Tuesday, September 09, 2008

STEPHEN CAMP & MORE

UPDATED WED. SEPT. 10, 2008

Israel’s senior ministers confer urgently on Iran as US masses air-naval might in Middle East waters

DEBKAfile Special Report

September 10, 2008, 11:57 AM (GMT+02:00)

USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier joins American Middle East armada

USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier joins American Middle East armada

Prime minister Ehud Olmert summoned defense minister Ehud Barak and foreign minister Tzipi Livni for an urgent consultation on Iran Wed. Sept. 10, as the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier headed out to the Mediterranean for missions “in support of maritime security.”

Its arrival will bring the number of US aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea to four, compared with two Russian warships. Most of the Russian fleet in the region is concentrated in the Black Sea whence it has easy and rapid access to Middle East waters.

The Roosevelt will be followed by its strike force, which includes the guided missile cruiser Monterey , the guided missile destroyers Mason and Nitze , with 7,300 sailors and marines aboard, and the attack submarine Springfield .

Our sources report that the USS Ronald Reagan carrier and its strike group began engaging in assault and support missions for US and NATO forces in Afghanistan on Aug. 28.

The Iwo Jima carrier group, whose decks carry 6,000 sailors, air crews and marines, supports the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and Fifth Fleet in the Gulf with a massive amphibious capability.

The USS San Antonio amphibious transport dock ship is the first vessel of its class to be deployed in the region as a platform for supporting Marine movements and operations ashore.

The USS Peleliu carrier patrols the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. It is escorted by vessels carrying a large Marine contingent.

Monday, Iran launched a three-day naval-air-missile exercise to practice defense tactics for its nuclear sites.

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Bush Scroll page 1

Rushing Headlong into the Gog Magog War




September 10, 2008
Hawk


One could see the glimmers of its beginning in the Symbolic Communications of the Iluminati back months ago when President Bush and President Putin met at the Black Sea dacha of Putin for what was billed as the last summit of these two leaders who had looked into each others eyes. There was a famous picture in the news wires and on the internet of Bush and Putin standing next to each other gazing off into the beautiful sunset on the Black Sea.........the picture was taken from behind the two men and what was significant was that Bush was in darkened shadow and a ray of the sunset was beaming directly onto and iluminating Putin.

At the time, I thought this was quite unique and defintiely a major signal being communicated to the so called illuminated ones .....the Luciferian Cognoscenti, that although Bush had been used to forward their plans via the 9/11 Attacks on America and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan all right out of Zibigniew Brzezinski's 1997 book the Grand Chessboard, his influence or star was waning and that now Putin's star was rising and that he would now be used to further the Luciferian goals of a New World Order, and after a World War III as described in a letter written back in the late 1800's by Masonic 33rd Degree founder and major Luciferian, Albert Pike to Guissepe Manzini the head of European Free Masonry at the time. This letter detailed the 3 coming World Wars to be fought, who would fight them, and what the Luciferians wanted the outcomes of each to be. The World War III was to be a war pitting the major religions against each other in a World War so horrible that the populations of the various nations fighting would then in all of the horror turn from their religions and be ready to embrace what Pike had said was the true religion of Luciferianism and of course subsequently the installation of the anti-Christ on the throne in the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem......the Abomination of Desolation!

Bush and Daarth Cheney's implimentation of the PNAC documents plans to create a "new Pearl Harbor" event which would galvanize public support for the "100 years of War" as Bush told the World on TV which then thrust the U.S. without exact Causus Beli into the 2nd Iraq War of an "Angel in the Whirlwind" and a continuation of his "1000 Points of Light" father Bush Sr.'s Desert Storm War against his old business partner Saddam Hussein. Of course this was part of the Iluminati Plan .........and there is a 5th Dimenison Chess Board being played . Now since all of that a newly Debt free Russia is being used just as handily to drive the world to a major conflagration .......WW III of Pike......and not a cold war but a hot one, called in the Bible in Ezekiel 38 and 39 the Gog Magog War.

Well, the "hook in the jaw" of Magog is well planted .........the Black Sea nation of Georgia has seen to that and because of U.S. and Israeli backing of the military foray of Georgia, Russia has invaded that country and now has escalated the rapid rush headlong into war and make no mistake ......Magog (Russia) has sights on Israel as well as her chief defender nation the U.S. The idea here is that the Eagle must be severely wounded, and thus leaving Israel from the standpoint of Magog and their hordes of allies, looking ripe for the picking. God will be then the only one the Israelis can count on.

However, ironically it will be the upcoming Israeli / U.S. attack upon the Prince of Persia that really sets the next phase in motion. The U.S. will be hit by Russia massively and quickly in retaliation via nuclear weapons along with attacks upon U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and all over the world. Along with that or perhaps just prior to that the Economic Powerhouse know as U.S. .....or perhaps Mystery Babylon.....will see its Markets destroyed in the collapse of all securities and the currency. Woe, Woe, Woe.

"Gentlemen prepare to defend yourselves" to quote the movie line .........is in order.

Heard it on the Backside
#1

In the ever increasing Tit for Tat ratcheting up of tensions between Russia and the U.S.
militaries which has seen Russian bombers making all their old racetrack routes of the cold war, and from many sources that now they are already presently landing in Cuba and will be in Venezuela soon...........

I have heard from reliable sources on the backside.......that U.S. B-52 bombers will be accompanied by several air tankers for refueling coming from the middle of CONUS after meeting in the North East CONUS area.......they will be deployed for at least 3 months to Germany. Obviously this brings them closer to Russia. One could surmise they will not be traveling empty of special armament........perhaps including numerous buckets of sunshine . This is probably ongoing today!

#2
As well as the 4th Fleet now deployed in the SOLANT/CARIBE and being engaged in massive Sub Hunts and hunts for possible infil of Russian Spetz into CONUS under the cover of the Russian created Hurricanes .........a beefed up U.S. Army contingent has arrived in the Carribean AO, though the exact where will not be given here. Those elements along with .......exotic xray space craft platforms are doing extremly up-tempo 24/7 operations to defend CONUS from Russian, Venezuelan, and Red Chinese attack. The U.S. is extremly vulnerable from attack coming from the Southern Flank..........D.C. and 5 Sided Building are starting to finally get it at least in some "STILL GOOD GUYS" U.S. MIL/INTEL quarters. Although, many in the Top Slots....still are not taking Putin seriously and are leaving CONUS vulnerable to prosecute the Iran Attack Plan.......Missiles from Russian subs including new quiet Diesels could hit CONUS in less than 5 minutes!
Hence, GET YOUR NBC GEAR NOW!

#3
70 % of all supplies for the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan come via truck from Pakistan on the Torkam Road through the infamous Khyber Pass.....recently, these supplies have been delayed by NW Territory Tribal factions and /or the Taliban for quite some time. The story is that the U.S. had to pay $363 million in Bakshish to get the road open again..........THIS IS A MAJOR CHOKE POINT WHICH CAN CUT SUPPLIES FOR U.S. FORCES! With the now exacerbated relations with Pakistan because of continued Missile attacks against targets inside their Sovereign Nation.....Pakistan will be forced to retaliate against U.S. forces and even their new President Zardari will make his first State visit next week..........TO RED CHINA TO CUT A NUCLEAR DEAL AND STRENGTHEN DEFENSIVE TREATIES AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH RED CHINA.

Looks like the BRZEZINSKI PLAN is being pushed hard here as well.........can't have a World War III without Pakistan and India ..........Kashmir is also being enflamed and it could start there as well.

I hope that our Troopers in Afghanistan don't get caught without food and ammo when the mountain snows come again very soon. May the Lord Jesus protect them and all of us as well.

Keep your K-BARS sharp.

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THERE IS NOT A DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THE PSALMS PREDICT THE FUTURE, THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE THAT I WILL SHOW YOU PSALM 43 = 1943 = "NAZI GERMANY" - Teddy Jacobson (there are countless examples that I have studied all my life)

Psalms Chapter 43

א שָׁפְטֵנִי אֱלֹהִים, וְרִיבָה רִיבִי-- מִגּוֹי לֹא-חָסִיד;
מֵאִישׁ מִרְמָה וְעַוְלָה תְפַלְּטֵנִי
.
1 Be Thou my judge, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; {N}
O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
ב כִּי-אַתָּה, אֱלֹהֵי מָעוּזִּי-- לָמָה זְנַחְתָּנִי:
לָמָּה-קֹדֵר אֶתְהַלֵּךְ, בְּלַחַץ אוֹיֵב.
2 For Thou art the God of my strength; why hast Thou cast me off? {N}
Why go I mourning under the oppression of the enemy?

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PROVERB 3 - VERSE 25

כה אַל-תִּירָא, מִפַּחַד פִּתְאֹם; וּמִשֹּׁאַת רְשָׁעִים, כִּי תָבֹא. 25 Be not afraid of sudden terror, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;

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Russian anti-submarine aircraft, nuclear battle cruiser head for Venezuela

DEBKAfile Special Report

September 9, 2008, 1:46 PM (GMT+02:00)

nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser" width="100" height="35">

Peter the Great nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser

Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko’s announcement in Moscow provided sketchy details of the coming Russian deployment at a Venezuela airport and the joint naval war games with Hugo Chavez’s navy in the Caribbean. Caracas announced that four Russian ships with almost 1,000 sailors aboard would join its navy for maneuvers on November 10-14.

DEBKAfile’s military sources itemize its composition:

The maritime reconnaissance/anti-submarine warfare turboprop TU-142 (NATO coded Bear F, or Bear J), which can fly 6,500 km, i.e. from Venezuela to the US coast will be temporarily based at a Venezuelan airport.

This move will further strain US-Russian relations.

Nesterenko played down the presence of the TU-142 in his statement that a smallish Russian flotilla would be holding naval training exercises off Venezuela in November. Our sources inferred that the warplanes would land in October, arriving before the flotilla, which will be bigger and more formidable than the Russian and Venezuelan spokesmen indicated.

According to DEBKAfile’s military sources, it will consist of six to eight vessels, led by the Kirov Class (Type 1144.2) Peter the Great nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser, one of the largest warships in the world, which is designed to guard the rest of the group against submarine and air attack.

It is armed with the Granit (NATO designated SS-N-19 Shipwreck) long range, anti-ship missile system, consisting of 20 missiles. If the lead missile is intercepted, one of the others moves into the lead role.

Peter the Great is also equipped with 40 S-300F air defense missiles.

Other ships in the Russian flotilla are the Admiral Chabanenko , the Russian navy’s most advanced guided missile anti-submarine battleship, and the guided nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy . They will be escorted by five smaller warships and a fuel vessel.

DEBKAfile’s military experts deduce from the makeup of the Russian group that, while it is being presented as primarily defensive, it fact it is the core infrastructure of an important Russian air and fleet presence for shielding a potential assault deployment in the event of a Kremlin decision to base one in Venezuela.

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US Navy re-establishes fleet for Caribbean, Latin America

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Navy said Thursday it has re-established the US Fourth Fleet to direct an increasing American naval presence in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The move comes as popularly elected leftist regimes, including that of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, pose a growing challenge to US influence in Latin America.

Beginning July 1, the fleet will have operational responsibility over navy ships assigned to the region from the US Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, the navy said.

Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, said the decision to establish a separate fleet for the region "recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere."

"This change increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests," he said.

The navy said they will conduct contingency operations, counter "narcoterrorism" operations, and military-to-military interactions and training with countries in the region.

Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, who currently commands the navy's special warfare units, will command the fleet.

The Fourth Fleet was a major US navy command during World War II when it was used to enforce blockades and protect against enemy submarines and raiders, but was eliminated in the 1950s.

It joins five other numbered fleets.

The US Second Fleet is responsible for the Atlantic; the Third Fleet for the eastern and northern Pacific; the Fifth Fleet for the Gulf; the Sixth Fleet for the Mediterannean; and the Seventh Fleet for the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

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HOW OBAMA BLEW IT

PAYS PRICE IN POLLS FOR BUNGLED ATTACKS ON SARAH

Palin: Strengthened among working class by media, Dem attacks.
Palin: Strengthened among working class by media, Dem attacks.

By KIRSTEN POWERS

Last updated: 4:50 am
September 10, 2008
Posted: 4:13 am
September 9, 2008

YESTERDAY'S Gallup poll had John McCain ahead of Barack Obama by an astonishing 10 points among likely voters. A Washington Post poll had that lead at only two points, but clearly showed a McCain surge - especially among women. This wasn't what Democrats were expecting when they left Denver - yet they have nobody to blame but themselves.

Obama's toughest challenge has always been to connect with working-class swing voters. So attacking the poster child for small-town values, Sarah Palin, was a bad strategy.

No, Obama didn't engage in the mass sneering at Palin - but he did fall into the trap of disrespecting her. When McCain chose her, the Obama campaign's first response was to ridicule the size of her town. Then the candidate himself began referring to her as a "former mayor" when she is in fact a sitting governor.

When she retaliated (justifiably) by mocking his stint as a organizer, the Obama camp was clearly rattled. Obama himself actually began arguing about the importance of community organizing. His supporters amplified this cry - claiming Palin's attack was a racist slur and passing around e-mails titled "Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor."

Meanwhile, the rest of the country was probably wondering what being a community organizer has to do with being president.

Lured by the McCain camp, Obama supporters engaged in an argument about who had more overall experience - the top of the Democratic ticket or the bottom of the GOP ticket. This diminished Obama.

Meanwhile, the media lit up in all their cultural-elite splendor.

Alaska? they sneered. It has the population of Las Vegas! Funny how the coastal elite only sneers at red states with small populations. Howard Dean hailed from a blue state with almost the same population as Alaska and was a national phenomenon and front-runner for the presidency. Joe Biden's Delaware has a similarly small population - but no mocking was forthcoming there.

Evangelicals will never vote for a woman who works! they declared. This from people who've likely never met an evangelical in their lives. They could barely contain themselves when they found out Gov. Palin's daughter was pregnant, so sure were they that evangelicals would hang her from the highest tree. When evangelical leaders expressed support, there was a palpable disappointment that Palin or her daughter wasn't branded with a scarlet letter.

They claimed that the Palin announcement was some desperate pick that came out of nowhere. Had they been doing their jobs, or even perusing The Weekly Standard or right-wing blogs, they'd have known that she was on the list.

Since they didn't know anything about her, they started making things up. Anything that fit the caricature of a right-wing hypocrite was thrown up with, seemingly, no fact-checking.

They said she opposes contraception, when she said in a campaign debate that she is pro-contraception. They said she cut funding for pregnant teens, when she provided a massive funding hike.

They accused her of cutting funding for mentally disabled children, when she raised it 175 percent over the former administration. She was said to have been a member of the wacky Alaska Independence Party; The New York Times had to run a retraction.

Like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Palin has been deemed one of the GOP's rising stars. Since it's national reporters job to cover American politics, their ignorance of about her is distressing.

Most Americans think that the media are cheerleading for Obama, so they'll punish him for the reporters' and editors' sins.

So now he is weighted down with more baggage as he works to convince an important voting bloc that he and his party don't hold them in contempt.

The clock is ticking.

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16 US troops commit suicide in Iraq


Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:48:50 GMT


Sixteen US troops from the a unit of the Airborne Division have committed suicide inside a military base in Iraq, security sources say.

Iraqi security sources have revealed that 21 US troops had committed suicide inside a former Iraqi air force base 27 days ago, Fars News Agency reported on Monday.

According to the sources, the 21 troops were treated in a hospital but only five soldiers have survived and they are in a critical condition. Security officials said they used potent narcotics to kill themselves.

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http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_04/029obama_468x920.jpg


http://obamawho.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/obama-muslim.jpg

VIDEOS YOU MUST SEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwpSPiKUhB0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejTmistHFw0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4XPupsVgNc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3ghj5HSkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCDImdwokng

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T0u6BPSWy0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qotHTtr30I


FATHER IN HEAVEN DON'T CRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvxdyCzlMOI&feature=related



GENESIS CHAPTER 12 - VERSE 3

ג וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ, וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר; וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ, כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה. 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.


PREVIOUS COMMENTARY

http://actionsbyt.blogspot.com/2008/09/personal-commentary-more.html

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FROM www.survivalblog.com

Letter Re: The EMP Threat May Be Worse Than We Had Thought

Mr Rawles,
Your readers may benefit from the following current links regarding the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat:

Full report of the EMP Commission to the House Armed Services Committee (July 10, 2008)

This link has a concise summary of key points from the above report:

I also recommend an interview with the Chairman of the EMP Commission.

The interview includes the following statements that are very important:

Asked just how many Americans would die if Iran were to launch the EMP attack it appears to be preparing, Graham gave a chilling reply: "You have to go back into the 1800s to look at the size of population' that could survive in a nation deprived of mechanized agriculture, transportation, power, water, and communication.
“I’d have to say that 70 to 90 percent of the population would not be sustainable after this kind of attack,” he said. [Emphasis added.]

America would be reduced to a core of around 30 million people — about the number that existed in the decades after America’s independence from Great Britain."

270 million deaths! That puts one EMP strike on a par with a full pre-emptive nuclear strike for the number of deaths inflicted. That's why I took care of securing food and water before any other preparations. - ALG


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.38 Special Expansion Tests (Water)

By

Aaron Brudenell & Stephen A. Camp

Most agree that 10% ballistic gelatin is the gold standard for bullet performance testing. It replicates human tissue and its 10% formulation is generally accredited to Dr. Martin Fackler, who did ballistic wound research for the US military. People on all sides of the "stopping power" issue use calibrated gelatin at a specific temperature for determining a cartridge's expansion and penetration characteristics. Following their protocol, test results from one individual or group can be duplicated elsewhere by others.

I personally believe that it is probably the best general indicator of what a bullet can be expected to do, but I emphatically do not trust it to be as accurate in penetration expectations as some appear to. If we are shooting pig muscle, which replicates human tissue closely and is what ballistic gelatin's properties are based upon, it should be very close. In other words, if a bullet expands to X-diameter and penetrates Y-distance in 10% ballistic gelatin, we should get approximately the same results in pig or human muscle. The problem is that I don't intend to shoot either animals in the field or human felons in the arms or legs and I'll bet most don't either!

Some opine that where a bullet strikes in the torso really won't make much difference in the handgun bullet's penetration or expansion results. This has emphatically not been my observation on animals in the field that were shot with most of the popular calibers used for self-protection. Bullets that hit bone have reacted very differently from those that passed through shoulders and lungs or a semi-liquid-filled stomach.

Penetration depths have frequently been similar to what occurred when shot into 10% ballistic gelatin, but in my experience there have also been fairly frequent variations. So while it is the most widely accepted testing media, it is not infallible. Still, it does provide interesting results that measured, photographed, and studied by serious students of terminal ballistics.

In any test media we are really comparing the expansion/penetration characteristics of one bullet to another in that medium. If an appropriate substance is used, it might be inferred that similar results could be expected in the "soft targets" that the media is hoped to replicate.

Ballistic gelatin may be the bullet expansion test media of choice, but it is not without problems. It is relatively expensive for the average fellow and it must be used within a narrow temperature range for valid results. Few of us laymen have either the cash or the facilities to do this.

Rather than shying away from "backyard ballistic testing" as "unqualified", some opt to take a look at bullet performance in a medium that is readily available and can be used at all temperatures above its freezing point and below its boiling point: water.

This medium is not without problems. Because it is more fluid than gelatin it tends to cause jacket separation from the lead bullet core in hollow points to an exaggerated degree when compared to either tissue or gelatin and getting precise penetration depths is more difficult. If penetration depths can be accurately measured, penetration depths in ballistic gelatin can be interpolated. Expansion testing in water is often not uniform amongst shooters. Some use plastic jugs while others go with cardboard milk cartons or simply a large container of water.

Does that mean that it cannot be used to learn anything about what we might expect from an expanding bullet? I think not. Results will not be accepted as "valid" by any of the serious researchers, but it has been my observation that bullets fired into water can match actual "soft target" results fairly closely.

These are not .38 Special bullets. They are 9mm 124-gr. Hornady XTP's that I handloaded for use in my 9mm pistols. Each was fired using the same weight charge of powder and from a Browning Hi Power. The one on the left was recovered from a javelina. The one on the right was fired into water. The expanded bullets are fairly close in appearance although the one shot into the denser animal expanded a bit more.

These three 9mm bullets were all fired from a Browning Hi Power. They are Winchester 127-gr. +P+ JHP's fired into different test media. The one on the left was fired into "wet pack" which is simply supersaturated newsprint. The one in the middle was used to cleanly kill a Texas whitetail deer. The one on the right was recovered from water. Are they different? Yes, but in this case they appear more similar than different. I have seen enough similarity to "trust" water expansion testing as a fairly decent indicator of what might be expected in real life. Is it as good as gelatin? Nope! I cannot get predicted wound channel depth and diameter at all nor expected penetration as easily.

These 230-gr. .45 ACP bullets were fired over the same weight charge of powder from the same 5" bbl 1911 pistol into water. Impact velocities are more in line with what we can expect from the .38 Special. The bullet on the left is a Remington Golden Saber. The one on the right is a Hornady XTP. Note that both are beginning to slip their jackets. In real life this is reported to happen more with the Golden Saber than the XTP. I have seen it occur with the Golden Saber in a deer, but as is often the case in gelatin testing, this usually occurs in the last couple or three inches of penetration. For those interested, the results of using a 230-gr. Golden Saber on a deer can be found here:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/45%20ACP%20Golden%20Saber%20Field%20Report.htm

(I think you will note some real differences in what happened in a non-homogeneous animal and ballistic gelatin (or water) that is of the same density throughout and without bones.)

With all of this in mind, let's take a look at a few .38 Special bullets that were fired into water and see how they perform from different barrel lengths.

Mr. Aaron Brudenell was kind enough to send me several expanded bullets that were fired into a large container of water without passing through any barriers. This was done several years ago and he didn't remember the exact revolver makes used for each barrel length. This is not important in the general approach of this article for not every reader will be using exactly the same .38 Special revolver. If the expanded bullet shown is from a 2" barrel, the reader using a 1 7/8" J-frame can still expect the results to be meaningful to him as can the shooter with a 2 1/2" Model 19. No two revolvers, even the same make an barrel length, will always give the same velocity even with the same load fired from the same box of ammunition. The only way that I've found to know the actual velocities of my handguns has been to chronograph them. Because there will probably be slight…or not so slight velocity variations between the same make/model handguns, I will refer to expected velocity ranges rather than a specific speed.

Let's take a look at three .38 Special loads that are currently available.

Remington 125-gr. Golden Saber +P: This JHP differs from the traditional in that the jacket is not of the usual gilding metal common to most handgun bullets. It is made of brass and expands wider than the lead core. These have proven to be pretty reliable expanders in the calibers I've used to shoot various test media including two deer. (The deer were cleanly killed and were eaten.) Remington offers the Golden Saber in most popular calibers including .380 ACP, 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.

This bullet is said to have a muzzle velocity of 975 ft/sec, but that's for a four-inch barrel. I have found that in the 1 7/8 to 2 1/4" snubs, velocities are around 900 ft/sec.

The .38 Special Remington Golden Saber shown in the foreground shed its jacket when fired into water from a 2" bbl. The lead core expanded to .470"at its widest point and the recovered jacket and bullet weighed 124.5 grains. The expanded Golden Saber on the right was fired from a 4" bbl and expanded to 0.606". Though the petals are folded back in the photograph, at some time during penetration of the media the diameter was larger. It weighed 124.6 grains.

Speer 125-gr. Gold Dot +P: Listed muzzle velocity is 945 ft/sec, but again, this doesn't mean that every 4" bbl will provide this exact speed. From a snub expect speeds under 900 ft/sec in most cases.

The Speer Gold Dot is a well-respected bullet generally held in pretty high esteem among shooters. The jacket is more malleable (higher copper content) than the traditional gilding metal and it is bonded to the lead core so that separation is less likely. In the pictures below we do see some separation and slight fragmentation. Keep in mind that these were shot a good while back and that Speer has continued to "tweak" the Gold Dot for superior performance. Of the three .38 Special loads tried, in this instance the Speer showed the greatest variation in both recovered diameters and bullet weights, but these differences are more visual than what the numbers actually show. Remember also that water has a greater tendency to separate jackets from bullets than either tissue or gelatin.

Here we see the Speer 125-gr. +P .38 Special bullet as fired from different barrel lengths into water. The row of expanded bullets on the top row provides a side profile and the bottom row provides one from the front. From left to right, these bullets were fired from 2, 4, 6, and 8" barrels. The listed velocity of 945 ft/sec is probably most accurate for the one fired from the 4" tube. The 2" speeds will be below and the longer barrels are probably above it. How significant an increase is present depends on the powder being used by the company. From the 2" barrel, the 125-gr. Gold Dot expanded to 0.544" and the recovered bullet weighed 124.2 grains while the 4" yielded 0.673" and 117.4 grains. The 6" tube resulted in a recovered bullet and fragment that weighed 124.1 grains and expanded to 0.742" at the widest point.

Not resting on past accomplishments, Speer recently introduced a .38 Special +P cartridge specifically intended for use in snub revolvers. It weighs 135 grains and those who have already tested it report very encouraging results. I have not yet tried this load or it would be included in this report.

Remington and Winchester 158-gr. LSWCHP +P: Definitely "old technology", these unjacketed lead semi-wadcutter hollow points remain a popular choice for many snub gun carriers including me. This load, whether from Remington, Federal, or Winchester, has been dubbed "The Chicago Load" or the "FBI Load" and more than a few revolver-toting police officers have carried it.

I have had good luck with it and for now, the Remington remains my carry load of choice. I think you'll see why in the picture below.

These two 158-gr. LSWCHP +P bullets were both fired from the same 2" revolver. The one on the left is from Remington. The other is from Winchester. The Remington expanded to 0.629" and weighed 156.9 grains. The Winchester expanded to 0.394" and weighed 156.8 grains. What caused the difference in performance? From snubs, both travel around the 800-ft/sec mark. The difference is that the Winchester bullet has higher antimony content. It is not as "soft" as pure lead. It appears that while these two respected ammo makers provide a very similar load, there is a difference if using a snub revolver.

Here are the same two makers' bullets fired from a 4" revolver. The Remington (left) expanded to 0.647" and weighed 156.6 grains. The Winchester (right) expanded to 0.593" and weighed 156.6 grains, as did its competition from Remington.

The main complaint about this style bullet when fired from a snub seems to be that it routinely fails to expand after passing through the standard 4-layers of denim before entering the 10% ballistic gelatin. For this reason some do not recommend this load. It also has pretty sharp felt recoil in the lightweight snubs and cannot be used at all in the super-light titanium revolvers being offered as the non-jacketed bullet will unseat itself in recoil. (They are fine for use in the aluminum frame snubs such as the S&W Model 637 or super popular 642 and their blue counterparts.) Instead a recommendation for the 148-gr. target full wadcutter is made. I disagree with this unless felt recoil is a major problem for the individual shooter. The velocities are just too low for me to be comfortable with. I've clocked several wadcutter loads from different makers at velocities below 600 ft/sec with some being just over 500 ft/sec from S&W J-frame snubs.

I have not done nearly so much testing with the .38 Special as I have other calibers and don't have as much first-hand data to offer. I have seen one previously wounded deer finished off with a Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P. It was struck in the chest under the neck and the expanded bullet was recovered just before passing through the stomach. This was before the digital camera but the bullet closely resembled the expanded ones shown previously. Two law enforcement officers I've spoken with used their "Chicago Loads" to end felonious deadly force scenarios successfully. Each officer was using a snub and a single shot to the chest in each situation settled the matter with the elusive "one shot stop."

Right now, were I looking for an effective .38 Special load for my snub, I'd take a hard look at the Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P, the new Speer 135-gr. Gold Dot +P, and Corbon's 110-gr. DPX +P. For those interested, I do have a test report on their now discontinued standard pressure version of the DPX. I have some of the .38 +P DPX but have not yet tested it. Here is the link:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon%2038%20Special%20Ammo.htm