Buffalo Bore .38 S&W Ammunition

I finally had an opportunity to shoot my new Buffalo Bore .38 S&W ammunition in my circa 1941 Smith & Wesson British Service Revolver. It was an exciting day for me as it was my first range session with the old pistol.

While a six round test is quite limited, it was enough to tell me what I needed to know and I can share my experiences and observations with you here. Here are my observations on Buffalo Bore .38 Smith & Wesson ammunition:

1. I didn't lose any fingers, eyes, or toes. Much has been made of the power of Buffalo Bore ammunition. However, it didn't blow my gun up. Again, prospective purchasers should carefully read about this ammunition and make sure it is safe for their firearm. With the exception of the Enfield and Webley, old hinged frame revolvers should not use this ammunition.

2. I didn't sustain any permanent damage to my firearm. The aging false ivory grip panels on my Smith & Wesson shifted just a little bit during my firing session. They rotated about 1/8 to a 1/4 inch out of a position. To fix the issue, I simply rotated them back into position. At some point, I need to get some period-correct wooden grips for my revolver. Just as some firearms manufacturers advise customers to avoid a steady diet of +P ammunition, I'm not going to feed my antique revolver a steady diet of Buffalo Bore. While I may need better grips, I didn't see any signs of damage on any of the metal parts. I believe that my vintage Smith & Wesson can handle Buffalo Bore ammunition.

3. I hit the target with excellent accuracy. My Buffalo Bore bullets all hit a paper plate sized EZ2C target at a typical self-defense range of about 21 feet. My bullets impacted a little below the bullseye. However, that is likely due to my shooting since I was just gaining familiarity with the revolver and the sight picture. Note: I oriented my EZ2C target horizontally due to the target frame size at the range.

4. Buffalo Bore .38 S&W ammunition generates more recoil that lower power traditional .38 S&W loads. However, the recoil is not excessive. We are talking recoil that is similar to .38 Special recoil not .357 Magnum recoil.

5. In my old revolver, the Buffalo Bore ammunition was a little more difficult to extract. Where I could simply dump my Magtech .38 S&W shells with a flick of the wrist, I needed to authoritatively push the extractor in to get the Buffalo Bore shells out. Again this may be unique to my revolver which does have pre-existng wear marks inside each cylinder.

6. Overall, I am very impressed by my new Buffalo Bore ammunition. I believe that it does provide the extra thump needed for effective self-defense.

I anticipate consuming my remaining supply of Buffalo Bore Ammunition very slowly over the coming years. For me, Buffalo Bore .38 S&W ammunition will be reserved just for self defense in an emergency. If you are looking for a little extra stopping power for your .38 S&W caliber revolver, Buffalo Bore ammunition may be a good choice.

School Gun Ban Wasn't Intended for Colleges/Universities

Last week, the Nevada Firearms Coalition set off a firestorm on Facebook when it posted a question, “How many know that Campus Carry is already legal in Nevada?” Stimulating discussion was the goal, and it certainly did. Of course, only with written permission of campus authorities, may a concealed firearm permittee carry on campus. A person seeking to carry concealed on campus sends a written request to the campus president for consideration.


What if you asked for permission and were told not even to bother? That is the way that Nevada treats armed citizens who apply for permission. Requests are regularly denied, including one for an off-duty corrections officer. Several persons have reported that even asking “How do I apply?” is me with “Don’t bother, they don’t approve anybody.” The right to effective, preemptive self-defense on college and university campuses has been denied to Nevadans.

2017 is not 1989. Handguns and self-defense carry are popular in America and once again they are recognized by the majority as not only a right, but sometimes as a necessity. The old conventions about who carries are gun and the risk of accident vs. probability of a defensive gun use have changed. Old policies created under a paradigm that no longer exists and enforced today for political reasons need to be eradicated or altered to reflect today’s reality.