.38 special looked down upon?

revolverrandy · Jan 20, 2010

is it my imagination or do alot of people look down upon and have disrespect for the .38 special?when I was looking for mine thats the vibe I got.kinda like"What do you want with womans gun?"
Many tried talking me into the .357,which I am sure I would enjoy as well,but whats the deal with the .38 special?Is it considered a low power ,wimpy gun by many?

18DAI · Jan 20, 2010

The only place the 38 special isn't deadly, is the internet.

Regards 18DAI.

OKFC05 · Jan 20, 2010

Those who worship at the altar of muzzle energy often shun the .38 because many HV cartridges with light bullets look superior on paper, compared to say a 9mm.
However, with modern bullets and loads that take advantage of the larger case capacity, the .38 and 9mm standard cartridges have virtually equivalent real-world effectiveness.
Let's face it, compared to my deer rifle, either is rather wimpy in comparison and requires accurate shooting to be effective.

For carry, loads like the Speer SB .357 are a compromise between the .38 and full-power .357, allowing better contol and follow-up than the regular .357 and more punch than the .38.

cmort666 · Jan 20, 2010

I've never seen anyone who knocked the .38 Special volunteer to be shot with one, even wearing a vest.

wyatte · Jan 20, 2010

The 38 Special is one of my favorite all time cartridges. There will always be those who argue in favor of more powerful loads, but the 38 has a very large following of it's own. I think with the development of very good self defense bullets, as well as the old tried and true older ones, the respect for the cartridge is on the rise. The trend seems to be focusing on small, lightweight revolvers such as the j-frames, sp101 etc. Although many can fire the 357 magnum, many people, like me, find the 38 Special to be just the ticket in the smaller revolvers. I have two j-frames, as well as a 3" gp100, and prefer to shoot the 38 Special in them, even though all three are 357's. wyatte

panamajack310 · Jan 20, 2010

I have carried a 38 special for 15 years now. I have never felt out gunned with it. I have never felt that the round was ineffective. The 38 special has been used from 1899-1980's. 80 years of use so it can not be too ineffective

davel686 · Jan 20, 2010

I only here a few people talk down the .38 and they are usually people that like semi-autos and big bullets.
I only have 3 hand guns, all chambered in .357mag but I carry .38spl in my daily carry gun and and use .38 for most of my practice.
I only load up .357 when I am going to be carrying my M 28 and I think I might need more penatraition.
other wise the .38+p's out of a K frame is a good match and good for all around carry.

perpster · Jan 20, 2010

revolverrandy said:
is it my imagination or do alot of people look down upon and have disrespect for the .38 special?when I was looking for mine thats the vibe I got.kinda like"What do you want with womans gun?"
Many tried talking me into the .357,which I am sure I would enjoy as well,but whats the deal with the .38 special?Is it considered a low power ,wimpy gun by many?

Buy a .357. That way you always have the option to shoot .38 Special or .357 Magnum at your discretion, and you won't have buyer's remorse.

tom turner · Jan 20, 2010

IIRC, Lee H. Oswald killed officer Tippet with a .38 Victory model, rechambered for .38 Special . . . then Jack Ruby killed Oswald with one too a couple of days later. One shot kills too, IIRC.

Ruby was quoted as saying he deliberately shot Oswald in the "gut" with his Colt Detective Special snubbie .38, "just so he'd have to suffer the most pain before he died."

And die Oswald did too . . . although an ambulance was on the premises . . . and although the hospital was not far away. And yes, the pain of a gut shot that turns the intestines into spaghetti sauce is extreme . . . as Oswald instantly found out as he fell to the ground. He probably wished he was dead before he "coded" on 'em.

Yep . . . the wimpy old .38 in a snubby is not a threat to anyone . . . UNLESS they are SHOT with it!

paragon1 · Jan 20, 2010

I think the short barrel of the snubbies and the lack of velocity/terminal ballistics out of the short barrel coupled with the use of cartridges developed for longer barrels have given the .38 a bad rap.

Use the right ammo, and the .38 is very effective, even from short barrels. I am comfortable carrying my 642 with Speer GD 135gr.

DCWilson · Jan 20, 2010

Looked down upon? Not by me.

Remember that a shooter's best caliber is the largest one he can put where he needs it every time. A big banger with more power than that is useless if it can't be reliably controlled; the bullet might as well be a feather in a breeze if it doesn't go where it is needed.

The previous comments are on target. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the .38 Special.

By the way, welcome to the forum. Hang around and join the conversation. Lots of good people and good information here.

pinkymingeo · Jan 20, 2010

Some guys watch too much TV and too many action movies. The fact is, Dirty Harry aside, an assailant shot with a .22 might fall down dead, or might take your gun from you and make you eat it. An assailant shot with a .45 might fall down dead, or might take your gun from you and make you eat it. Or, anything in between. Handguns stink for self-defense. They're just better than throwing (small) rocks, but (at least in-close) probably not as good as a five iron (ask the Kennedy cousin). Most of the time having a gun is better than not having one, regardless of caliber. If you stay calm, aim carefully and put your bullet where it belongs, you'll win the fight regardless of caliber.

bmcgilvray · Jan 20, 2010

I like the .38 Special and not only in snubs. It's a great choice for larger revolvers of the type that were called service revolvers. It's been a lucky cartridge for me. I always fancied myself as a .44 Special fan but the .38 Special has been in on more of my handgunning chores than any other round and always has worked.

fighter62 · Jan 20, 2010

To me , my stainless model 64 or a 65 four inch heavy barrel , loaded with any decent 38+p HP ammo remains a STD, for a general pourpose handgun. I carried and still carry a 38 revolver off duty. Participated in PPC amtches for years. I see many people at the range looking down at revolvers and making statements like ," Its an old timer, He STILL shoots a revolver. " They can't even keep all their shots on paper at 25 yards. If I REALLY feel that a good 38 revolver is not goo enough, I get my mini-14 or an 870 12 gauge.......

btruman · Jan 20, 2010

Although I have more powerful and maybe prettier guns, as I've gotten older, this old worn on the outside, nicked and dinged model 10 which might not impress some folks, is still tight and shoots where I point it. It is one of my most carried guns nowadays. Loaded with 158 gr LSWCHPs, I believe it will take care of most of reasons I carry a concealed weapon. It's also just plain fun to shoot at the range

srgvaz · Jan 20, 2010

In 2000-2006 I would shoot my pre-14 38 and my P89 9mm weekly back then ammo prices were great and weekly was very do-able. However a few of my friends would make a few cracks about the rounds probably since I would outshoot them in every way possible way. I'm pretty good at shooting a solid object @ 15yrds and you get to see the round bounce back 1 or 2 feet. Anyway now they usually shoot (in handguns) 38 or 9mm go figure. I used to feel the same way about 22 in a hand gun but I bought one last month.
None the less I stand behind my 642-2 or either one of my 19-4's w/38+p.

Dakota Iron · Jan 20, 2010

.38 Special looked down on?

Unfortunately the vast majority of Americans are ignorant in
regards to the lethality of handguns. We used to be a nation of riflemen and we have lost that monicker also.

David Sinko · Jan 20, 2010

The only problem with the .38 Special is nobody wants to factory load it to its full potential in modern revolvers. When you load to the lowest common denominator (which is revolvers that are 100 years old) you tend to get the lame performance that nobody respects. And then there are all those nonsense articles in the magazines that proclaim "9mm Beats .38 Special!" The .38 Special is one of the greatest cartridges of all time but because it's so old it needs to be handloaded to reach its full potential. Same thing with two other oldies but goodies, the .45 Colt and .45-70 Gov't.

Dave Sinko

pownal55 · Jan 20, 2010

it can be somewhat questionable as a man stopper there are better choices when your life is on the line. if i carried a gun for protection daily it would probably be a short barrel 357. i use a six inch 14-3 for targets and small game or just fun shooting in 38 special. hitting what you aim at is more important than anything else and my 14 does that better than any other handgun i own.

amd6547 · Jan 20, 2010

I used to look down upon the 38spl, but not anymore. I would feel very well armed with my Model 15 and the right ammo.
The last part is the problem. I agree with David Sinko...most of the ammo from the big factories is pathetic. Just finding the very good +P LSWCHP load is difficult. I refuse to buy the uber expensive Buffalo Bore ammo, or any ammo in 20rd boxes. Handloading is really the way to go with 38spl.

.38 special looked down upon?

Member

Absent Comrade

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

SWCA Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads