Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP – Impressive Low Flash Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP exists to solve the oldest problem in snub nose shooting: a two inch barrel does not give a hollow point enough speed to open. This load pairs an all copper Barnes TAC-XP with a flash suppressed powder and runs 1125 fps for roughly 309 ft-lbs. Safe in any 38 Special +P rated revolver and in any 357 Magnum firearm in normal working order. Twenty rounds per box, item 20F/20.

• Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP Overview
• 38 Special +P Defense Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 110 Grain TAC-XP Copper Bullet Opens
• Specifications
• Carry Notes For This Lead Free 38 Spl Snub Load

Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP Overview

The bullet is the interesting part. A Barnes TAC-XP is machined from solid copper with a deep hollow cavity and no lead core, and it is engineered to expand across a far wider velocity band than a conventional jacketed hollow point. That matters enormously in a short barrelled 38, where a traditional bullet may simply not open at all.

The powder is the other half. Buffalo Bore developed a flash suppressed charge specifically for this load, which is not a small thing when a defensive shooting is far more likely to happen in poor light than in daylight. A fireball from a two inch revolver at night costs you your vision when you can least afford it.

The result is a 38 Special that behaves like a proper defensive round rather than a compromise. The Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP is loaded to +P pressure, so it needs a revolver rated for +P, but that covers almost everything made in the last few decades.

38 Special +P Defense Ammo Ballistics

Buffalo Bore publishes chronograph figures from real revolvers rather than a test barrel, and the spread is genuinely informative. A two inch Smith and Wesson Model 340 gives 1104 fps, a two inch Model 60 gives 1119, a 2.5 inch Model 66 gives 1149, a three inch SP101 gives 1202, a three inch Model 66 gives 1210, a four inch Model 15 gives 1287, and a six inch Ruger GP100 gives 1438 fps.

Look at the two inch numbers. Most 38 Special +P defense ammo loses so much velocity in a snub that it lands in the 800s and fails to expand. This one is still making over 1100 fps from a two inch barrel, which is the entire design goal met.

At 1125 fps the load produces roughly 309 ft-lbs. That is not a large number by centrefire standards, but it is close to the practical ceiling for 38 Special +P defense ammo in a gun you can carry all day, and the copper bullet converts more of it into a useful wound channel than a lead core bullet would.

Why The 110 Grain TAC-XP Copper Bullet Opens

Expansion in a snub is a genuine engineering problem, not marketing. Hollow points are designed around an expected impact velocity, and most 38 Special bullets are designed for a four inch barrel. Fire the same round from two inches and it can arrive slow enough to behave like a round nose.

Solid copper changes the maths. The petals are cut into the bullet during machining rather than relying on a jacket to peel, so a 110 grain TAC-XP copper bullet opens at velocities where a conventional bullet would not. Barnes designed this bullet family specifically for short barrels.

Weight retention is the second benefit. With no core to separate, the bullet keeps essentially all of its mass after expanding, which is how a light 110 grain TAC-XP copper bullet reaches the depth you want. Buffalo Bore is not chasing a heavy bullet here, they are chasing a bullet that arrives fast enough to work.

Then there is flash. A low flash 38 Special ammunition load is worth more to most people than another twenty foot pounds, because the scenario this gun exists for happens in a dark hallway or a parking garage far more often than on a sunlit range.

Specifications

Carry Notes For This Lead Free 38 Spl Snub Load

Your revolver must be rated for +P. Buffalo Bore states this load is safe in all 38 Special +P rated firearms and in any 357 Magnum firearm in normal operating condition. An older gun not rated for +P is not a candidate, and if you are unsure about a vintage revolver, ask a gunsmith before you shoot it.

There is one carry detail worth knowing. In a very light revolver, around twelve ounces, Buffalo Bore advises against subjecting the same cartridge to more than six or seven firings, because repeated recoil can work a bullet back into its case. Rotate your carry rounds rather than chambering the same ones indefinitely.

Expect real recoil from a light gun. A 38 Special +P defense ammo load in an eleven or twelve ounce airweight is not pleasant, and that is a property of the gun rather than of this ammunition. In a steel framed revolver it is very manageable.

Confirm point of impact. A lead free 38 Spl snub load with a 110 grain bullet is light for the calibre and will usually print lower than the 158 grain loads a fixed sight revolver was regulated around. Find that out on paper at your realistic distance.

Low Flash 38 Special Ammunition Availability

This low flash 38 Special ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another lead free 38 Spl snub load from the Buffalo Bore catalog, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. If your revolver is not rated for +P, see the standard pressure 38 Special 110gr TAC-XP. For more power in a 357 chambered gun, compare the 357 Mag 125gr XPB low flash, or browse our full ammunition selection.