The only people who could possibly advise against heavy bullets in .38 Special are the lawyers who write these manuals. Perhaps they are concerned about so-called "over-penetration?"
I have a load that uses the 180 gr. Hornady Silhouette. I forget what the velocity is, but it's pretty surprising out of my 2" Model 60-7. Its purpose is to completely penetrate whatever needs to be shot. A lawyer might argue that it penetrates too much, buy nobody can say that this bullet is not viable or is somehow "dangerous" in the .38 Special.
Dave Sinko