that the ammo had to be .38. This was as a sort of sworn auxillary, the regular force was issued Remington .38+P 125gr. It seldom worked well.

I asked the city atty. if handloads were allowed (I mentioned this was a long time ago). He said that they were not prohibited.

I loaded 158gr Winchester JHPs to 1300 fps in .38 cases (I also tried 125gr JHPs to 1450 but they did not penetrate enough to suit me - though in retrospect they would have probably been OK). The 158s were obvioulsy designed for .38s not .357s and they too were a bit on the "explosive" side but at least they would go about 7.5" in newsprint. They left 3.5" diameter holes in the newsprint but I doubt that means much.

The gun was a nice 4" M-19 that the Police Dept. armorer had round butted and "birds headed", checkering the backstrap and putting on a set of fitted rosewood stocks with a Tyler T-grip. I wish I still had that gun!!!!

I used Blue dot for powder but it was an entirely different powder in those days, it even looked different. Not all that much flash (now it is horrendous!).

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