The defense load I chose is the new Winchester Bonded PDX1 Jacketed Hollow Point Personal Protection .38 Special +P 130 Grain. Gee whiz Winchester, what a mouthful of a name!
But according to the reviews I've read this really is a new, improved defense round and Winchester will be retiring their Ranger law-enforcement SXT ammo and replacing it with this new PDX1, so it must really be good stuff.
So I bought a box and headed to the range with the 14-3, thinking it shouldn't take too much work to get it dailed in properly since I had already zeroed it with CCI TMJ 125-grain .38 Special +P.
Wrong again. Every load is different and though it may have been only 5 grains different in weight, the point of impact shifted a few inches with the PDX1. So I slowly dialed it in with the Bomar target sight rib the previous owner had installed on my 14-3. Emphasis on the word slowly.
The clicks on this Bomar sight can't be any more than 1/8" if that. But slowly, a click or two at a time, I brought the impact down and right until it was right on the money. Trouble was the clicks moved it so slowly, I blew a whole box of 20 rounds at more than $1 a round to get it zeroed.
I finally got it zeroed with that 8" bullseye target shown, shooting from a bench rest at 10 yards. The upper-left small bull was the final test with two shots hitting together.
Oh well, I work in a gun store and we sell more ammo with plenty of the PDX1 in stock at the moment.
And it ain't work if you're having fun, which is exactly what shooting my 14-3 is. But I gotta admit, it's a lot more fun shooting it with cheaper ammo. I also took along some of the cheap stuff and me and a shooting buddy enjoyed shooting that stuff up, too.
Now I gotta find me an old Smith snubby with a trigger like this 14-3 if such a wonderful .38 like that can possibly be found for a price I can afford.
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