J-Frame Carry Round....38-special or 9mm and Why?

[G.T. Smith]

My only J frame is a model 37 '68 vintage 1 7/8 barrel round butt. I have never shot anything but standard pressure LRN factory ammo in it because of the alloy frame. It has the original numbered grips and is a pleasure to shoot with these rounds. Kind of like an acoustic guitar in the sense that if you have a guitar that sounds good you will want to keep on playing it till you play better. These standard pressure round make me want to shoot a lot and I have improved over time a lot. I think that in a self defense situation those round nosed lead bullets would seriously change a bad guy's plans if not worse Heaven forbid. If I had the same sized gun that was +P rated, I think I'd still shoot these. I actually shoot that 37 more accurately at 7 yards than I do my 4" 65-4 with 357's. At least more consistent. Don't really want no 9mm.
Peace,
Gordon

 

[ppsw]

J-frame carry round....38-special or 9mm and why

While i would say that being accurate with a reliable gun is most important the modern fast burning powders make the 9mm outperform the 357 in a snubby with less than 2 inches of barrel with less recoil, blast, and flash....said it before , look at gunblast or pocket guns and gear/mousegun addict,. and see the chronograph results for yourself...9mm from buffalo bore and underwood will best 357 in the same weights...dont let antiquated snubby ballistics and rhetoric keep you from believing the numbers...so Smith, if your listening, need the m&p 340 in 9mm just like ruger's lcr, only in the lighter 340...

 

[Walkingwolf]

Smith & Wesson Model 610 was chambered for the 10mm.

Sent from my QTAQZ3 using Tapatalk

Yes, but they then dropped production. A gunsmith will still convert a Smith, or a Ruger to 10mm, but I would prefer a factory model, that I can afford.

 

[JimCunn]

I have three titanium cylindered 637-2 J-frames.
Each has two titanium cylinders, one in 38/357, the other in 9mm.
For me, carrying the 9mm cylinders is more convenient and 9mm power is sufficient.
147gr jhp at 946 fps for 292 ft-lbs.

 

[rubiranch]

I have zero experience with 9mm but I wouldn't want to get shot by a 9mm, .38 SP +P or a .357 Mag.





I carry my 642-1 the vast majority of the time. Being under 1 lb empty its easy to forget its even there and loaded with 129 grain .38 Special +P Hydra-Shok its going to leave a mark.




And these speed strips are really easy to carry in your pocket.




I sometimes carry my 640-1 .357. I don't find it "brutal" like some folks do. I actually find it a blast to shoot.

 

[DeafSmith]

When I got my 642-1 'pro', cut for .38 moon clips, I also got a pawn shop 642-1, bit yucky, as my practice gun. I also have aluminum fake gun of the same style for practice at home (it cannot fire thus no chance of an accident in the house.)

I reload 158s and shoot that practice gun weekly. Shoot one handed, two, hip shoot, shoot left, right, pivots, etc... I shoot like I was shooting for my life.

THEN I carry my 642 Pro as needed (along with a Glock 26 or 43... just depending on attire.)

I use the 130-135 gr JHPs. Gold dot or Winchester or Federal. I do not lose any sleep over which one. All do well in short barrels and they shoot where the sights look.

Skill at arms is 10x more important than just exactly what you are carrying.

Just get a good load and a practice gun to shoot!!

 

[max503]

Unless I had access to large quantities of 9mm ammo, I can't see the reason for having a 9mm revolver.

 

[max503]

My only J frame is a model 37 '68 vintage 1 7/8 barrel round butt. I have never shot anything but standard pressure LRN factory ammo in it because of the alloy frame. It has the original numbered grips and is a pleasure to shoot with these rounds. Kind of like an acoustic guitar in the sense that if you have a guitar that sounds good you will want to keep on playing it till you play better. These standard pressure round make me want to shoot a lot and I have improved over time a lot. I think that in a self defense situation those round nosed lead bullets would seriously change a bad guy's plans if not worse Heaven forbid. If I had the same sized gun that was +P rated, I think I'd still shoot these. I actually shoot that 37 more accurately at 7 yards than I do my 4" 65-4 with 357's. At least more consistent. Don't really want no 9mm.
Peace,
Gordon

I saw the Busch carton then looked at your location - and saw you are from Missouri. It figures.

 

[MP1SG]

I personally think the 357 mag out of a snub is far superior to any 38 or 38+P out of a snub, If you look at lucky gunner web site they test many rounds in 38+P and 357 mag out of a 2" and a 4". Lucky gunner does a great job with ballistics. I understand the "follow-Up" shot might be a little slower I'll give up the 1/2 second slower follow up shot with my 340PD to get the ballistics of the 357 mag. I also believe you do not loose a lot in accuracy if at all.
again just my 2 cents

 

[sjs]

I do not do scientific tests of various loads with various handguns. I read articles from everyone who seems to have expertise. I also have some experience seeing men shot with various calibers and with wildly unpredictable results. This has lead me to the totally unsubstantiated, non-scientific belief that with modern premium personal defense ammo, out of a short barrel revolver, there is currently no meaningful difference in expected outcome between the two calibers. I could be wrong.

I have a Ruger SP101 2.25" 9mm revolver, an LCR 38sp, and until a few weeks ago a Ruger SP101 2.25" 357. I shoot frequently, and often shot the three snubbies on back to back days, usually shooting 38 ammo in the .357. I shot +P defense loads, training loads, and handloads of various types in all three revolvers.

I carried any one of the three on a daily basis, now only one of the two, and I feel equally well armed with any of them. I do not worry much about a need to reload as a civilian, but if I did, I would go with the 38. Nothing really wrong with moon clips, I just don't care for them much.

I should add, for a lot of reasons, many subjective, I am just a big fan of the 38 Special.

 

[OLDSTER]

.38 sp. ( no +p needed.) Big old 158 grain chunk of lead.

 

[JWintergreen]

I'd take .38 Special over 9mm or .357 Magnum J or D frame sized revolvers any day of the week. I also like .38 only mid size revolvers as well. No moonclips to mess with and a hot .38 load offers solid performance with less recoil, noise, and muzzle flash of higher pressure rounds. A nice "push" style speedloader, like the Safariland Comp I/II, can also provide quick reloads with practice.

As popular as the .38 Special once was, it gets treated like a second class citizen today. The big three, (Remington, Federal, and Winchester), do not load the old .38 to its full potential (even under conservative modern SAAMI specs). There seems to be a much larger gap between the performance of boutique loads, compared to off the shelf stuff, in .38 than in 9mm or .357 Magnum. A look at some of the Buffalo Bore offerings can provide a good example of what the old .38 is still capable of. A 158 grain bullet traveling at 850-900 fps from a snub or 900 - 1,000 fps from a four incher will do just about anything I need a handgun to accomplish. The humble .38 wadcutter is also a great choice for those that are recoil sensitive.

 

[MP1SG]

so many good replies from ALOT of years of experience, Love this forum

 

[JimCunn]

I shoot 147gr 9mm in my three airweight J-frames.
Avg about 950 fps for about 295 ft-lbs muzzle energy. No problems so far with bullet creep.

 

[S-W4EVER]

The only reason I bought my 940 is because my service pistol at the time was 9mm (and I carried it as my backup weapon). Now that I'm retired I carry my 442-2.

 

[m10parked]

During my career doing security and other stuff when I had to carry a revolver, I started with the .38 special and since retired still carrying either a older model 10 or a m64. all 6 revolvers in 2,3,and 4 inch barrels and in .38 that I love.

 

[mtgianni]

As a bullet caster and reloader, 38 is cheap and having at least a few thousand cases makes it easy to duplicate carry ammo or light plinkers for others to practice with. My 36 is a 2" bbl gun so I cannot expect much expansion with light weight bullets depending on velocity. I go old school 158 gr or handloads 160 gr wide flat nose if I don't expect 2 legged creatures to be the reason to carry.

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
Larry from Powell???????
Charter arms makes a snub 9mm that is clipless.
A lot depends on what you have.
9mm is aviable 38 is easer to reload.
9mm is somewhat faster but 38 can use softer bullets.
If a 9mm you can use a pocket pistol mag for reloads.
For me,, I use 38's in a small revolver format[hp or flat nose]
But in short barrel 9mm [fmj or flatnose ]
and don't count on deformation as speeds will be close to the "no worky"
range...

 

[smithra_66]

In a revolver: 38 Special.

In an auto pistol: 9mm Luger.

Everything a 9mm can do, the 38 Special +p can do, but without the hassles of rimless, short cartridges in a revolver.

So 38 all the way.

 

[Screwball]

I love my 9mm 642-1…

Light weight, gives me a weapon light (not a second laser [emoji6]), and the CT grips are awesome for dry fire practice (I leave them on when carrying, but I'd like to think they might be useful; practice, I confirm zero with the first cylinder… then shut it off… as I rather prepare for them not working). Actually a gun I rarely take off, when I'm not at work.

I did see a few mentions of moonclip issues, even though I didn't browse the entire necro-thread… but I've never had an issue. First off, a good loader/unloader. I personally recommend BMT, as it works great.

Second, find a way to carry the clips. I use the pocket carriers fro Del Fatti (I believe TK has a copy, but zero experience with them).

Keep them in my off pocket, and easier to get the rounds ready to be loaded…

Then…

Going from HKS speedloaders when it was .38, night/day improvement.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I own several J Frame 38-357 Revolvers.
I do not own a 9mm Revolver.
Would be De-Lighted to have a 9mm Revolver,
Without Moon Clips!

 

[cmansguns]

38 Spl EDC concealed over 50 years now

Just another old guy's 2 cents worth but Model 36 in 1971, up to Model 60 for stainless feature, then around 2002 to Model 637 for the weight.

American Eagle or Fiocchi 130 gr FMJ as far as I remember, then to Speer Gold Dot 135 gr JHP for carry ammo, extra ammo on 2 Bianchi Speed Strips in pocket (shown with my Model 64)

Plenty of practice. I feel good to go and will continue along these lines. Recoil has always been there and night firing can give you momentary flash blind, but no insurmountable problems that I'm aware of.

Carry in old S&W leather on Galco stiff belt.

OTOH: I really do like my Model 39-2, and my BHP in 9mm, but would not want to carry them around all day. I'll stick with snub wheel S&W's for EDC.

Some good info though in this revived old thread.

 

[JimCunn]

"Anyway, at a 110 fps average I still think it's almost a toss up".

That's true, for the numbers you quoted it's only a 30% difference in energy. Not enough to matter.

I have three airweight 9mm J-frames. So far, knock wood, crimp jump has not been an issue on any of them. I wonder why that is?

An aside - I keep seeing references to 'strong side'. For those of us who don't have a hand preference, how do we apply that??

 

[rich5674]

No to speedloaders and 9mm conversions

Am I the only guy that thinks if you need to carry a delicate and bulky speedloader you should be carrying a 8-12 rnd semi?
I am a J frame fanboi. I think 5 well rated 125 grain +p is enough.
Paying hundreds of dollars to convert a 38spl to 9mm for cheaper ammo is a false economy.
Before the pandemic a Ruger EC9s (7+1) could be bought for the price of the conversion.
I'm satisfied with my 442 and 360J with whatever factory 110-125gn +P I can find. I practice with handloaded equivalent.
When I need more firepower it's my LC9s. Weights less than a steel J frame and carries 3 more rounds. 100% reliable.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Am I the only guy that thinks if you need to carry a delicate and bulky speedloader you should be carrying a 8-12 rnd semi?
I am a J frame fanboi. I think 5 well rated 125 grain +p is enough.
Paying hundreds of dollars to convert a 38spl to 9mm for cheaper ammo is a false economy.
Before the pandemic a Ruger EC9s (7+1) could be bought for the price of the conversion.
I'm satisfied with my 442 and 360J with whatever factory 110-125gn +P I can find. I practice with handloaded equivalent.
When I need more firepower it's my LC9s. Weights less than a steel J frame and carries 3 more rounds. 100% reliable.

Making wayyyyyy too much sense here amigo

 

[steelslaver]

I think that a person shot with a light 9 mm or a light 38 special or a 147 gr 9mm or a 158 gr 38 special will not know the difference. The result depend more on the person and their condition, where they are hit, what they are wearing, how they are positioned to shooter, and the phase of the moon than which of these bullets. Where a 158 gr may fail a 110 may work or vice a versa depending on all the above. Just chose which ever gun you prefer and can shoot.

Of course neither of them compare to my 325 with 200gr Gold dots or my new light weight rig a 32 H&R mag J frame.

The important thing is have a gun when you need one and be able to shoot it well

 

[JimCunn]

"Paying hundreds of dollars to convert a 38spl to 9mm for cheaper ammo is a false economy".

What does economy or cheaper ammo have to do with it?

 

[jcs266]

I'd personally stick with .38 Spl +P. I'm not a fan of the metal clips. Especially when you consider if you lose or damage one of those clips.

The .38 Spl is plenty good for that size and type of handgun.

 

[JimCunn]

We've probably all got 15 or 20 of those clips. If you damage one, chunk it.
I haven't damaged one yet.

 

[Poohgyrr]

I'll guess the OP has decided by now, but I'll still offer my thoughts for free (and worth every penny!). Both 9mm & 38Special are proven. So, just look at your own situation with concerns such as legal, medical, money, what's available, etc.... And be comforted with whichever comes home with you. I'll likely stay with what I already have and not worry about the difference.