38 vs 357 for home defense

[7shooter]

I keep my home defense 686+ loaded with +P 38 special ammo rather than 357 for a number of reasons. I live in a neighborhood with houses fairly close together and am concerned about over penetration with the 357. The 686 may be used by other family members who can shoot well but are not used to 357 recoil and noise. I also like the fact that I can get back on target more quickly with 38 ammo than I can with 357. What is right or wrong with my thinking on this ?

 

[ONEDOLLARBILL]

In my house the 686 is loaded with 357 why?? It hurts and like you said the noise just may scare the shiat out of the intruder and they just may flee !!! While in Alaska thats all we carried and things worked fine!!!!

 

[SteveG]

7Shooter,
I had a .357 for home defense for years and do as you say for the same reasons. If I would add another for the +P it would be a lower flash.
S

 

[sabashimon]

As long as you, or other members of your family are hitting where you're aiming under stress, absolutely nothing wrong with your choice of loads, or 22lr's for that matter.
But that takes training.
...and then more training.

 

[OKFC05]

Whatever ammo you choose, practice, practice, practice.

If you think overpenetration is a problem, try figuring out where the bullets are going if you miss your intended target and put the round out a window or thin wall!

 

[Wee Hooker]

If you decide to go 357, look at loads designed not to overpenetrate.
i.e. Glasser Safety Slug, MagSafe ( or even multi-ball rounds.)

 

[617fan]

I keep my home defense 686+ loaded with +P 38 special ammo rather than 357 for a number of reasons. I live in a neighborhood with houses fairly close together and am concerned about over penetration with the 357. The 686 may be used by other family members who can shoot well but are not used to 357 recoil and noise. I also like the fact that I can get back on target more quickly with 38 ammo than I can with 357. What is right or wrong with my thinking on this ?

I keep my Model 60 loaded with +P. I actually shoot .357's in it just as well, but the Mod 60 goes from belt to nightstand even though I have better options. Excessive muzzle flash is the reason.

 

[mikeysdad]

I keep my Model 60 loaded with +P. I actually shoot .357's in it just as well, but the Mod 60 goes from belt to nightstand even though I have better options. Excessive muzzle flash is the reason.

Same here, mainly because the wife dosen't really like the magnums with this gun. She was ok with a 4" 586, but I had to part with that one.
Chuck

 

[Centenniel]

For the application you mentioned, the 38+P makes the most sense to me. Mine is loaded with the Speer 135 grain Gold Dot +P.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Any round which reliably penetrates flesh enough to reach the vitals of a human attacker WILL penetrate multiple interior or exterior walls. Nothing you can do about it.

Just extra incentive to use the best-performing round you can acquire and makes the bullets go where they need to.

 

[roaddog28]

For home defense I would go with the proven FBI load. My number one home defense revolver is the model 10 but I have several 357s that would function just as well. I have always been able to hit were I aim better with the model 10 than any of my other revolvers. It is probably me. A person that is very experience with 357s rounds would use the proven 125g HP. But I am small and the recoil of the 357 hampers my accurately.

roaddog

 

[photoman]

Trying to predict penetration with either round is a waste of time. It totally depends on what the round hits. Drywall? A stud? A door frame. A light switch. Impossible to predict how your round will do with a missed shot. Same with a hit. Sometimes a .38 will go through and through and sometimes a .357 will stop in the flesh.

If everyone in the house can shoot the .38 well, be satisfied with that.

 

[tgwillard]

I once read somewhere that a person who can accurately shoot a .380 will have better results defending himself than someone who can not accurately shoot a .357. As others have said, practice is very important. I would also think that a hollow point would help prevent the bullet passing completely through the target and thus waste the extra energy of the .357.

 

[bubbajoe45]

+1 Photoman44

 

[Knightrider03m]

I wouldn't worry about a .357 round over penetrate a wall as long as you have JHP loaded in there.

 

[willy]

I keep my 357 loaded with full power 158 gr. 357 JHP.
Because in your own house where you know the lay out, you might just want to send a round through the wall,or maybe even the floor.

 

[Revolver King]

38+P does the job for me, I just don't see any other reason to use anything else. That is for 2 legged varmits only.

 

[JamesArthur60]

I believe this question cannot be accurately answered by anyone on this forum, unless one has actually pulled the trigger on a firearm inside an enclosed structure; without ear protection, in the dark of night, under extreme stress. I'm guessing (like everyone else) a gun you are comfortable shooting accurately, the number of family members in your home, their location and the interior structure/layout makes a difference in your firearm/ammo selection.

 

[cmort666]

I have Federal 158gr. LSWC-HP +Ps in all of my .38s and .357s. It's accurate, and controllable. We don't get a lot of grizzly bears up around Cleveland, so I don't expect to run into anything or anyone in my home that the FBI load won't deal with.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

one word: shotgun