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38 S&W (NEW COLT POLICE) - 125 gr. Hard Cast FN 1,000 fps - 20 Round Box
PRESS RELEASE FOR BUFFALO BORE 38 S&W or 38 COLT NEW POLICE (item 20.5A)

After countless customer requests for ammunition that will make the 38 S&W cartridge lethal to humans, Buffalo Bore is delivering. There are millions of small revolvers still in circulation chambered for this cartridge and if an ammo company was to make effective self-defense ammo, the little revolvers would have a meaningful purpose for personal defense against humans. Current (as of this writing in 03-2013) factory ammunition offerings include soft pure lead bullets of round nose configuration at very low velocity. Round nosed bullets do little terminal damage as they tend to slip and slide through mammalian tissues and the very low velocities don’t help much either.

In order to make this cartridge more lethal for defense against humans, we designed hard cast (not soft) bullets that will not deform on impact and will maintain their flat nose profile as they penetrate through muscle and bone and because of their flat nose, they crush (not slip and slide) through mammalian tissues, doing considerable damage along their path. Then we added velocity by using modern powders that will give extra velocity and remain within the SAAMI pressure limits of 13,000 CUP. The result is a lethal cartridge that brings new usefulness to these old pistols. In fact, this load is as powerful as most ordinary 38 SPL ammo currently being made, by most ammunition companies! Depending on how much clothing must be penetrated and how much bone is encountered, expect 22 to 30 inches of straight line penetration in mammalian tissue with this load. This 125gr. hard cast bullet is moving roughly 250 fps faster than other commercial ammo we tested of the same bullet weight and due to bullet design, this load was more accurate than other commercial loads we tested.

The use of jacketed expanding ammunition in this weak cartridge would be a mistake as even if you could get a jacketed bullet to expand at these velocities, doing so would limit penetration significantly enough that the bullet would certainly under-penetrate and as a result would likely not be deadly to humans. Also, hard cast bullets are more “slick” than jacketed bullets and hence generate more velocity at less pressure than comparable jacketed bullets.

We have utilized flash suppressed powder so the shooter will not be blinded by his/her own gun fire in low light situations and this can be an important advantage as the criminal element and wildlife are much more active in the darkness.

This ammunition is safe to use in ANY solid frame revolver that is in ordinary shooting condition. “Solid frame” means any revolver that is not a top break frame. “Ordinary shooting condition”, means ANY revolver that is in condition to fire any factory made, 38 S&W ammo, without malfunction. Have a competent gun smith check your revolver for “ordinary shooting condition” if you have doubts, as many of these revolvers are very old and some imports were made of questionable quality as manufacturing techniques and materials were not advanced one hundred+ years ago. Be certain to take a copy of this press release to your gunsmith, so he can understand the context of your questions.

The only two top break (not solid frame) revolver manufacturers that can use this ammunition are British Enfield and Webley. Both these models feature heavy frames and robust latches that resist deformation. All other “top break” models should never be fired with this ammunition.

We have continued our practice of using real over-the-counter revolvers to develop our published velocities of this ammunition. The duplicitous practice of using extra-long laboratory barrels to develop published velocities is deceptive to the customer. Real world users of firearms and ammunition need to know how the ammunition is performing in the real world, where it matters.

1030 fps -- S&W Regulation Police 6 inch
977 fps -- S&W Regulation Police 4 inch
926 fps -- S&W Regulation Police 4 inch
874 fps -- S&W 2 inch
 
I suppose this might be useful to non-enthusiasts who have nothing other than great-grandpas old 38 S&W to rely on for home defense, and who have no desire to own any other guns. There is still no getting around the fact that the caliber, plus the guns that are chambered for it, are functionally obsolete. Even if I did happen to own a gun chambered in .38 S&W, the $2.00 a round that Buffalo Bore charges for their ammo would be better spent on larger quantities of ammo for the modern firearms in 9mm, .357 and .38spl+P that I own and do rely on for defense.
 
I suppose this might be useful to non-enthusiasts who have nothing other than great-grandpas old 38 S&W to rely on for home defense, and who have no desire to own any other guns. There is still no getting around the fact that the caliber, plus the guns that are chambered for it, are functionally obsolete. Even if I did happen to own a gun chambered in .38 S&W, the $2.00 a round that Buffalo Bore charges for their ammo would be better spent on larger quantities of ammo for the modern firearms in 9mm, .357 and .38spl+P that I own and do rely on for defense.

As you had said, there are many people that have nothing but great-grandfather's old "Victory" revolver to rely upon for peronal protection. This is the load for that purpose. Many people like to buy the old Colt's "Banker's Special" revolvers chambered in .38 Colt's New Police (A.K.A. .38 S&W) and use them to good effect. (Remember: S&W Produced revolvers chambered for this cartridge until 1976.)

Scott
 

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