.38 +P Corbon DPX 110 grains, Speer Gold Dot 125 grains, and virtually any Lead Semi Wad Cutter Hollowpoint @158 grains. Fired into soakened newspaper. All expand to approximately .5", and penetrate that particular media to similar depths. More and more people are returning to smaller guns such as the .38 Special for self protection purposes, and once the ammunition manufacturers begin realizing this we'll see some interesting rounds. Until then, use them if you've the mind to, but fire often as the stopping power remains marginal.

But...A-HA you exclaim...why, the old technology seems to work as well as the new fangled ones, so why spend the extra cash? Elementary, my dear powderhead, for it's all in the permanent versus temporary cavity. Flesh and innards are quite elastic, and many tests in living tissue have proven that smooth projectiles push away the soon-to-be rebounding tissue, while jagged ones tear through. The purpose of the exercise is inflicting the most damage from a handheld firearm and sharp doesn't just look nasty, it is.

Rule of thumb: Anything with a caliber of .3 needs giddyup along the lines of 1200-1400 for 158 grains 1400-1600 fps for 110 to 125. Calibers of .4 and better, 155 and below should move at 1100 fps minimum, 165 -200 @ 950-1050, and 230 grains at least 800.