Is the 38 good enough for defense??

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The .38 Special has served Americans well for over 100 years. Nobody likes getting shot, not with a BB gun and not with a .22 and definitely not with a .38 Special. Shot placement is the key. A .22 in the heart works a far deadlier magic than a .38 in the shoulder. But if what you are going for is a fight/threat stopper, which is really all anyone ever needs from a technical perspective, then the .38 Special is more than good enough to do the job. The only reason I am presently carrying a 9mm and not a .38 is for the flatness and concealment capability. I have carried a .38 with me daily for many years and never felt under gunned. :)
 
I watched the video, but unless I missed it he never stated the weight of the bullets. While velocity aids in shocking power weight aids in penetration. Was he using the same weight bullets in the 9mm as in the 38?
 
ISCS Yoda said:
The .38 Special has served Americans well for over 100 years. Nobody likes getting shot, not with a BB gun and not with a .22 and definitely not with a .38 Special. Shot placement is the key. A .22 in the heart works a far deadlier magic than a .38 in the shoulder. But if what you are going for is a fight/threat stopper, which is really all anyone ever needs from a technical perspective, then the .38 Special is more than good enough to do the job. The only reason I am presently carrying a 9mm and not a .38 is for the flatness and concealment capability. I have carried a .38 with me daily for many years and never felt under gunned. :)
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What 9mm gun do you carry, Yoda?
 
The .38 Special is good enough. When used with good 158 grain lead semi-wadcutters at adequate velocities it is highly effective, assuming good hits.

No cartridge and no "trick" bullet is highly effective with bad hits.
 
In a word, yes. I was a working cop for 30 years and had the misfortune to be drawn into three on duty shootings, each w/my issued thirty-eight. It dropped the bad guy and I made it to retirement, still carrying a J frame loaded w/Speer Gold Dot 135 grain +P. Even though there are more modern weapons it's a platform I'm comfortable with in retirement. UPDATE: Went to the range today (8/9) w/my 340PD and ran a couple of cylinders of +P and as well as around 100 rounds of range fodder. Shot paper plates @ three, five, seven & ten yards. This little gun is amazing.
 
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Yes it is ... with decent cartridges that you can deliver to the right place to get the job done. I tend to prefer 158 grain bullets, either the lead semi wadcutter hollowpoints like the old FBI load , or a good lead or jacketed semi wadcutter style. The jacketed loads will be called soft points and will have a flat point above the jacket. It's even better if your handgun will handle +P loadings but the standard loads will also work. It will be your level of accuracy with the gun and cartridge regardless of caliber or platform you use that will make the difference. You should use whatever you can handle and shoot the best!
 
To steal a quote...(maybe from this site?):

"the only place the .38spl is not an effective defense round is on the internet" :D

I trust it...mostly because I shoot them reasonably well and guys with way more experience than me carry .38's daily.
 
ISCS Yoda said:
The .38 Special has served Americans well for over 100 years. Nobody likes getting shot, not with a BB gun and not with a .22 and definitely not with a .38 Special. Shot placement is the key. A .22 in the heart works a far deadlier magic than a .38 in the shoulder. But if what you are going for is a fight/threat stopper, which is really all anyone ever needs from a technical perspective, then the .38 Special is more than good enough to do the job. The only reason I am presently carrying a 9mm and not a .38 is for the flatness and concealment capability. I have carried a .38 with me daily for many years and never felt under gunned. :)
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Exactly mine thoughts. I cut my teeth on revolvers, carried a model 15 as my duty weapon for many years. I now carry a Kahr PM9 for the same flatness, even though it's not big increase in round count (5 vs 6 or 7 depending on magazine). Reason of the Kahr is the trigger pull, to me, is as close as any slider has come to a true DA revolver feel.
 
In answer to your question, let me show you what happens when a 125 gr .38 hollowpoint fired from a S&W 586 with 6" barrel hits something (also shows you what happens when you do something stupid like pulling a trigger before checking to see if the gun is loaded.).
I was standing about 5 feet from the mirror when gun was fired.

1st pic shows where it entered the mirror frame.
2nd pic shows exit hole on other side of wall in hall bathroom.
3rd pic shows what happened when it hit the sink.
4th pic shows actual hollowpoint bullet after it hit sink.

Didn't take 5th pic but it would have showed me dropping to my knees and thanking God it wasn't my foot.

Hope that answers your question.( There are still small pieces of the sink embedded in bathroom wall)
 

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The 38 will not only do the job, it will shine in the process. I recently posted a thread about arthritis of the hands making me have to go to a recoilless handgun for SD. I went to a 22 Compact but before I did that I researched the lethality of the 22. After many hours of research I finally was comfortable with the decision. The 38 is an upgrade from the 22LR.

For the doubters, accuracy is the determining factor in a gunfight. A 22 between the BG's eyes is better that a 45 in his arm

Now let's try multiplication. Three 40 gr bullets form a 22 is roughly equal one 115 gr from a 9mm. How about if I can deliver those three rounds as fast and more accurately than the single 9mm round. And I can because I have no recoil to deal with.

Next week, I am going to run a test to see how many gr of 22 lead I can put on target in a five shot burst at 25 feet. I will post the result in a thread here.

With a 38 laying in a couple rounds within a couple seconds the result would be devastating to the BG. Sure and simple.

The kill formula is not hard to understand. The force on target is a multiple of the the weight of the bullet times the velocity. It makes no difference if the weight is distributed over sequential rapid fire rounds or a single round. 120 gr of lead will incapacitate if the hits are rapid sequentially and well grouped. The secret to a small caliber SD gun is accuracy with speed. Combined they are lethal.
 
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A lot of bad guys are taking a " dirt nap " because of the 38spl . It's been serving a call to duty , for over 100 yrs w/military and law enforcement around the world . And it will continue to serve .
 
Well, when I posted this question I already knew it was. That guy in Alabama in the included link dropped an 820 lb wild pig with one. That alone tells the tale. Pigs tend to be twice as tough as men.
 
I think a .38 has its real strength in its shootability. A steel frame gun and standard loads can be comfortably used by most anyone. The .357 barks and bites and needs training to overcome. There are loads that can be made that are super deadly in a .357 and super uncontrollable. 22 grains of Win 296 behind a 125 grain XTP vs. 3.5 to 4 grains of Clays behind a 125 grain XTP is an illustration of wild .357 vs. mild .38. I'm fine with a .38; it's something I understand and can wring the absolute best accuracy out of. I bought a .357 for versatility.
 
rickflst said:
Concealed Carry: .38 special vs. 9mm. - YouTube Has some great info for you
Click to expand...

This guy is by far the best gun guy on YouTube. I recently just discovered his work and find it to be superb, with a laid-back style that is hard to find.

I believe the .38 is more than enough for defense in most circumstances, with the right ammo of course. No, it is not as powerful as the .357 Magnum in any gun. Many 9mm rounds will perform better. But how many super compact and light guns can launch a 158 grain hollow point downrange at a decent velocity?
 
I watched the video. Very informative. I think I learned what I have herd all along. Carry what I like, what I can carry every day, and what I can shoot confidently and accurately.
 
Most stops of a criminal with a gun there is no shots fired. I don't think the criminal cares if it is a 38 special.
 
As a rookie LE in Miami back in 1967, first service revolver was S&W Model 10 .38 special.. we were forbidden from carrying
.357 and no auto loaders.. eventually when auto loaders became more user friendly with the advent of reliable da/sa models like the Smith 39 and 59 9mm, we changed over.. not because of
the difference in effectiveness but rather the increased capacity
Of 15 rounds with the autos.. so today the same holds true for
civilians as well as police officers..

Shot placement is everything in defensive shooting, especially
when using a handgun.. years later when investigating homicides, I worked cases where a single .22 LR caused a fatal wound and others where a victim survived multiple hits from a 45 ACP..
So although I would not recommend anything less than a .380
for EDC, stopping an offender with a handgun is not a perfect
science no matter what you carry.. hence, as they say, some gun is better than no gun.. So carry what you are comfortable with
carrying ALL the time.. The only downside to the .38 is lack of capacity (5 to 7) since only available in wheel guns..
My load of choice being Speer GD 135 gr.
 
cavnamvet said:
As a rookie LE in Miami back in 1967, first service revolver was S&W Model 10 .38 special.. we were forbidden from carrying
.357 and no auto loaders.. eventually when auto loaders became more user friendly with the advent of reliable da/sa models like the Smith 39 and 59 9mm, we changed over.. not because of
the difference in effectiveness but rather the increased capacity
Of 15 rounds with the autos.. so today the same holds true for
civilians as well as police officers..

Shot placement is everything in defensive shooting, especially
when using a handgun.. years later when investigating homicides, I worked cases where a single .22 LR caused a fatal wound and others where a victim survived multiple hits from a 45 ACP..
So although I would not recommend anything less than a .380
for EDC, stopping an offender with a handgun is not a perfect
science no matter what you carry.. hence, as they say, some gun is better than no gun.. So carry what you are comfortable with
carrying ALL the time.. The only downside to the .38 is lack of capacity (5 to 7) since only available in wheel guns..
My load of choice being Speer GD 135 gr.
Click to expand...

Im all in with cavnamvet's opinion. That's why I carry Two J-Frames or my 7 shot Snub and a J-Frame. Extra Speed Loaders are in my pocket.
 
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