Due to the unexpected failure of the Hornady FTX, a new batch was obtained from Hornady:
Dave Emary of Hornady was good to his word and had the new .38 Sp FTX ammo shipment to us the next day. The new lot of standard pressure Hornady FTX, as well as a +P load, worked much better than in the previous test.
.38 Sp Hornady 110 gr FTX "Critical Defense", Average velocity = 876fps
Penetration Recovered Diameter Recovered Length Recovered Weight
Bare Gelatin 12.7" 0.46" 0.40" 108.9gr
4-layer denim 14.2" 0.42" 0.55" 108.9gr
.38 Sp Hornady 110 gr +P FTX "Critical Defense", Average velocity = 940fps
Penetration Recovered Diameter Recovered Length Recovered Weight
Bare Gelatin 12.3" 0.52" 0.38" 109.0gr
4-layer denim 14.6" 0.46" 0.43" 109.5gr
We also opened up a new case of Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP (53121), lot #L24N34, packed in a new type of 50 rd black box (previous lots have used a gold box) to serve as a control and comparison round.
.38 Sp Speer 135 gr +P JHP Gold Dot, Average velocity = 808fps (low of 744fps-high of 853 fps)
Penetration Recovered Diameter Recovered Length Recovered Weight
Bare Gelatin 12.2" 0.51" 0.51" 135.0gr
4-layer denim 19+" 0.39" 0.62" 135.1gr
While the Gold Dots were acceptable in bare gel, the 4 layer denim test was an unexpected and heretofore unseen disaster, with the NO test shots exhibiting adequate expansion. The inconsistent velocity with overly large spread was of significant concern and likely plays a role in this failure.
110 gr standard pressure Horn FTX in BG top & in 4LD middle; 4LD 135 gr +P GD bottom:
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Don Glock if your going to post information get all the info. A second batch worked just fine and the Gold Dot 135 did not.
The load looks good to me. Good penetration with moderate expansion.