Why NOT to Carry a .38 Snub

[Univibe]

The 38 I have been carried for many many years by police . I have autos they can jam even good ones uncle once told me revolver never jam so was my first gun I have many autos but my 38 is my go to gun at the house .

False. My Smith 686 jammed. My M&P hasn't, with many more rounds through it.

I know an HPD officer. His partner escorted a drunk out of a bar. At the doorway, the drunk produced and swung a knife. Partner's Smith revolver jammed. Our officer pulled his Colt 1911, ended the problem with 230 fmj.

It can happen.

 

[biku324]

My wife has gone to a full-sized 357 as her long-carried M49 doesn't work well with her arthritic hands. The bigger revolver requires a different grip altogether, one she can more easily manage while pulling a trigger.

 

[Univibe]

My wife has gone to a full-sized 357 as her long-carried M49 doesn't work well with her arthritic hands. The bigger revolver requires a different grip altogether, one she can more easily manage while pulling a trigger.

What ammo, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[Eddie Southgate]

I lead a rather sheltered life and have no idea who this guy is so the question I have to ask is ...... Why should I care what he has to say ?
How many shootouts does he have to his credit ? How many times has he shot an attacker and failed to stop them with a snub .38 ? How many has he stopped with whatever weapon he is suggesting as a replacement for the .38 snub ? Being a writer gives him no weight with me , I can write an article stating that the .44 Magnum is not effective as a defense weapon . Does not make it true . I didn't bother to read what he had to say , got more important things to do like sorting some pocket lint .

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Meet the most decorated detective in NYPD history

This is a guy I'd pay attention to . Jim Cirillo would be another .

 

[mtgianni]

I was reminded of Wiley Clapps articles on why the 44 Special sucked and needed to be obsolete. I believe this follows the thoughts that any readership is good press.

 

[AJ]

I lead a rather sheltered life and have no idea who this guy is so the question I have to ask is ...... Why should I care what he has to say .
How many shootouts does he have to his credit ? How many times has he shot an attacker and failed to stop them with a snub .38 ? How many has he stopped with whatever weapon he is suggesting as a replacement for the .38 snub ? Being a writer gives him no weight with me , I can write an article stating that the .44 Magnum is not effective as a defense weapon . Does not make it true . I didn't bother to read what he had to say , got more important things to do like sorting some pocket lint .

Like I posted in Post #21 "Just because he is a gun writer does not give him any bonafides.........."

 

[keith44spl]

I'm all about a snub nose Specials....And using enough gun

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[mtgianni]

No one yet has mentioned the thousands of us who watched a conflict between L. H. Oswald and Jack Ruby. It would be difficult to explain to my nine year old self how a 38 wasn't enough gun.

 

[pawngal]

Another comment from a previous post that I have issue with is
"Then, there's the folks who can't seem to help but think they need (and will have time) to thumb-cock a traditional revolver into single action ... at 3yds ... for each shot."

I'd much rather shoot 6 rounds in 10 seconds and keep on target than wing around in double action. There comes that muscle memory again!
Thumbing the hammer is automatic for me. And yes, I can do it one-handed, just not quite as fast.

Guess it's just hard for a stubborn old Taurus gal to learn new tricks!

Ok 6rds in 10sec is about 7sec too long, it wont likely happen. If you are NOT practicing DA, then you are doing yourself a disservice & a false sense of security with your skill set. DA, under 7y, 6rds in 3sec is where you want to be imho.

Sorry. won't happen. I've shot single action for 50+ years. Too old to learn new tricks. So, by your thinking a single action only revolver is not suitable home defense or any other self defense scenario. Just might be more than a few Ruger fans that would dispute that.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Sorry. won't happen. I've shot single action for 50+ years. Too old to learn new tricks. So, by your thinking a single action only revolver is not suitable home defense or any other self defense scenario. Just might be more than a few Ruger fans that would dispute that.

I started on SA and still carry one pretty regular so I second those last two statements .

 

[Univibe]

Sorry. won't happen. I've shot single action for 50+ years. Too old to learn new tricks. So, by your thinking a single action only revolver is not suitable home defense or any other self defense scenario. Just might be more than a few Ruger fans that would dispute that.

It's almost impossible to reload a double-action revolver in a short-range shootout. Has anybody ever done it?

How much harder to reload a single action!

There you are, poking out the empties one by one, while the Jackboys with their Glock Forties hammer you into the dust.

Nobody's too old to park that single action revolver, and get into a Glock, M&P, P226, VP9, or other modern handgun eminently suited to save your life.

"Ruger Fans" might indeed dispute this now, but you won't find any alive after a gunfight to do any disputin'. They'll be at the morgue.


N.B. to Mtgianni: There was no "conflict" between Oswald and Jack Ruby. Ruby shot an unarmed Oswald restrained by police. I have the autopsy report. The 158 grain bullet turned right and downward and perforated many vital organs.

 

[pawngal]

It's almost impossible to reload a double-action revolver in a short-range shootout. Has anybody ever done it?

How much harder to reload a single action!

There you are, poking out the empties one by one, while the Jackboys with their Glock Forties hammer you into the dust.

Nobody's too old to park that single action revolver, and get into a Glock, M&P, P226, VP9, or other modern handgun eminently suited to save your life.

"Ruger Fans" might indeed dispute this now, but you won't find any alive after a gunfight to do any disputin'. They'll be at the morgue..

So, how many gunfights and shootouts have you been in with your wonder 9 or 40? Member of the "Spray & Pray" Club??
I'll save my life by making smart decisions and situation awareness, and not going gangsta.

 

[BONEYARD]

Complete nonsense. Find another line of work, like writing fiction. Oh, that's what you WERE doing. BALONEY!

 

[crazyphil]

Author definately swimming upstream with this article. I'm quite sure
that a great majority of Law enforcement, and trained concealed carriers,
many of them obviously smarter than this so called gun writer (?) author,
prefer the snub nosed revolver, and .38 Spl. is the favorite caliber.
But he knows how to get attention: Controversy!

 

[NYlakesider]

It's almost impossible to reload a double-action revolver in a short-range shootout. Has anybody ever done it?

How much harder to reload a single action!

There you are, poking out the empties one by one, while the Jackboys with their Glock Forties hammer you into the dust.

Nobody's too old to park that single action revolver, and get into a Glock, M&P, P226, VP9, or other modern handgun eminently suited to save your life.

"Ruger Fans" might indeed dispute this now, but you won't find any alive after a gunfight to do any disputin'. They'll be at the morgue.


N.B. to Mtgianni: There was no "conflict" between Oswald and Jack Ruby. Ruby shot an unarmed Oswald restrained by police. I have the autopsy report. The 158 grain bullet turned right and downward and perforated many vital organs.

In his day I would not discount Thell Reed with a single action as his protection piece. Also Bob Mundin, both of those people could do both a very accurate unload (shoot) and do a rapid reload on a single action revolver.

I for one would not say they would be easy pickings when push came to shove!

 

[forrestinmathews]

In his day I would not discount Thell Reed with a single action as his protection piece. Also Bob Mundin, both of those people could do both a very accurate unload (shoot) and do a rapid reload on a single action revolver.

I for one would not say they would be easy pickings when push came to shove!

Oh to be exceptional just to survive. There are modern day cowboy action shooters that are as good. I would think only someone who fires several thousand rounds a year Inna competitive setting would be any good at all with those guns. Just hitting things in general not reloading and such.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Has the threat level really changed? That notion is advanced a lot on firearms forums, but just how true is it?

Does Walter Mitty ever appear firearms forum posts?

 

[Ziggy2525]

Has the threat level really changed? That notion is advanced a lot on firearms forums, but just how true is it?
...

Just to be totally unambiguous about it, I think yes and no .

If you're an active or retired LEO, it looks to me like the threat has increased a lot. If I was in that circumstance, I'd want to carry big guns with lots of big boolits.

For a civilian self defender, unless you have some special circumstance like needing to carry lots of cash or you're cheating with some guys wife, I don't think the threat level has really increased. A .38 snub will work just fine. JMO.

 

[dubshooter]

It's almost impossible to reload a double-action revolver in a short-range shootout. Has anybody ever done it?

How much harder to reload a single action!

There you are, poking out the empties one by one, while the Jackboys with their Glock Forties hammer you into the dust.

Nobody's too old to park that single action revolver, and get into a Glock, M&P, P226, VP9, or other modern handgun eminently suited to save your life.

"Ruger Fans" might indeed dispute this now, but you won't find any alive after a gunfight to do any disputin'. They'll be at the morgue.


N.B. to Mtgianni: There was no "conflict" between Oswald and Jack Ruby. Ruby shot an unarmed Oswald restrained by police. I have the autopsy report. The 158 grain bullet turned right and downward and perforated many vital organs.

You’re not going to have much lucky trying to reload ANY firearm in a short range shootout. You don’t have to shoot first and shoot fastest. You have to make a hit first.

People think that just because they’re carrying a semiauto their reloads are faster than a revolver. But many people don’t practice reloads (at least quickly). I make it a point when I’m doing my qualifications with my revolver to get my reload done and get the next shot off quicker than the semiauto guys.

But I still don’t think you would get the chance for a reload in a self defense shooting (civilian, not law enforcement).