Snubbie Ammo

Snubbies are short revolvers. The pressure pushing the projectile out has less barrel length to build up optimal pressure and achieve as high a velocity as possible.

I knew this, but didn't think about it.

A snubbie with a 1 7/8" barrel will have different performance than a the same ammo out of a 6 inch barrel revolver.

But special ammo for a revolver? I never even considered it may exist until I noticed a throwaway comment by Tam, and filed that little nugget away in my wetware.

A cursory internet search quickly turned up a Speer Gold Dot specific to the snubbie, ammo. There may be other brands, but it's good to know and record here for future reference later, when I do get a snub nosed revolver. I'm still unsettled as to model... (can you tell I've been thinking on it?)

Another option for ammo for the snub nosed is the .38 +P semi-wadcutter hollow point, I think referred to as the 'FBI load.' It's all lead, and if it work right it doesn't go THROUGH bad guys and hit things you'd rather leave undamaged behind, but leaves a quarter sized and shaped lead disk in the bad guy.

[Bob from The Drawn Cutlass has some excellent extra data in the comments: "And yet another fine load for snubs, Airweights and Scandiums in particular, is the 125-grain Nyclad hollowpoint recently re-introduced by Federal after several years off the market. It's standard velocity, and thus doesn't have the recoil or wear problems that the +P cartridges present, yet still expands reliably due to soft lead construction combined with a large-cavity hollow point, held firm by the nylon coating. This round has a fine reputation and is the self-defense cartridge to use in older .38 Special revolvers that can't handle +P pressures" ]