Opinions on .38 Special +P for self defense...
Opinions? Comments? Debating between a J-Frame type revolver or a .40 S&W or 9mm subcompact auto for carry in WARM weather. Think pocket carry...
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I live in year round hot weather and CCW carry one of several pocket guns. My personal favorite is a Seecamp LWS .32 ACP in a front pocket holster.
The link below is a size comparison chart depicting several popular pocket guns.
http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf0 -
A 38+p will solve your problems. 0 -
You do your part, .38 will do it's part. 0 -
Hmmm...sounds good...just carry something along the line of a Hydra-Shok or Gold-Dot? 0 -
It's hard to go wrong with premium defense ammo, in any caliber. Gold Dot, HydraShok, Silvertip, Golden Sabre...all good.
And, .38+p is nothing to sneeze at. I have no qualms carrying it.0 -
99% of the time a 38SPL is all the power you will need. 0 -
Agree with all of the above. Check out Corbon's new 38+P DPX load, 110 grain at 1050fps out of a 2" barrel:
http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/corbon/dpx.htm0 -
I would go with an airweight j frame inside the waist or a keltec 3at in the pocket with a k&d holster. The sub compact 9mm or 40 s&w in the pocket will feel like you pants are going to fall off.
Brian0 -
quote:Originally posted by PC800
Agree with all of the above. Check out Corbon's new 38+P DPX load, 110 grain at 1050fps out of a 2" barrel:
http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/corbon/dpx.htm
Good idea...I've been meaning to look at the DPX rounds anyway.0 -
You can't get too much hotter than Arizona in the summertime and a .38 Special +P S&W 642 stainless is an excellent choice for concealed carry in the pocket. If you don't care about the gun's looks, then go for the 442 blued but it will get crumby looking with 5 to 7 months of sweat.
I carry mine daily in a DeSantis Pocket Nemesis and its pretty much painless all the way around. Concealable. Lightweight. Reliable. Very low maintenance. Eats anything you give it, after all it's a revolver.
Very controllable even with 158gr. practice rounds and Federal Premium .38Spl +P. Excellent accuracy at 25'. I love mine and I only wish I had bought one sooner.0 -
Just the kind of thing I was hoping to hear, Slow Hand....I'll probably end up trying both eventually, but I think the J-frame is gonna be what I'm looking at for now. 0 -
I carry the 642 because I'm concerned about being around equipment where I might snag a hammer and that butt ugly beast doesn't have one.[:)] I'm very pleased with the way the finish is holding up even though it is sometimes soaked in perspiration in my pocket around here during the summer. The only thing you really need to hit with a spot of RIG is the screw in the grip and one spring inside the grip. Everything else seems to be be just about damage proof.[:)] 0 -
I generally prefer semi auto's over revolvers... You'll definitely be better off with a .40 than a 38 +P Kahr PM40 is a good choice... albeit an expensive one.
A typical 9mm will produce a little more energy than a 38 +P from similar barrel lengths... depends on the powder charge. A +P+ however, may be about the same or even more...0 -
I've actually been looking at that very one.....but you're right, the PM40 is pretty expensive. The thinking is get the J-frame for now, and save up for the PM40. The only other thing is I'd like to find someplace (like this is gonna happen) that would let me rent a PM40 to try out. I'm not near as worried about the .38 +P loads though. 0 -
FWIW, go with the Airweight and take a big pass on the Kahr - any Kahr. Consumer satisfaction with Kahrs straight out-of-the-box is rare. I paid way too much for my helping of Kahr grief. 0 -
Keep this in mind, it's better to actually have a gun and not need it than to not have one and need it. That means, in most cases, if you have a gun, be it a 22lr or a 500SW, it's better to have it than to not. Caliber isn't the most important aspect. An accurate shot from a 22 will kill just as easily as an inaccurate round out of a much higher powered gun. On that note I carry either a Kel Tec P3AT or Taurus 111 Mil pro. The Kel Tec is a pocket pistol in 380, the other is a holstered gun in 9mm. I don't feel undergunned with either. You won't with a 38 let alone a 38+p.
Bottom line....the 38+P is more than enough as a defense round.
A decent round such as a Hydrashok, Golden Sabre, Lawman, Gold dot, etc, will suit your purpose effectively.0 -
I carry a Smith 340sc. We have VERY humid summers here on the coast of NC, so I have two of the el-cheapo uncle mike's soft pocket holsters that I rotate every other day to give 'em a chance to dry out. They do the job just fine and cost less than $15 bucks. I keep mine stoked with .38 +p hydro-shocks and definitely don't feel underpowered. I ran a <FEW> .357 SD rounds through when I first got the gun, but the recoil in that little thing proved to be a little too severe for me mitts!![:0]
Ergo, I practice with light loads, and usually run a cylinder of my carry ammo to keep it rotated out.
Pocket carry with it is invisible, especially if you like "cargo shorts". It would serve you well.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
I generally prefer semi auto's over revolvers... You'll definitely be better off with a .40 than a 38 +P Kahr PM40 is a good choice... albeit an expensive one.
A typical 9mm will produce a little more energy than a 38 +P from similar barrel lengths... depends on the powder charge. A +P+ however, may be about the same or even more...
Too heavy for pocket carry. Get a 442, it disappears in your pocket and won't pull your pants down.
JM[:)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by bgjohn
quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
I generally prefer semi auto's over revolvers... You'll definitely be better off with a .40 than a 38 +P Kahr PM40 is a good choice... albeit an expensive one.
A typical 9mm will produce a little more energy than a 38 +P from similar barrel lengths... depends on the powder charge. A +P+ however, may be about the same or even more...
Too heavy for pocket carry.
Maybe for you if you've ever tried it... which I doubt you have.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubslover
Keep this in mind, it's better to actually have a gun and not need it than to not have one and need it. That means, in most cases, if you have a gun, be it a 22lr or a 500SW, it's better to have it than to not. Caliber isn't the most important aspect. An accurate shot from a 22 will kill just as easily as an inaccurate round out of a much higher powered gun. On that note I carry either a Kel Tec P3AT or Taurus 111 Mil pro. The Kel Tec is a pocket pistol in 380, the other is a holstered gun in 9mm. I don't feel undergunned with either. You won't with a 38 let alone a 38+p.
Bottom line....the 38+P is more than enough as a defense round.
A decent round such as a Hydrashok, Golden Sabre, Lawman, Gold dot, etc, will suit your purpose effectively.
Speer Lawman cartriges are FMJs... I don't think Speer is even making them any more. Statistically, the victims in most self defense situations (especially ones outside the home that involve concealed carry), don't have time to make precise aim.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
quote:Originally posted by bgjohn
quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
I generally prefer semi auto's over revolvers... You'll definitely be better off with a .40 than a 38 +P Kahr PM40 is a good choice... albeit an expensive one.
A typical 9mm will produce a little more energy than a 38 +P from similar barrel lengths... depends on the powder charge. A +P+ however, may be about the same or even more...
Too heavy for pocket carry.
Maybe for you if you've ever tried it... which I doubt you have.
[8] Kahr's are heavy and there are other issues of reliability. One of my xfer customers went through about 4 of them before he got something usable. If indeed he did then. He may have given up. He was NOT a happy camper.[:(] Sorry 'bout dat!
JM[:X]0 -
Get a 442 or a 642, you won't regret it.
JM[^]0 -
quote:Originally posted by bgjohn
quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
quote:Originally posted by bgjohn
quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
I generally prefer semi auto's over revolvers... You'll definitely be better off with a .40 than a 38 +P Kahr PM40 is a good choice... albeit an expensive one.
A typical 9mm will produce a little more energy than a 38 +P from similar barrel lengths... depends on the powder charge. A +P+ however, may be about the same or even more...
Too heavy for pocket carry.
Maybe for you if you've ever tried it... which I doubt you have.
[8] Kahr's are heavy and there are other issues of reliability. One of my xfer customers went through about 4 of them before he got something usable. If indeed he did then. He may have given up. He was NOT a happy camper.[:(] Sorry 'bout dat!
JM[:X]
Kahr's are heavy and unreliable huh? Can you name any other semi auto in .40 caliber that weighs only 17 ounces with an empty magazine? No one I know in my entire town has told me they have been unsatisfied with a Kahr.0 -
Amen, on the Smith snubbies. Here's why I almost always choose one of these when headed out: the Kahr P45 is a good-shooting semi, small and light with obvious power. But I'm not always as diligent as I should be with lubrication over a long time stretch. I know one of the lightweight Smith snubbies is more likely to point and "clock," even if I've only carried and not used it for a while. The P3AT goes often, as does the P45 in a Nemesis holster, but the snubbies are regulars, usually with the Nemesis holsters or a simple Uncle Mike's fabric pocket holster. By the way, for fanciers of semi's, the CZ 75 Compact is a little heavier but rides ok IWB. 0 -
The folks on this forum are not too kind in their evaluation of the Kahr PM40. I have not tried one, but this does not encourage me to do so now.
http://www.topix.net/forum/guns/TT7CVH73LE6LFMAV50 -
Amen! The K9's have had problems too. I need not say more.
JM0 -
I and numerous friends have had numerous Kahrs. Including K,P, and PM models. I and several of my friends could not get any of them to function 100% reliably, they have all been sold. None of us were ever able to get through a range session without at least one FTE or FTF. And I really wanted them to work, they would be a great CCW gun, but could not trust them. I carry my Taurus 651 as a pocket gun and either my S&W 3953 or a Sig as a belt gun. None of which has ever had ANY problems. 0 -
The original poster of this question was asking about 38 +P... I'd honestly recommend a Kel Tec P3AT over anything else for pocket carry. It's what I use all of the time. This is a .380 Corbon's high velocity 380 traditional hollow points are listed as 220 foot pounds from the muzzle of a 2.5" barrel. Honestly that's probably about as much as you're going to get from a 38 +p, if not more. 0 -
The corbon DPX will give you 269 fpe out of a 2" barrel. And the poster's original question was: "Opinions? Comments? Debating between a J-Frame type revolver or a .40 S&W or 9mm subcompact auto for carry in WARM weather. Think pocket carry..." So the posts about the Kahr problems are entirely on subject. 0 -
FWIW, I now feel much more at ease carrying my 642 revolver than I do my small and lightweight Kahr.
Although the snubbie only gives me five shots versus 7 with the Kahr, my revolver is pretty much going to go bang-bang-bang-bang-bang and then click-click. The Kahr, on the other hand may go bang-silence-silence-silence or it may perform flawlessly six more times.
And, because the 642 snubby is DAO, its trigger pull is not short or light, two good safety features IMO when carrying concealed.
Just my two cents.0
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