[Alaska444]

38spl use to be considered maginal, but with modern ammo this not true. Ask around and do some research, I think you can find some very good, no great, ammo in 38spl, some especially made for 2" barrels.

Ballistics for 38 and 357 are VERY well defined. In general, the usual 357 loads are in the 400+ ft-lbs of muzzle energy and the 38's are in the 200+ ft-lbs of muzzle energy. I wouldn't want to be shot by either. But the 38 is analogous to many 380 loads which is about half of the 9mm power levels. I wouldn't want to be shot by either of those calibers as well.

There are some excellent 38 sp rounds you can get from different suppliers. Here is one example from Buffalo Bore that I have for my SP101 along with other woods rounds:

38 SPL +P OUTDOORSMAN
158 gr. Hard Cast Keith @ 1,250 fps
20 Round Box

➤ 1255 fps -- Ruger GP 100, 6 inch barrel, 357 mag.
➤ 1186 fps -- S&W Combat Masterpiece 6 inch barrel, 38 SPL (circa 1958)
➤ 1146 fps -- S&W Mt. Gun, 4-inch barrel, 357 Mag.
➤ 1167 fps -- S&W Mod. 15, 4 inch barrel, 38 SPL (circa 1968)
➤ 1112 fps -- Ruger SP 101, 3 inch barrel, 38 SPL
➤ 1043 fps -- S&W Mod 66, 2.5 inch barrel, 357 mag.
➤ 989 fps -- S&W Mod 340PD, 1 & 7/8 inch barrel, 357 mag.
➤ 1027 fps -- S&W Mod 642 (pre-dash), 1 & 7/8 inch barrel, 38 SPL

38 SPL +P OUTDOORSMAN

38 Special +P OUTDOORSMAN - 158 gr. Hard Cast Keith @ 1,250 fps - 20 Round Box

www.buffalobore.com

In my SP101, it musters about 400 ft-lbs of muzzle energy which is HUGE for 38 sp. In my Ruger GP100 with 6 inch barrel, it musters 577 ft-lbs of muzzle energy all from a 38 sp!!! So, yes, there are some VERY good loads available for 38 sp, but the 357 loads from those same companies will always exceed the 38 sp. This BB round is very popular and often available only on backorder.

 

[Mr645]

Excellent comment.

Exactly why I have no issue carrying a Walther P22. With it I can put ten rounds on target in seconds. Anyone who thinks getting shot my a 22LR won't hurt, I feel is very mistaken.

 

[Alaska444]

Exactly why I have no issue carrying a Walther P22. With it I can put ten rounds on target in seconds. Anyone who thinks getting shot my a 22LR won't hurt, I feel is very mistaken.

Yup, but depends on what your target is. For me, most of my ammo and my guns are for the 4 legged predators, but still work on 2 legged predators.

22LR is what my wife uses here in the house if needed. But she likes it when I have something a bit more "forceful" so to speak. But I wouldn't want to be shot with a 22LR either. They can and are lethal.

 

[Grizzly2]

When is the last time you were in a real fight, with punches being thrown and then going to the ground? Or when is the last time someone rushed at you to do you bodily harm? Now, insert your .22 lr auto which may even be holstered, with which you can put a rapid 5 rounds into a hole the size of a quarter, as I used to do years ago and also thought that would be a formidable defense. Once a target is moving or coming at you rapidly, you may not be able to put those 5 shots into that small area. You may be lucky to hit the target at all. Now, do you want something that can do much more damage than a 22lr if all you get is maybe one poorly placed shot? Personally, I'd want something that expanded to about .75" or something at least starting out at .357 or .429 or 451, not just .22 in hopes it would hit, cut, scratch or damage something vital.

 

[tedwitt]

I carry my Ruger Security Six .357 sometimes. I have a .38 Snub Nose, it fits in my overall pocket real nice. Mostly carry my SW .40.
I figure when I go to bad places, I go BIG with .357. Now on the other hip you will probably find my SW in an in pants holster.

 

[Alaska444]

I carry my Ruger Security Six .357 sometimes. I have a .38 Snub Nose, it fits in my overall pocket real nice. Mostly carry my SW .40.
I figure when I go to bad places, I go BIG with .357. Now on the other hip you will probably find my SW in an in pants holster.

I thought you WERE the big gun Ted?? I mean really, how often does someone try to pick a fight with you anyway?? A death wish for sure.😉🥴😲😬

 

[NeoBlackdog]

You boys still here kickin' this around? If you'd just see the light and buy a 40 cal Glock none of this would even matter to you anymore. It'd be like a light came on and shined down from the heavens. Perfection!
(Stir, stir, stir)

 

[tedwitt]

I thought you WERE the big gun Ted?? I mean really, how often does someone try to pick a fight with you anyway?? A death wish for sure.😉🥴😲😬

Wasn't it Justin Clower that said, I wear a belt and suspenders, just in case.

 

[Alaska444]

Wasn't it Justin Clower that said, I wear a belt and suspenders, just in case.

Well stated Ted. Belt and suspenders, so true.

 

[Dem27]

Exactly why I have no issue carrying a Walther P22. With it I can put ten rounds on target in seconds. Anyone who thinks getting shot my a 22LR won't hurt, I feel is very mistaken.

I can personally testify that a hit from a 22 will bring tears to your eyes. I had a little cheap 22 auto go off in my back pocket. I was up in a tree at night to shake out some little *****. When I got them out the guys on ground were busy with dogs and *****. I was backing down and got in a fork, when I was skinning out of fork, pistol went off. Bullet didn’t quite fully get me, it just cut a groove across my butt about 1/2 of 22 deep. It burnt like a hot poker. Some present said they had never seen anyone climb 60’ in a 40’ tree before. Gun was loaded with safety on. ???

 

[gvw3]

I am going to take my SP-101 to the range tomorrow. I don't shoot it much but I have some 38 and 357 rounds. I shoot 38 most of the time. I have never had a problem with a ring in the cylinder where I can't load 357 in it. I do clean it after every time I shoot it.

 

[tedwitt]

I can personally testify that a hit from a 22 will bring tears to your eyes. I had a little cheap 22 auto go off in my back pocket. I was up in a tree at night to shake out some little *. When I got them out the guys on ground were busy with dogs and *. I was backing down and got in a fork, when I was skinning out of fork, pistol went off. Bullet didn’t quite fully get me, it just cut a groove across my butt about 1/2 of 22 deep. It burnt like a hot poker. Some present said they had never seen anyone climb 60’ in a 40’ tree before. Gun was loaded with safety on. ???

I guarantee a .22 short between the shoulder blades hurts.

 

[ms6852]

I carry the 686+ and use 158gr rounds. I too have the S&W Airweight that my wife insisted she wanted because it was a lightweight and bought it much against my advice. She shot it once and never again. I decided to load 158gr rounds for it to practice with for my .357 and was surprised that it was a lot more painful to shoot than my .357 with the 3" barrel and heavier. I also discovered I was a lousy shot with it.

When I shoot my .357 or any revolver I always shoot double action only, unless I shoot at 100 yards then it is single action. I realized for me that I needed to train more economically to become much more proficient shooting which required an initial expense of buying another revolver in 22lr. I chose the S&W 617 with the 4" barrel because I can shoot a couple of hundred rounds before my trigger finger gets tired but the cost is minimal, which everyone knows the biggest cost of shooting is not the firearm but ammo.

Training with a 22lr in a firearm that resembles what one carries I believe is key to improving and maintaining proficiency and I believe that after your session of training if you shoot your carry firearm whether it is one or two magazines or cylinders of the rounds you carry for self defense your muscle memory will remember the last shots you fired. This is why I always make statements that the way one trains the caliber one uses does not matter and that I feel confident enough to use it to stop a threat.

Nowadays you hear about larger caliber and higher velocity is better but everyone is concerned with compact and how light a firearm must be. Well compact and light firearms in my opinion makes an awful combination for reliability in accuracy with larger caliber rounds because one will not practice as much due to cost of ammo and/or recoil of said firearm. Just as I found out when I shot my S&W Airweight and I missed the target at 3 yards.

Also I believe that everyone gets caught up on and focus on the wrong thing and speak in terms of "stopping power". No gun has stopping power, some are more efficient than others but efficiency does not necessarily relate to larger caliber size. To me it relates to a caliber that you feel comfortable shooting proficiently and reliably hitting the target consistently. I have been witnessed and treated a patient, a woman of 120 pounds survive six rounds to the face and head from a .357 magnum and have also read about the attack at the Holocaust museum where the older person killed a guard using a 22 lr and the shooter survived a few days later before succumbing to injuries sustained to the brain from 9mm.

One final thought before I get off the soap box. I believe that people also focus on the wrong aspect of self defense. I believe that many believe that the firearm should be able to kill with the first round and if it does not then the caliber failed the "stopping power". Not speaking for anyone but myself, my concern and my belief is never to kill anyone but to stop the threat, that has always been my concern and is why I believe that any caliber from 22lr to an elephant gun will get the job done, if and only if one maintains proficiency and most important, is confident with their training and not rely on the caliber of a gun . I'd rather hit my target with a 22 than to miss with a 44 magnum.

 

[tedwitt]

This is true, a stray .22 will do less damage than the .44, God forbid there is a stray.
I have considered a .22 magnum for everyday carry. I shoot my Single Six with .22 magnums and it's pretty darn accurate. I have made many head shots with it squirrel hunting.

 

[ms6852]

This is true, a stray .22 will do less damage than the .44, God forbid there is a stray.
I have considered a .22 magnum for everyday carry. I shoot my Single Six with .22 magnums and it's pretty darn accurate. I have made many head shots with it squirrel hunting.

There is a thread on another forum where the op states that he accidentally shot himself in the abdomen. He states that the doctors had to remove part of his intestines.

 

[Dem27]

Our old raccoon hunting crew had accidents covered. We didn’t have a Doctor in the group but we had the local Undertaker. I have disappointed him for over 50 yrs. He’s got close but no cigar.

 

[gvw3]

Just got back from the range with my Ruger SP-101. I shot both 357 and 38. In this handgun for me the 38s were more accurate. The 357 pulled to the right. I didn't notice a lot of difference with recoil.

 

[tedwitt]

Sometimes when I switch to .357, I have a tendency to put my finger too far into trigger guard with too much finger on the trigger causing me to pull off target.

 

[SPQR70AD]

Ballistics for 38 and 357 are VERY well defined. In general, the usual 357 loads are in the 400+ ft-lbs of muzzle energy and the 38's are in the 200+ ft-lbs of muzzle energy. I wouldn't want to be shot by either. But the 38 is analogous to many 380 loads which is about half of the 9mm power levels. I wouldn't want to be shot by either of those calibers as well.

There are some excellent 38 sp rounds you can get from different suppliers. Here is one example from Buffalo Bore that I have for my SP101 along with other woods rounds:

38 SPL +P OUTDOORSMAN
158 gr. Hard Cast Keith @ 1,250 fps
20 Round Box

➤ 1255 fps -- Ruger GP 100, 6 inch barrel, 357 mag.
➤ 1186 fps -- S&W Combat Masterpiece 6 inch barrel, 38 SPL (circa 1958)
➤ 1146 fps -- S&W Mt. Gun, 4-inch barrel, 357 Mag.
➤ 1167 fps -- S&W Mod. 15, 4 inch barrel, 38 SPL (circa 1968)
➤ 1112 fps -- Ruger SP 101, 3 inch barrel, 38 SPL
➤ 1043 fps -- S&W Mod 66, 2.5 inch barrel, 357 mag.
➤ 989 fps -- S&W Mod 340PD, 1 & 7/8 inch barrel, 357 mag.
➤ 1027 fps -- S&W Mod 642 (pre-dash), 1 & 7/8 inch barrel, 38 SPL

38 SPL +P OUTDOORSMAN

38 Special +P OUTDOORSMAN - 158 gr. Hard Cast Keith @ 1,250 fps - 20 Round Box

www.buffalobore.com

In my SP101, it musters about 400 ft-lbs of muzzle energy which is HUGE for 38 sp. In my Ruger GP100 with 6 inch barrel, it musters 577 ft-lbs of muzzle energy all from a 38 sp!!! So, yes, there are some VERY good loads available for 38 sp, but the 357 loads from those same companies will always exceed the 38 sp. This BB round is very popular and often available only on backorder.

38 special horribly underloaded. even the +P rounds are moderate. when S&W was looking for heavier loads for the 38/44 they asked winchester I think to come up with a heavy load. they got 1550 with 158 gr bullet out of the 38 so seeing that S&W asked them to add to the length of the 38 and the 357 mag was born

 

[Dem27]

Just got back from the range with my Ruger SP-101. I shot both 357 and 38. In this handgun for me the 38s were more accurate. The 357 pulled to the right. I didn't notice a lot of difference with recoil.

As a rule I never fire DA. If I was in situation to use DA it would be so close it wouldn’t matter. I don’t keep snubbys as a rule either. I have shot 36,10 & 19s DA just goofing off. I recently had a 4” m29 that some dipstick bobbed the hammer. I shot 6 just for grins, if I had to hit anything at other that point blank a grin would be better defense. I ordered a new hammer, $35 because I didn’t think there could be two dipsticks wanting a bobbed hammer 44mg. I was wrong, offed it day before hammer arrived.