Can 38+p do the job in a 2-in barrel j-frame?

[vito]

I know that the short barrel in the snubbies reduces the power of the round, and wonder if it still is capable of being a good self defense weapon. Obviously a lot of folks carry these smaller revolvers as their primary carry weapon, but in the real world, when used, have they done the job of stopping the BG as effectively as say, a 9mm with a 4in barrel?

 

[GLC1]

Any gun is better than no gun.

A 38 snub is a great self-defense gun, just know its limitations. It's a close-in fighting gun.

A good, center mass hit with that .38 will trump a peripheral hit with any bigger, better, faster, whatever caliber.

My 2 cents.

 

[old tanker]

If you put the bullet where it needs to go.

A .38 special will do the job. You don't have much margin, but that is the price you pay for something small and easy to carry.

Every now and then the subject of CCW comes up at work, and often some guy will describe an absolutely wonderful rail equipped custom double stack etc etc etc as his carry gun.

"Man that sure sounds like a great gun, may I see it?"

"Uh..........er...........h'mm, lemme run out to the truck and get it."

By then someone in the office will have produced a Kel-Tec or an Airweight.

"What's with the silly little pop gun?"

"That's what keeps you from getting to your truck."

If a gunfight is on the schedule, and I HAVE to be there, I'd just as soon show up with an M256 120mm tank gun and riding in an Abrams. Otherwise, I carry what season, clothing, and political climate will allow.

 

[n4zov]

A .38 special will do the job. You don't have much margin, but that is the price you pay for something small and easy to carry.

Every now and then the subject of CCW comes up at work, and often some guy will describe an absolutely wonderful rail equipped custom double stack etc etc etc as his carry gun.

"Man that sure sounds like a great gun, may I see it?"

"Uh..........er...........h'mm, lemme run out to the truck and get it."

By then someone in the office will have produced a Kel-Tec or an Airweight.

"What's with the silly little pop gun?"

"That's what keeps you from getting to your truck."

If a gunfight is on the schedule, and I HAVE to be there, I'd just as soon show up with an M256 120mm tank gun and riding in an Abrams. Otherwise, I carry what season, clothing, and political climate will allow.

OldTanker makes a great point! It is important to choose a gun that you can and will actually carry 100% of the time as opposed to choosing a gun that you find an excuse to NOT carry because it is too big, hard to conceal, too heavy, etc. I will carry a Model 37 Airweight in .38 Special all the time because I can drop it in my pocket and forget about it as opposed to another gun that I might be carrying. I am just not going to strap on a .45 auto and wear it to church but will carry the Model 37.

 

[Will Carry]

Good comments! The 38sp snubby, as a contact weapon, is effective. I carry a Model 36 3". It's fast, ultra reliable, easy to carry and does have a certain "shock and awe" about it.

I work with a fellow who was confronted by a crackhead brandishing a 38sp snubby. The crackhead shot twice and started running, the fellow I work with started chasing him, until he noticed he was limping. He looked down and saw blood and stopped. He had been shot twice. Once in the leg and once in the side. Both wounds were superficial. Of course this guy played college football and was 6'4" and 280lbs. His legs are bigger than my waiste.

 

[coach22]

I haven't been on here for a long time and this is what was being talked about before.
Unless you are a cop and HAVE TO engage a bad guy, your "trouble" will happen inside of 8 feet, probably even closer. At that distance, I would face ANYONE with a 38 +P out of a 2 inch. Of course, there are better and worse bullet choices. My J frames are all loaded with Buffalo Bore. Depending on the model, either Standard Pressure 158's (442), or 158 +P's (640-38),
or 125 JHP +P's (340 PD). 2nd choice in all would be Corbon DPX +P's. 5 shots should protect you against 2 bad guys at close range. If 3 or more, you're going to die no matter what caliber or how many bullets you have. This is real life, not a Bruce Lee movie.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Shot placement-shot placement-shot placement!

BTW, I have yet to see a single balistics quoting naysayer volentier to stand 10 yds down range with a catchers mitt

 

[Triggernosis]

....As always, don't get too wrapped in the nuances of ammunition terminal performance. Spend your time and money on developing a warrior mindset, training, practice, and more training.

Oh hell friggin' yeah, brother! That right there should be a Sticky.

 

[Ghostofwar]

You should just ask Lee Harvey Oswald or Jack Ruby if a .38 will do the job.

 

[safearm]

Yes, the .38 Special from a 2 inch barrel will do the job. What really matters is how capable you are of insuring the bullet hits the target, and hits in the place that imparts the greatest effect to the target.
If you are shooting an Airweight or other alloy frame, the heavier recoiling rounds may not be the best choice if you can't manage the blast and recoil. I've heard many times that you will never notice the noise and recoil in a gunfight, and while I've never been in a handgun fight, I have used a rifle to defend myself in battle and I was aware of the noise and muzzle flash, and how recoil shifted my sight picture.
Hopefully, the closest you will come to having to use a handgun to defend yourself is practice, and if you are having difficulty accepting the flash, noise, and recoil, you will probably start flinching before the shot goes off, thereby insuring that the bullet will NOT hit your intended target.
Practice with rounds that are comfortable to shoot and will allow you to build the confidence you need in your marksmanship. Also shoot with +P or magnum loads if that's what you carry. I don't buy into the philosophy that you can train with low recoil rounds and shoot high power rounds with the same speed and accuracy.
If standard pressure/velocity rounds are what works best for you, use them; there are plenty of good bullet designs and loads that will allow you to pick what you feel is best for your situation. If you can handle to hotter stuff, more is always better.

 

[bmcgilvray]

You should just ask Lee Harvey Oswald or Jack Ruby if a .38 will do the job.

You may be certain that Ruby wasn't carrying +P in that Colt Cobra 2-inch snub in 1963.

YouTube - Lee Harvey Oswald Assassination

 

[Sportsterguy]

If you do yours it will with great results! It's all about shot placement.

 

[No Deal]

Yes, it will do the job, especially in hollow point. I have prosecuted 2 murders where shots from 38. We also prosecuted someone this year who killed a 6'4" 280 lbs victim with 2 shots of 38+p hollow point. Not head or direct heart shots either.

 

[vytoland]

will a .38 special snub nose get the job done........................you betcha.

just make sure that YOU get in plenty of practice so YOU are ready when the time comes.

 

[Old cop]

The short answer is yes, it is a good fight stopper. You have to practice, at least monthly, with such a small gun. I was a cop in 1974 and became engaged in a gunfight with a BG who was using a .45 revolver. I stopped him with my duty weapon, a Colt Detective Special loaded with .38 +P. It's all about shot placement.

 

[Texas Star]

To put this in perspective, a 9mm auto with a four-inch barrel is not a fair comparison to a snub .38. From all the available data, and I have studied that for over 30 years, a snub .38 is about 65% effective on one-shot stops. But if all bullets had been well placed, that figure would be much higher.

I do favor one of the well known high performance rounds, like the lead HP Plus P or the Speer Gold Dot with 135 grain bullet, if available. But their 125 grainer is also a hot load wth a big HP cavity. It may exceed 900 FPS from a snub, and will do well over that from a three-inch barrel.

The snub guns often come with a three-inch barrel option, and it makes them significantly easier to shoot, gives some 80 feet per second higher velocity, and has a full-length extractor rod stroke.

The CIA is reported to have issued mainly two guns: the Browning Hi-Power and the S&W M-36 snub. The 9mm is obviously a better fighting gun if it doesn't jam, which I had happen when my Browning slide caught the cuff of my parka in recoil. It was a HARD jam to clear. But the M-36 is more reliable,and is easier to carry. Basically, you have to suit the gun to the circumstances.

If I was especially expecting a gunfight or on duty where I'd need a full-size gun, I'd probably pick my Beretta M-92FS. But if I was dressed casually, especially in summer, and no particular threat was envisioned, I'd settle happily for an S&W M-60 .38 snub with the best available ammo. And I think you may have to fire at a range greater than the eight feet that someone posted above. You should be proficient to at least 15 yards, and the snub .38 is very capable of that and beyond, in the right hands. But look hard for a three-inch barrelled gun on the same frame as the snub.

T-Star

 

[BoDog]

The best gun in the world is the one you have at hand when the s**t hits the fan. I have both a 36 2in. and a Glock 27 40S&W either will fit in a pocket and are on my ccw they would do the the job if I do mine.

 

[Frailer]

...Every now and then the subject of CCW comes up at work, and often some guy will describe an absolutely wonderful rail equipped custom double stack etc etc etc as his carry gun.

"Man that sure sounds like a great gun, may I see it?"

"Uh..........er...........h'mm, lemme run out to the truck...

I had a very similar discussion a few weeks ago, but my ninja wannabe didn't even carry his supergun to his truck. He left it in his sock drawer.

 

[GDubya]

It's all about:
gun at hand,
shot placement,
and, since they were designed specifically for 2" snubbies, the previously mentioned 135-gr SPL+P GDHPs will certainly compliment the task at hand.

 

[weyerbacher]

I have a lot of confidence in my 442 or 642 at around 15-20 feet. I use WWB 125 grain JHPs. I'm sure they will be enough. Even tough guys will go down with a few of those bouncing around in their chest cavity. I tried several CW9s and Kahr P9s as everydy carry guns. But nothing beats a J frame in a Nemesis pocket holster and an extra speed strip as far as I can see.