re: S&W 38 Special Revolver Ammunition

Hard to tell how old some of this info is. From the intro it sounds like CH, or "Anonymous" (hard to tell who) has tried to "update" the Ayoob,Sanow/Marshall info.

Ayoob is a very credible source.

A lot of folks have dissected the Sanow/Marshall report and it is widely discredited in many quarters. IIRC many of the data are considered to be unsubstantiated and statistically invalid (i.e. some think much of the data was faked). I have no dog in that fight, and lack the skill to evaluate the data.

In any event, some of the recommendations are very dated -- as can be ascertained from Ayoob's more recent writings. (Some of the Ayoob books listed in the article were written in the early - mid 1980's.)

In response to the OP, I didn't see any mention of barrel length. If is a snub-nosed revolver (2" or less) Ayoob and Givens currently recommend the 135 grain Gold Dot "Short Barrel Revolver" load (Speer Product Code GDHP - SB 23921).

This load was designed to open up at lower velocities -- Such as those that are achieved through J-frame revolvers. It's considered to be the "gold standard" (no pun intended) for snub nosed .38's.

I'm not sure what Mas currently recommends for longer barreled .38's. I'm sure a Google search will yield that info. I'm pretty sure Evan Marshall currently recommends the CorBon DPX.