[outfieldjack]

I spend LOTS more time over in the auto-loader section..... so please don't come down too hard on me....

My questions is this.... why would you buy a gun chambered for a 38 when you could buy one chambered for a 357 and still load 38's in it? I would think you'd be getting the best of both worlds with the 357, am I missing somehting here?

Thanks,
Jack

[Hal]

here's a few of the reasons I've gleaned from other people's posts

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- size.- Small J frame Smiths in .357 are a recent development.
- price. - Somewhat a moot point these days. Yesteryear though, a $20.00 bill had significant value.
- General social stigmatism (even here at THR) against "magnum". Granted, the .357 isn't anywhere near as bad as the .44 in this regard,,,it still can raise eyebrows from some though.
- accuracy - the .38 is most accurate, most of the time, when fired from most .38spl revolvers (there are noted exceptions though.)
- Nostalgic and/or cosmetic appeal. I do like some of the older .38spl Colts and Smiths, for no other reason than they "look fine".
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FWIW, I can't think of a valid reason,,, for me,,, to buy a .38spl except for the last one. Personally, I liken a .357mag to a "V8" engine. Nothing substitutes for it when you need it,,,but you pay the price in everyday driving (higher ammo(gas) costs / More tickets :D

[Thirties]

Jack, if you fire a lot of .38spls in a .357Mag revolver, and are not careful to clean the cylinders well, over time you will not be able to chamber the longer .357mag rounds due to the carbon buit up in the front of the cylinders. That's one reason to fire .38spl in a .38spl revolver.

The other reason is that some of us (speaking for myself) do not want or need a self defense revolver and therefore don't want or need to punish our hands wrists and ears with the boom and crash of full power .357 ammo. In fact we prefer (still speaking for myself) to load nice calm, tame and accurate .38spl wadcutter ammo for more pleasurable target shooting and plinking.

That's my two cents woth -- penny a paragraph.

Wanna buy a nice hardly used .357 magnum? Check out the want ads section below.

[JNewell]

To expand a little on Hal's points, it used to be true that if you wanted a really lightweight J frame you had to buy a .38 Special. It's only a few years ago that if you wanted an aluminum alloy frame you got a .38 Special (maybe +P rated). In '99 or so, S&W introduced the al/ti revolvers like the 342 that moved the weight even further down but were still rated .38 +P.

When the Scandium/aluminum frames came out, S&W moved them up to .357 Magnum chamberings -- but that is a lot of recoil in a lightweight platform, and the prices are a good bit higher than even the al/ti .38 +P J-frames.

Once you move out of the ultra lightweight category, in a new gun, there is probably no reason to buy .38 Special any more. There are huge numbers of beautifully made and finished older S&Ws and Colts out there for sale, though, and often at very attractive prices. While materials and manufacturing technology have really opened new frontiers, there is the "they don't make 'em like they used to" factor, as Hal said...attractive prices + beautiful workmanship = great values and ownership satisfaction.

J.

[JoeHatley]

Yup, have missed something. Think K-38's & Bullseye!!

http://www.iowatelecom.net/~hatley/15_6l.jpg

A true "no excuses" gun. Everyone should own at least one...

Joe

[SnWnMe]

Yeah, but what's up with the optics?;)

[JoeHatley]

I've got a K-38 with out the glass also, for those matches where you have to use open sights.

http://www.iowatelecom.net/~hatley/14_4r.jpg

But I gotta admit my almost 50 year old eyes and my scores, really appreciate the red dots...

Joe

[Thirties]

Photo of two thirty-eights. Iron sights are just fine with me!

http://www.jellison.50megs.com/images/two_sw_38s.jpg

[Jim March]

Ya, if there's no need for big power, you can get more accuracy out of a 38.

Or, if you're on a budget and find a good deal on a 38, they can still get you through the night. Because they're looked down on, you can find really cherry 38s for around $200 or less with some shopping, even S&W 10s or similar....whereas even a beater 357 is worth $250 on up. (Mind you, this is geography-dependent, in California it's hard to even find 38s @ $200.)

In terms of target work, because they're "passe" you can find old PPC guns with a grand or more worth of mods for $500 or less.

Anyways. A lot of people on a budget overlook basic 38s. This is a mistake, esp. for some who aren't going to deal with Magnums anyways due to indoor noise issues, physical strength, newie, whatever.

[Standing Wolf]

I have a .38 special Colt Detective Special that gets taken to the range every year or two.

I have a number of .357 magnum revolvers that get taken to the range much more frequently. My usual hand load is a very light .38 special wadcutter load in .357 magnum cases. I always shoot at least a few rounds of jacketed, more potent ammunition to knock out the lead left by the wadcutters. As far as I'm concerned, the .357 magnum round is simply more versatile than the .38 special.

If you don't load your ammunition, it probably makes sense to shoot .38 specials, which are less expensive than .357 magnums.