# speer gold dot 135 short barrel load



## jdw68 (Nov 5, 2011)

The 38 special +P speer gold dot 135 grain short barrel load is the new hot load that everyone seems to want. People are even choosing to use this load when shooting out of a full size 4 inch revolver. Is this load really the best 38 special load on the market or is it just really good marketing? In my opinion, I believe this is a very good bullet design by speer, but I'm not sure that it deserves to be crowned King of the 38 special just yet. Let's take a look at some comparisons.

Gold Dot 38 special +P 135 grain short barrel load
Shooting Illustrated - snubnose - MV 895 - Pen 14.5 - Exp .58 - RW 134

Golden Saber 38 +P 125 grain
Shooting Illustrated - snubnose - MV 883 - Pen 13.0 - Exp .60 - RW 125

next round

Gold dot 135
Speer's data - snubnose - MV 860 - Pen 11.0 - Exp .576 RW 135
Speer's data snub - 4L of denim MV 860 - Pen 11 - Exp .577 - RW 135
Golden Saber
Firearmstactical - 4 inch - MV 947 - Pen 13.45 - Exp .59 - RW not listed
Firearmstactical - 4 inch - MV 947 - Pen 14.5 - Exp .59 - RW not listed

next round

Steve's Pages: These tests were done in water
Gold Dot 135 - 2 inch - MV 792 - Pen - 17" - Exp .600 - RW 133.3
Golden Saber - 2.5 inch MV 986 - Pen - 12" - EXp .65 - RW 125

Steve's pages also fired a Gold Dot 135 grain through a 4 inch barrel which resulted in MV of 947 - Pen of 18 inches (in water) - Expansion .546 - RW of 134.6. The short barrel load does have a tendency to close in on itsself when fired at higher velocities which makes the final diameter smaller. Don't think it would really matter much but the bullet wasn't designed for 4 inch barrels. 

"TNoutdoors9" on Youtube tested both of these bullets through a snubnose into 4 layers of denim and simtest media. They both did very well with no clear advantage to either one.

I found this data to be interesting! You can draw your own conclusions. I used this data and others to form my own opinion about the speer gold dot short barrel load. I think it is a very good load for short barrels. I think that the speer gold dot short barrel load or the remington golden saber would be a good choice, not sure that one has much of an advantage over the other. I would choose the golden saber for 4 inch barrels, but may opt for the Gold Dot for short barrels (because it is bonded / penetration). So I think it is a great new bullet design, but I also think that it has been overhyped in marketing. What is your opinion?? And, does anyone else out their like to study ballistics / gel testing (hobby of mine)??

We can't forget corbon dpx, remington 158 grain LSWCHP, winchester pdx1, and the next whiz bang load that I'm sure will be coming out soon!:mrgreen:


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

If it were me, instead of studying ballistic data, I'd be dry- or live-firing for practice, trying to improve my accuracy with my chosen carry gun.
If you hit the right place, what you hit it with becomes less important.

Choose a load, stick with it, and learn to shoot it well.
Our personal preference is always heavy bullets at low-recoil velocities. Your choice may differ.


----------



## jdw68 (Nov 5, 2011)

Well Steve, I love to go and shoot. I go practice as much as I can or at least as much as I can afford. Not just handgun, but also shotgun and rifle. Good thing about shooting is its one of the few sports that you can improve upon with age  However, I actually find ballistics data to be interesting. It's sort of like an extension of my hobby. Of course, by the lack of responses that I have gotten to this post, I may be the only one who finds this stuff interesting


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Truth: I find ballistics interesting, too—especially in relation to rifles.
But it's just an interest.

I was taught that there are dangers in both the study of ballistics, and in the hobby of handloading.
If you get involved in ballistics, you may then begin the endless search for the ultimately most effective cartridge and load, and, in so doing, neglect the much more important study of improving your practical shooting skills. You'll buy lots of different guns, and different loads for them, but you'll very likely never master any one of them.
If you get too involved in the hobby of handloading, you may run the risk of, essentially, wanting to shoot only in order to empty cartridge cases to support your handloading hobby. Thus, the practicality of shooting fades, while you explore minute changes in loads and the theoretical resultant performance.

These were the considerations which prompted my comment.
I sincerely hope that you took no offense because of it.


----------



## NMpops (Nov 24, 2009)

I do like the Gold Dot load but its often hard to find, so I don't shoot it much. My preferred load for practice and carry is a 158 gr. LSWC loaded fairly stiff.


----------



## jdw68 (Nov 5, 2011)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Truth: I find ballistics interesting, too-especially in relation to rifles.
> But it's just an interest.
> 
> I was taught that there are dangers in both the study of ballistics, and in the hobby of handloading.
> ...


No offense taken Steve. I appreciate your posts! I do often look for the most effective cartridges, but that is really just an interest. Many today would say that the speer gold dot 135 grain is the most effective 38 special round today, regardless of barrel length. My post actually challenges that thought, by showing how little a difference there is between the speer gold dot and the Remington Golden Saber, which is a cartridge which has been around for a while now. 
You also said, "You'll buy lots of different guns, and different loads for them, but you'll very likely never master any one of them." This is probably true, but it's still fun trying to master them! I do like to shoot a variety of guns and loads, but I'm not sure that I could say that I've mastered any of them.


----------



## oldranger53 (Jun 10, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> If it were me, instead of studying ballistic data, I'd be dry- or live-firing for practice, trying to improve my accuracy with my chosen carry gun.
> If you hit the right place, what you hit it with becomes less important.
> 
> Choose a load, stick with it, and learn to shoot it well.
> Our personal preference is always heavy bullets at low-recoil velocities. Your choice may differ.


Hello, and well, I have to agree with Steve on this one.
Recently I've been thinking seriously about beginning my own handloading activities, but have held off so far because of the massive consumption of one's time, energy, thoughts, and $$$ in so doing.

Wife and I both use the Speer 135gr Gold Dot +P "Short Barrel" rounds in our .38 snubbies, and I feel confident that the bullets are of very high quality, and that they will penetrate winter-like clothing and then expand properly once the gaping hollow points reach bodily fluids, etc...
In fact, I am looking around now for the same type of round for one of my .44's, for the same reasons listed above.
However, I am hard pressed to find a "+P" edition of the .44 Special Gold Dot round anywhere. So, anyone who may know where I can get such an item will likely receive royal treatment from me and wife if you were to let me in on how to find and acquire +P .44 Spl "Short Barrel" Gold Dot rounds in 200gr or slightly greater weights.

But back to the discussion proper...SHOT PLACEMENT IS EVERYTHING! An M-90 Recoilless Rifle with HE or WP going downrange will do little more than scare the heck out of the recipients if the shot placement is not correct! Conversely, I've seen a young bull slaughtered for butchering with nothing more than a .22LR placed squarely in the forehead, "right between the eyes", as the saying goes.

Some ammo is definitely better than other ammo, to be sure - but all ammo is only as good as the shooter pulling the trigger.

This is my "2 cents", nothing more. 
Happy Summer!


----------



## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Gold Dots are good, and make one of the prettiest 'expansion flowers' - great for advertising. But plain old Winchester white box in the hollow point version have approximately the same penetration and expansion properties - they just end up looking like a big glob of lead - not very sexy.


----------

