Armscor .38 Special 158gr FMJ Ammo Ballistics
Brass Case • FMJ
Armscor .38 Special 158gr FMJ Ammo Ballistics
Brass Case • FMJ
Solved from this product's advertised 891 fps, 158gr bullet and G1 BC 0.159, with the sight 0.5" over the bore at standard conditions. Compare every zero for .38 Special.
How to read it: filled circles are the near and far zero, where the bullet's path crosses the line of sight;the triangle is the peak (max ordinate). The shaded band is the 4" vital zone, ±2" either side of the line of sight. The dashed line marks the edge of the hold-dead-on window. The chart is zoomed to where the zero matters; the tables below run to 100 yards.
.38 Special 158gr with a 10-yard zero
Zeroed at 10 yards with a 0.5" sight height, this load touches the line of sight at 10 yards and never rises more than 0.1" above it (effectively a tangent zero), and is -2.6" at 50 and -16.8" at 100 yards.
| Range (yd) | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) | Drop (MIL) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Wind drift, 10 mph (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -0.5" | 0.00 | 0.00 | 891 | 279 | 0.1 |
| 5 | -0.2" | -3.53 | -1.03 | 887 | 276 | 0.1 |
| 10 | 0.0" | -0.04 | -0.01 | 882 | 273 | 0.1 |
| 15 | +0.1" | +0.45 | +0.13 | 878 | 271 | 0.2 |
| 20 | 0.0" | +0.16 | +0.05 | 874 | 268 | 0.2 |
| 25 | -0.1" | -0.44 | -0.13 | 870 | 265 | 0.3 |
| 30 | -0.4" | -1.21 | -0.35 | 866 | 263 | 0.4 |
| 35 | -0.8" | -2.08 | -0.60 | 862 | 261 | 0.5 |
| 40 | -1.3" | -3.00 | -0.87 | 858 | 258 | 0.6 |
| 45 | -1.9" | -3.98 | -1.16 | 854 | 256 | 0.7 |
| 50 | -2.6" | -4.98 | -1.45 | 850 | 254 | 0.8 |
| 55 | -3.5" | -6.01 | -1.75 | 846 | 251 | 1.0 |
| 60 | -4.5" | -7.06 | -2.05 | 842 | 249 | 1.1 |
| 65 | -5.6" | -8.13 | -2.37 | 839 | 247 | 1.3 |
| 70 | -6.8" | -9.22 | -2.68 | 835 | 245 | 1.5 |
| 75 | -8.1" | -10.32 | -3.00 | 831 | 242 | 1.7 |
| 80 | -9.6" | -11.43 | -3.32 | 828 | 240 | 1.9 |
| 85 | -11.2" | -12.55 | -3.65 | 824 | 238 | 2.2 |
| 90 | -12.9" | -13.69 | -3.98 | 820 | 236 | 2.4 |
| 95 | -14.8" | -14.83 | -4.31 | 817 | 234 | 2.7 |
| 100 | -16.8" | -15.99 | -4.65 | 813 | 232 | 3.0 |
158gr G1 .159 at 891 fps, 0.5" sight height over bore, standard conditions (59°F, sea level), 10 mph full-value crosswind. Positive drop is above the line of sight. This load is subsonic from the muzzle, so there is no transonic zone to cross. Source: Manufacturer's advertised velocity and BC.
.38 Special 158gr with a 15-yard zero
Zeroed at 15 yards with a 0.5" sight height, this load touches the line of sight at 15 yards without ever climbing above it (a tangent zero), and is -2.9" at 50 and -17.2" at 100 yards.
| Range (yd) | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) | Drop (MIL) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Wind drift, 10 mph (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -0.5" | 0.00 | 0.00 | 891 | 279 | 0.1 |
| 5 | -0.2" | -3.97 | -1.16 | 887 | 276 | 0.1 |
| 10 | -0.1" | -0.48 | -0.14 | 882 | 273 | 0.1 |
| 15 | 0.0" | 0.00 | 0.00 | 878 | 271 | 0.2 |
| 20 | -0.1" | -0.29 | -0.08 | 874 | 268 | 0.2 |
| 25 | -0.2" | -0.89 | -0.26 | 870 | 265 | 0.3 |
| 30 | -0.5" | -1.66 | -0.48 | 866 | 263 | 0.4 |
| 35 | -0.9" | -2.53 | -0.73 | 862 | 261 | 0.5 |
| 40 | -1.5" | -3.45 | -1.00 | 858 | 258 | 0.6 |
| 45 | -2.1" | -4.42 | -1.29 | 854 | 256 | 0.7 |
| 50 | -2.9" | -5.43 | -1.58 | 850 | 254 | 0.8 |
| 55 | -3.7" | -6.46 | -1.88 | 846 | 251 | 1.0 |
| 60 | -4.7" | -7.51 | -2.19 | 842 | 249 | 1.1 |
| 65 | -5.9" | -8.58 | -2.50 | 839 | 247 | 1.3 |
| 70 | -7.1" | -9.67 | -2.81 | 835 | 245 | 1.5 |
| 75 | -8.5" | -10.77 | -3.13 | 831 | 242 | 1.7 |
| 80 | -10.0" | -11.88 | -3.46 | 828 | 240 | 1.9 |
| 85 | -11.6" | -13.00 | -3.78 | 824 | 238 | 2.2 |
| 90 | -13.4" | -14.14 | -4.11 | 820 | 236 | 2.4 |
| 95 | -15.2" | -15.28 | -4.45 | 817 | 234 | 2.7 |
| 100 | -17.2" | -16.44 | -4.78 | 813 | 232 | 3.0 |
158gr G1 .159 at 891 fps, 0.5" sight height over bore, standard conditions (59°F, sea level), 10 mph full-value crosswind. Positive drop is above the line of sight. This load is subsonic from the muzzle, so there is no transonic zone to cross. Source: Manufacturer's advertised velocity and BC.
.38 Special 158gr with a 25-yard zero
Zeroed at 25 yards with a 0.5" sight height, this load first crosses the line of sight at 9 yards, peaks +0.2" at 17 yards, returns to zero at 25, and is -2.4" at 50 and -16.3" at 100 yards.
| Range (yd) | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) | Drop (MIL) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Wind drift, 10 mph (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -0.5" | 0.00 | 0.00 | 891 | 279 | 0.1 |
| 5 | -0.2" | -3.06 | -0.89 | 887 | 276 | 0.1 |
| 10 | +0.1" | +0.43 | +0.12 | 882 | 273 | 0.1 |
| 15 | +0.1" | +0.91 | +0.27 | 878 | 271 | 0.2 |
| 20 | +0.1" | +0.62 | +0.18 | 874 | 268 | 0.2 |
| 25 | 0.0" | +0.02 | +0.01 | 870 | 265 | 0.3 |
| 30 | -0.2" | -0.75 | -0.22 | 866 | 263 | 0.4 |
| 35 | -0.6" | -1.61 | -0.47 | 862 | 261 | 0.5 |
| 40 | -1.1" | -2.54 | -0.74 | 858 | 258 | 0.6 |
| 45 | -1.7" | -3.51 | -1.02 | 854 | 256 | 0.7 |
| 50 | -2.4" | -4.52 | -1.31 | 850 | 254 | 0.8 |
| 55 | -3.2" | -5.55 | -1.61 | 846 | 251 | 1.0 |
| 60 | -4.2" | -6.60 | -1.92 | 842 | 249 | 1.1 |
| 65 | -5.2" | -7.67 | -2.23 | 839 | 247 | 1.3 |
| 70 | -6.4" | -8.76 | -2.55 | 835 | 245 | 1.5 |
| 75 | -7.8" | -9.86 | -2.87 | 831 | 242 | 1.7 |
| 80 | -9.2" | -10.97 | -3.19 | 828 | 240 | 1.9 |
| 85 | -10.8" | -12.09 | -3.52 | 824 | 238 | 2.2 |
| 90 | -12.5" | -13.23 | -3.85 | 820 | 236 | 2.4 |
| 95 | -14.3" | -14.37 | -4.18 | 817 | 234 | 2.7 |
| 100 | -16.3" | -15.53 | -4.52 | 813 | 232 | 3.0 |
158gr G1 .159 at 891 fps, 0.5" sight height over bore, standard conditions (59°F, sea level), 10 mph full-value crosswind. Positive drop is above the line of sight. This load is subsonic from the muzzle, so there is no transonic zone to cross. Source: Manufacturer's advertised velocity and BC.
Product Overview
Armscor 158-grain FMJ is a full metal jacket .38 Special load, and Armscor names no particular use for it. At 891 fps it makes 278 ft-lbs, the most of any standard-pressure ball load at this bullet weight.
Zeroed at 25 yards, it is 2.4 inches low at 50, still carrying 254 ft-lbs at 850 fps. No standard-pressure ball load in the caliber recoils harder, and that shows in a small-frame revolver. The drop is the least of the standard-pressure 158-grain ball loads as well.
If you're cross-shopping, Speer's Lawman +P 158-grain TMJ is 9 fps faster at +P pressure with 6 ft-lbs more at the muzzle. Ammo Inc's 158-grain TMC and Fiocchi's Range Dynamics 158-grain are the mild pair at this weight, 141 and 161 fps slower.
- Standard pressure, so an older or alloy-framed revolver gets near-+P figures without the pressure
- 254 ft-lbs still at 50 yards, more than either mild 158-grain ball load carries at the muzzle
- Within about 2 percent of the estimated recoil of Speer's Lawman +P 158-grain TMJ
- At 891 fps it wants a steel-framed revolver, where Fiocchi's Range Dynamics 158-grain at 730 fps does not
- Armscor states no test barrel length and quotes velocity only, so the energy figure is worked out from it
- Plain ball, so Hornady's 158-grain XTP is the expanding bullet at this weight
Similar Products Compared
| PRODUCT | WEIGHT | TYPE | VELOCITY | ENERGY | BC | PRICE/RD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158 gr | FMJ | 891 fps | 278 ft-lbs | 0.159 | N/A | |
| 158 gr | TMC | 750 fps | 197 ft-lbs | 0.15 | N/A | |
| 158 gr | FMJ | 730 fps | 187 ft-lbs | 0.159 |
$0.52
1000 Rounds
|
|
| 158 gr | TMJ | 900 fps | 284 ft-lbs | 0.173 | N/A | |
| 132 gr | FMJ | 917 fps | 232 ft-lbs | 0.187 |
$0.42
1000 Rounds
|
|
| 130 gr | FMJ | 800 fps | 185 ft-lbs | 0.181 | N/A |
All Armscor .38 Special 158gr FMJ Ammo Prices
| DEALER | QTY | PRICE | SHIPPING | TOTAL | PRICE/RD |
|---|
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