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Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 17 Feb 2017 15:13
by GRV01
So im new to the firearm owning biz. Still finding what we like, what works for us. This also means im new to the LGS. At the closest one ive done all my transfers through ive asked two (three technically) workers there and had these exchanges

1st time: yes id like some semi jacket 38s. "Yes we have--im sorry, semi jacket? I dont know what that means."

After this time i was confused, didnt want to go smarting off about something i may not be sure of so i just bought the regular JHP. After looking them up to confirm, and then finding the 100 pack SJHP +P from Walmart of all places i went back

2nd time: Yes do you carry semi jacket 38s that are not +P? "Semi jacket? Im not sure what you mean. Hey (name) do we carry semi jacket hollow points? Yeah he means the lead soft point. Oh no then sorry i dont have lead." Okay thanks...

Im almost certain her boss was referring to JSP but i cant be sure and wasnt going to get into it so i drove my ass to Walmart and bought the Remingtons in +P (never shot +P before, will see how we like it)

I know im not crazy or wrong so Whats going on here? I read SJHP is "old school" and been overtaken by standard JHP and new whiz bangs like Hornady Critical Defense so is it just hardlt seen, asked for, or bought and thus not as familiar, or should i be shopping at a new LGS or is that typical of your run of the mill LGS "Hey we just sell 'em bud"? Someone clue me in please

Re: Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 17 Feb 2017 16:32
by LowKey
Welcome.

Back in 1974, we used to call them "Semi-jacketed hollow points".

Might still have some.

Re: Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 17 Feb 2017 22:39
by akuser47
Best you can do is educate yourself. I mean look up the brand and type u wish to shoot then ask for that specific brand. If they act ignorant like those did. Ask to see what they have most times they hAve it but dI don't want to help or wrose are idiots. You'll find most guns stores anymore especially big box stores full of unhelpfully wrong idiots. So if you are prepped and look for yourself at what they have you can avoid this. +guns it's not you it's common. Don't let it discourage you.

Re: Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 18 Feb 2017 00:54
by zippy
Haven't looked for those specifically before, but poked around in response to your thread, and it seems in some advertising write-ups they mis-label them as Hollow Point but the box shows the error of the retailer. So you might have to dig a bit deeper.

http://www.sgammo.com/product/38-specia ... ammo-l38s2

Re: Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 18 Feb 2017 06:04
by GRV01
Tganks all, as i said i knew i wasnt wrong and that SJHP was a thing but i was just shocked that two gun stores i went to in my area had no clue what i was talking about

I guess i just assumed, perhaps naively, that gun stores would be full of rhe most knowledgeable gun experts around :(

Re: Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 18 Feb 2017 09:37
by Ohio3Wheels
Just to confuse things a bit more :) back in the day, as they say, there were also half jacketed semi wad cutter hollow points. I think it was Speer that made them. I may still have some around here some place.

Make smoke,

Re: Got SJHP? "Huh?"

Posted: 19 Feb 2017 13:41
by Archer
You are getting into the weeds on the technicalities.

Hollow points are just that bullets with a hollow in the nose of the bullet.
In terms of handgun bullets these hollows are generally large and designed to increase expansion on impact with tissue.
In terms of spitzer (pointed) rifle bullets these hollows are a byproduct of the manufacturing process where the jacket is wrapped around a core from the bottom of the bullet in order to give a more uniform base to the bullet.

Jacketed bullets are covered with a copper alloy over a core usually of lead. (the jacket material can be steel or other materials as well.) Plated bullets are usually electro plated with a similar alloy of copper.
Often both methods of manufacturer are referred to as jacketed.

Semi-jacketed bullets typically are those where the tip of the core material (lead alloy) is exposed above the jacket. These can be hollow points, round nose, flat points or even spitzer bullets. The exposed core material tends to initiate expansion much like the hollow point. The jacket material on a semi jacketed bullet usually wraps past the point of maximum diameter on the bullet OML (outer mold line) That is to say that the jacket is crimped onto the core.

Half jacketed bullets mentioned in another post are basically those where the jacket cup is formed and core inserted such that the jacket does not crimp to the bullet. This design has fallen out of favor in the past few decades. I think Speer has cautioned against using this type of bullet in rifles due to a concern that the bullet core may actually leave the barrel but due to friction the jacket may get stuck in the barrel and form an obstruction for a following round.

As has been mentioned, most big box folks are not gun folks and don't know what they are selling.
Many people who own guns don't draw any distinction between JHPs and SJHPs. You will more often see the SJHPs produced in calibers that are traditionally for use in revolvers. In Semi-Autos or Automatics feeding issues can be caused by the soft exposed lead nose so bullets in calibers for these weapons are most often jacketed or even round nosed full metal jackets. Many semiautos were so designed for FMJs that they have problems not only with exposed lead rounds but also with jacketed hollow points. Most military weapons don't find this to be an issue since expanding bullet ammunition is generally prohibited by international convention but with hunting and/or civilian self defense weapons this can be a problem.