38 SPL carry opinions or recommendations.

[NorCal Ollie]

For a pocket gun I carry a S&W 637 Performance Center .38+p. Feels good, looks good, shoots great. I feel like it's got a little class to it. I got it used in mint condition for around $450.

 

[Ruger Accumulator]

A couple of thoughts on various previous posts, since I since I somehow missed this thread until now.

I usually carry a semi-auto for increased capacity, and better reload speed, but I have a S&W model 638 that fills the bill sometimes. It's Scandium, so it weighs next to nothing, and it has a shrouded hammer, WITH a thumb cocking button. I like that feature, because it still allows a snag free draw from a pocket, or if necessary a snag free discharge from inside a pocket. With the ability to cock the hammer, it extends the useful range substantially, because I can't hit at much distance firing a snub nose double action. Cocking it, and bracing against a post or wall, I used to pop tin cans at 50 yards semi-reliably with it.

The reversed wad cutter load, was something somebody came up with using hollow base wad cutters swaged from soft lead. You wound up with a huge hollow point in a soft lead bullet. I'm not a fan, because IMO a snub nose .38 doesn't have the muzzle velocity, or bullet weight to achieve adequate penetration with a load like that.

My personal load of choice for a .38 snubby, is the Speer Gold Dot short barrel 135 gr. +P load. They are designed specifically for these guns, shoot to point of aim, and produce the best terminal ballistics one can reasonable expect from this type of gun. They are hard to find, and I'm not sure if they even make them anymore. I still have a few boxes, and never shoot them for practice.

 

[JohnL]

A couple of thoughts on various previous posts, since I since I somehow missed this thread until now.

I usually carry a semi-auto for increased capacity, and better reload speed, but I have a S&W model 638 that fills the bill sometimes. It's Scandium, so it weighs next to nothing, and it has a shrouded hammer, WITH a thumb cocking button. I like that feature, because it still allows a snag free draw from a pocket, or if necessary a snag free discharge from inside a pocket. With the ability to cock the hammer, it extends the useful range substantially, because I can't hit at much distance firing a snub nose double action. Cocking it, and bracing against a post or wall, I used to pop tin cans at 50 yards semi-reliably with it.

The reversed wad cutter load, was something somebody came up with using hollow base wad cutters swaged from soft lead. You wound up with a huge hollow point in a soft lead bullet. I'm not a fan, because IMO a snub nose .38 doesn't have the muzzle velocity, or bullet weight to achieve adequate penetration with a load like that.

My personal load of choice for a .38 snubby, is the Speer Gold Dot short barrel 135 gr. +P load. They are designed specifically for these guns, shoot to point of aim, and produce the best terminal ballistics one can reasonable expect from this type of gun. They are hard to find, and I'm not sure if they even make them anymore. I still have a few boxes, and never shoot them for practice.

Good points. I load Buffalo Bore 158 grain soft lead HP in my Colt 2 inch. From water jug tests they mushroom some. Your are right about velocity being a limitation. I prefer to carry a 4 inch Colt but sometimes it is not convenient. One reason why I started carrying a small 9mm autoloader. I think the .38 Special standard pressure in a 2 inch is somewhat obsolete but still so convenient and better than a sharp stick.

 

[JohnL]

A couple of thoughts on various previous posts, since I since I somehow missed this thread until now.

I usually carry a semi-auto for increased capacity, and better reload speed, but I have a S&W model 638 that fills the bill sometimes. It's Scandium, so it weighs next to nothing, and it has a shrouded hammer, WITH a thumb cocking button. I like that feature, because it still allows a snag free draw from a pocket, or if necessary a snag free discharge from inside a pocket. With the ability to cock the hammer, it extends the useful range substantially, because I can't hit at much distance firing a snub nose double action. Cocking it, and bracing against a post or wall, I used to pop tin cans at 50 yards semi-reliably with it.

The reversed wad cutter load, was something somebody came up with using hollow base wad cutters swaged from soft lead. You wound up with a huge hollow point in a soft lead bullet. I'm not a fan, because IMO a snub nose .38 doesn't have the muzzle velocity, or bullet weight to achieve adequate penetration with a load like that.

My personal load of choice for a .38 snubby, is the Speer Gold Dot short barrel 135 gr. +P load. They are designed specifically for these guns, shoot to point of aim, and produce the best terminal ballistics one can reasonable expect from this type of gun. They are hard to find, and I'm not sure if they even make them anymore. I still have a few boxes, and never shoot them for practice.

I visited the Speer website and the continue to produce the cartridge you mentioned. They claim MV of 860 fps from a two inch barrel.

 

[eveled]

My order of preference

340PD
M&P 340
442

 

[gramps]

I like it, "jello junkies"... I'm not one, but if I was I would embrace it. Thinking of the Donald Sutherland post.... It's easy to turn those 'negative vibes' around and make them positive.

I will even say this.... shooting into ballistic gel is actually much more practical.... I bet you could if possible look at say a hundred different actual shootings with the same ammo and same gun and would get a vastly confusing result... the human body is way too complicated.... even if they were all center mass it would still be hard to define the actual results.

Yep, people have a lot of bone center mass!!!
gramps

 

[gramps]

Expansion is horrible with that round as is over penetration.
Federal HST 130gr +P 38 special.
Expansion over .700 and 13.0 penetration, as opposed to .350 expansion and around 20.0 penetration with the Underwood round.
References on lucky gunner 38 special / 357mag ballistics.

It depends on what you are shooting and why!. Bear or human!!!
gramps
PS I haven't carried a .38 or .357 in decade, choosing to carry a .44 spcl or .44 mag instead. Should I buy another ".38" it will be a .357 magnum because of the versatility of the platform.

 

[Jeepnik]

I'm old school, for 38 spl I load soft alloy HBWC backwards. I've seen what it will do on a coyote from a 4" barrel.

 

[Watertender]

I'm old school, for 38 spl I load soft alloy HBWC backwards. I've seen what it will do on a coyote from a 4" barrel.

A friend of mine was a commercial reloader and he used to make that load for police to use on road hit animals.

 

[Guv]

I have an original box of Scorpion Hydro Shocks (before Federal) that used a hollow base WC with a post in the middle.

 

[Blivit]

Can you make the font any larger.lol

 

[Blivit]

Sure. How much would you like?

I must not have had my trifocals on that day ;-)

 

[Blivit]

I have a S&W 38 Bodyguard. Not one of the new ones, this one is from 1990. My mother in law bought it new. It's as smooth as glass, DA isn't too bad (ok, it's pretty heavy), but SA is light and crisp. It has the shrouded hammer and the addition of a Hogue monogrip made it ugly but oh so comfortable to shoot accurately. I carried this for years until I switched over to a HK P2000 SK. This little guy still goes along for the ride if I really need something that disappears. View attachment 48311

 

[Blivit]

Nice. I recently switched grips on my LCR .38 to the Ruger LCR/LCRx: Black Rubber Tamer Cushion Grip without Finger Grooves, SKU#: 78030 which made a big difference & my little guy still disappears AIWB.

 

[Jeepnik]

A friend of mine was a commercial reloader and he used to make that load for police to use on road hit animals.

Two or four legged?