With exception of the high quality match ammo I used, by far my favorite round for testing .38 Super was the PMC Bronze provided by Lucky Gunner. While they’re currently out of stock on this ammo, if you’re looking for good prices on .38 Super ammo, check out Lucky Gunner. To get back to the PMC ammo review, let’s start with the basics: 130 grain FMJ, loaded to a stated velocity of 1090 FPS. Compare that to the Winchester .38 Super I reviewed and you’ll notice that the PMC comes from the factory loaded significantly lighter than the Winchester load. The Winchester is pushing 1215 FPS compared to the 1090 you’re getting out of the PMC. This makes a huge difference because it means the PMC has less muzzle blast and recoil, which means it’s a lot more pleasant to shoot for extended range sessions. When shot out of the massive Elite Stock II, it honestly felt like shooting a really light 9mm.
PMC Bronze .38 Super by the numbers:
- Bullet type: Full Metal Jacket
- Bullet weight: 130 grains
- Cartridge weight: 0.45 oz
- Box of 50 weight: 1.55 lbs
- Average muzzle velocity: 1054 FPS
- Average group: 2.11 inches at 25 yards
Compared to the Winchester, the PMC is less accurate at 25 yards, but shoots much softer. A 137 power factor compared to a 156 power factor is a huge difference, and if I were buying factory ammo to shoot at USPSA/IDPA matches in .38 Super, I’d try to buy as much of this PMC as possible. Actually, if I was looking to shoot .38 Super in competition at minor power factor, this would be my ammo of choice for club matches and practice. Average prices for PMC in .38 Super are hovering around 18-20 dollars per box, which puts it in the same price bracket as .40 S&W. .40 S&W is considerably less fun to shoot, I’d like to add. In terms of reliability, I’ve fired over 1100 rounds of the PMC through the Tanfoglio, and it’s run like a boss. No issues whatsoever.
Thanks again to Lucky Gunner for providing the ammo for this test.
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