Can a .38 be loaded to reliably expand a 158 gr JHP at SD distances?

[spacecoast]

If so, what is the minimum velocity needed to do so? Is the uncertainty of expansion the reason the FBI load is an unjacketed bullet?

[SQUAREKNOT]

I was just reading that one bullet manufacturer no longer list jacketed loads for the .38 for bullets heavier than 125gr as the heavy bullets can actually stick in gun barrels. Personally I use 125gr for my snubbie made by Speer. The 125gr JHP give me 880 fps from the 1 7/8" barrel. The 38 is easy to pack
but really not a gun to have if you expect trouble

[RamSlammer]

Yes, to answer the question simply. Depends however on just which jacketed bullet, barrel length and loading dynamics. Will a 158 gr. XTP expand when sent at 600 fps from a snubbie? . . . probably not. Would a Gold Dot when launched from a 4" barrel at 900+ fps? . . . probably yes.

[jmortimer]

Brassfetcher testing 158 grain Remington SJHP from S&W with 1.9" barrel handloads at around 900 fps and got decent expansion in bare gelatin and no expansion with heavy clothing over gelatin. For me the best .38 Special load is a hard cast Wad Cutter which allows the full profile meplat to do the destructive work and still get amazing penetration.
http://brassfetcher.com/index_files/Page2291.htm (Heavy Clothes)
http://brassfetcher.com/index_files/Page1716.htm

[spacecoast]

Would a Gold Dot when launched from a 4" barrel at 900+ fps? . . . probably yes.

This may be true, but Speer itself does not offer a 158 gr. GDHP in .38 special (only .357 mag). Combing the web for 158 gr. JHPs, I was only able to come up with the Hornady JHP-XTP and the Magtech 38E (std. pressure) and 38H (+P), whereas almost everyone uses this bullet for an offering in .357 mag.

This dearth of JHPs and the popularity of the FBI load is making me think that reliable expansion requires a velocity above what the .38 special is capable of in a jacketed bullet.

http://brassfetcher.com/index_files/Page2291.htm (Heavy Clothes)
http://brassfetcher.com/index_files/Page1716.htm

Some but not optimal expansion shown in the second link, none that I can see in the first. Thanks for the links, I wish the page would have stated what those handloads were.

I see some possibilities in the .38/44 info I have seen, but even those loads were mainly used in the era before JHP bullets as far as I can tell.