.38 Special - Underrated or Outdated?
I own a .357 Mag Ruger GP100. I have fired .357 Mag through this revolver on occasion, but I would say 90% of the time I shoot .38 Spl for target practice. My 9mm Sig is my primary home defense gun, but I used to keep a speedloader of Winchester .357 Mag JHP next to my bed for my Ruger, just in case.
I now have a fiance (soon to be wife). She is 5'2" and can no way handle .357 Mag loads. I still want to have that speedloader there, just in case, so I bought some .38 Spl Hydra-Shok. I figured these are probably the meanest .38 Spl loads around. I love .38 Spl for practice, and I feel that I would shoot more accurately with it than with .357 Mag (considering the recoil and muzzle flash). But I keep wondering if ol' .38 Spl will do the job if the time comes?
What do you all think? Is .38 Spl still a valid home defense load, or has it passed its day? If it's still valid, which flavor of .38 Spl do you recommend? Is there any advantage to shooting a .38 Spl ONLY revolver, or is .38 Spl in a .357 Mag still just as accurate?
"History will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest." -Gandhi
I now have a fiance (soon to be wife). She is 5'2" and can no way handle .357 Mag loads. I still want to have that speedloader there, just in case, so I bought some .38 Spl Hydra-Shok. I figured these are probably the meanest .38 Spl loads around. I love .38 Spl for practice, and I feel that I would shoot more accurately with it than with .357 Mag (considering the recoil and muzzle flash). But I keep wondering if ol' .38 Spl will do the job if the time comes?
What do you all think? Is .38 Spl still a valid home defense load, or has it passed its day? If it's still valid, which flavor of .38 Spl do you recommend? Is there any advantage to shooting a .38 Spl ONLY revolver, or is .38 Spl in a .357 Mag still just as accurate?
"History will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest." -Gandhi
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the military still stocks 38 spl for their security guards. seals carry s&w s/s wheels guns with 38 spl loaded, in and out of the water all the time. good enough for them, go enough for me! i got 6 loaded in my hi std MK2 right now.
former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.0 -
I'd sure hate to get hit with one.
An air-weight .38 Special with a 5-shot cylinder is going to be a slim, light gun.
I've heard a couple guys say .38 in a .357 can leave mark in the cylinders, but i've seen no such evidence. I clean my weapon normally, after shooting both types, and see no marking whatsoever.0 -
I would think that the .38 special would be better for home defense as the bullets wont go through wall like the .357 mag. The .357 mag has the ability to go through a perp and a couple of walls afterwards. If you have kids or neighbors close by...you should consider using the .38 specials if you intend to nail intruders. Another point is that you should be able to get more shots and more accurate shots off with the .38 special as it is has a lot less kick than the .357. Me, I get paranoid sometimes and if I had your ruger for home defense, I would load it with some .38+p loads. That way you get some of the .357 performance with less kick
Anybody comes through that door, you put two in the chest and one in the head!0 -
Hello I would RATHER be able to hit what I want with a 22 long rifle than miss with a 500 S&W go with what the lady can shoot .Not all of us can shoot the BIG STUFF. quote:"PRAISE THE HARDBALL GUN" 0 -
The .38 is a good home defense round.
My fiancee is 5-1 and never had shot a gun. I gave her a little .38 snubnose Taurus and she loves it. She put five in the torso of the target at 21 feet, no problem.0 -
Home defend with whatever you practice with. 0 -
My Smith 640 is what I use,,,in case I need to or my wife. We have a Sigma 380 on her side and a 640 on the other,,,works for me.Also valid point, don't want to go through to many walls with my 11 year old 2 walls down, incase I would miss. IMO, nambu 0 -
38's have been killing folks, both bad and good for a long time. Your 38 will still do the job for your fiance, provided she gets the proper training on how to use it. 0 -
Go with what you can do best on auto-pilot.
Pulled my house gun twice, but never had to fire it. (38 spl. BTW)
Once the *hole was kissing the floor in 2 seconds at most.
Once they cut and ran..... it was hard not to nail one, but common sense thankfully prevailed.
I have said this before... I was confident with gun control,... adrenaline control was something else completely ! When it hits you, you may not do too well with your speed loader, I know I did not. I now keep the revolver loaded with a 'one touch' lock on the trigger guard.
I enjoy shooting my autos, and may have a miss-feed every 500+ rounds..... I don't want that to be at the worst time. A wheel gun is the best 'go to' gun IMHO... with 'saftey slugs' or other close quarters projectiles.0 -
I would vote for underrated. When the 9mm came into popularity the 38spl was seen as sub standard. I like this round and it will do everything you need it to do and more. My 2 cents [8D]
Greg
Former Marine
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My house gun is a Colt Detective Special. In your house or dwelling you don't need shots going through all the walls and a snubnose revolver is not too big for moving through small rooms in case you have to in certain situations. It would not be my first choice out the door if I knew I was going in a deep $h#t situation, but I would sure be glad I had it as apposed to a rock or Louisville Slugger or a crowbar. 0
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