I recently had the opportunity to test out a newer ammo from the guys at Bulk Ammo.  They are a company that services shooters through competitive prices, and as the name implies the more you buy the better the prices become.  Steve sent me some of Hornady’s new Critical Defense 38 special +P.

This ammo is specifically designed as a defensive load.  Since most of the work we do is on wheel guns used for duty and protection it seemed like a natural fit for us to test, and I must say that I was very pleased.

I chose to shoot the ammo in my Smith & Wesson J-frame and a Ruger SP101 357 magnum.  Both had no trouble with the ammo.  It was as you would expect 100% reliable.  I compared its recoil to two other loads; Speer Gold Dot 38 special +P and in the Ruger a standard Remington 357 magnum load.  It shot a little softer for me in my J-frame for sure.  This was confirmed because point of impact at 25 yards was slightly lower than the Speer Gold Dots that have been the standard for me for the last 8 years.

Since the test I’ve actually changed to these as a carry round for my J-frame because of the technology in the hollow point cavity.  It is filled with a red polymer type material that should keep the cavity from filling with clothing or other material that might keep it from functioning to its full expanded potential. This is one area where bullet design and development has improved significantly in the past few years.  I am confident that this ammo represents a significant improvement from the earlier versions of snub nose ammo.

When you check out the bulk ammo sight they have many different offerings on the 38 special page.  The Hornady ammo sells for $22 for 25 rounds which is a fair price.  However, they have 38 special for under $15 in the bulk offerings which is a significant improvement over average prices for 50 rounds of target ammo.  If you haven’t checked these guys out do so and see if there service and selection doesn’t impress you as well.