Time for a New .38...Any Suggestions?

I shoot an LCR 38/357 and it is absolutely reliable . Plenty accurate for it's intended purpose , and will shoot anything you want to feed it.Right out of the box my only complaint was the recoil with 357 loadings. They hurt. +P 38's were hard kickers but ok, 38 spcl no problem.As time passed ,the only changes I made were installing a fiber optic front sight , great improvement . And eventually changing the grip to the larger LCRX size.That made the little gun much more comfortable,and controllable, even shooting 357 loadings.and it still fits in my pocket. With all the crap going on in the world it now goes with me everywhere. For carry I use the FBI load ,a 158 grn LSWCHP with gas check. OR ,a 155 grn LWC made by Rim Rock bullets ,which has a hardness of 22 BHN. They can be loaded for 357, or 38+P with no leading problems and are quite devestating.

2ndamd said:

Can you help me with ideas? Feel free to suggest something else.
Gun will be used for SD/Range/HD and may be carried as well.
Thank you

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So you want a light weight 38 snub to do all of these things? That's a tall order.......

I'd look at the lcr in 357 then, and just shoot 38's out of it. If you are going to carry it, how will you do that? Pocket? IWB? OWB? That will determine the barrel length to a large degree.

If you have some dollars, I'd also look at the S&W 640 Pro, as you would likely never wear it out shooting 38's from it.

Personally, I like the 3" SP101 for a small revolver, and will likely pick up an LCR in 327 magnum for pocket carry.

Shop your needs by thirties terminal ballistics instead of caliber and see if it doesn't take you to the 327 MAG. Now you have the option of 38 Special-like performance in the new six-round snubby from Ruger. Then get back to the board as to what gun you buy.

I have a Charter Arms Police Undercover. Its a 6 shot 38 Special. 2" barrel, stainless steel, 20 ounces. Its an excellent revolver. Charter offers a replacement spurless DAO hammer for $20 that allows the Police Undercover to draw without snagging.

http://www.charterarms.com/collections/undercover/products/73840-police-undercover

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=778152

The Charter Arms Police Undercover is half the price or less of a similar Smith & Wesson and about the same exterior dimensions as the old six-shot Colt Detective Special. And as Ed Lovette wrote in The Snubby Revolver, the Colt was preferred by his crowd back in the day as the primary or single gun for being "easier to shoot quickly and accurately than the five-shot version...the slightly larger Colt gives you more gun to hang onto".

I've been happy with a Charter Arms Undercover 5 shot snubbie that I bought new earlier this year. It's the blue DAO model so it hides nicely in a pocket holster or IWB.
The black and od green tiger stripe color scheme is pretty cool looking if you're looking for something unique but not loud.

Haters get ready...

My current favorite 38 snub is my Taurus model 85 ultralight. I have had it around ten years. It is lightweight and goes bang every time. The DA trigger was smooth enough that I carefully removed the hammer spur for pocket carry.

2ndamd

I have always had a hankering for a S&W Model 12. Wouldn't mind a nice vintage Colt Detective Special or Agent to go along with it.

I would go with the LCRx 3" since you already have a couple 2" guns and I like the LCR's trigger better than the 642's . If I was going to shoot a steady diet of 357 then I would get the heavier GP100 or SP101 , because the weight will help tame the recoil .

I have a 3" LCRx and it is my hiking and in-the-woods sidearm.

I picked it for this role because it is lightweight, has light felt recoil even with +P, and is easy to shoot accurately.

Some would see "woods gun" and automatically say it should be 44 magnum or bigger. I've got those too, but since I moved from Alaska I've moved back to the top of the food chain. I want light and portable now.

Edmo

edmo1

I like the 3" barrel and the adjustable rear sight on the LCRx; great choice for backwoods Kit Gun. I'm hoping Ruger will make it in .327 Magnum some time soon.

edmo01 said:

I have a 3" LCRx and it is my hiking and in-the-woods sidearm.

I picked it for this role because it is lightweight, has light felt recoil even with +P, and is easy to shoot accurately.

Some would see "woods gun" and automatically say it should be 44 magnum or bigger. I've got those too, but since I moved from Alaska I've moved back to the top of the food chain. I want light and portable now.

Edmo

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I really like these and came damn close to buying one the other day, but would really prefer it in a .357 version. A perfectly sized trailgun IMHO.

Bodyguard 38? I like mine with the Insight laser better than the Crimson Trace ones they have now.

3" LCRx is what OP seems to need... if you've got two pocketfuls of 642 AND a 64 Smith, then it is hight time to diversify into the wonderful world of Ruger! BTW, above photo of the LCRx w/ Buck knife and whistle looks like the perfect OWB hiking kit!

If you look hard you can sometimes find a charter arms undercover .38 Special with a 3 Inch barrel. Found mine a year ago and it's just about perfect. Holsters like my 30 plus year old 2 inch, with handling like a 4 inch.

2ndamd said:

edmo01 that is exactly what I am looking to purchase.
Thank you for the nice pic as well.
Have you owned it long?
Any issues with the sights coming loose during shooting?
Any holster ideas, I read that the holsters for a L frame will fit the LCRx 3" and I was not sure if you had any experience?
It looks like an ideal woods carry gun (outside of Alaska )

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To answer your questions...

Have you owned it long? Any issues with the sights coming loose during shooting?

I bought my LCRx 3" this past winter and have had no problems with loose sights during the handful of outings it has been on. The removable front sight blade comes with a painted white stripe on it and my white stripe was a little chowdered-up straight out of the box. After a short phone call, Ruger had a replacement in the mail. Before it arrived I painted the front blade bright orange and never replaced it with the new blade Ruger sent out... Bob's your uncle.

Any holster ideas, I read that the holsters for a L frame will fit the LCRx 3" and I was not sure if you had any experience?

I have a leather Gould and Goodrich 891 holster for my S&W model 19 (K frame) and the LCR fits with some wiggle, but is passable. The L frames are slightly larger than the K's so I would think an L frame holster would likely fit even looser. Every holster design is a bit different, so there may be some K or L frame holster which might be acceptable.

When I looked through my LCR paperwork I noted Ruger had included a $25 discount coupon for purchasing items at their Ruger store. I wanted a leather OWB holster for woods carry and since I'm left-handed I expected, short of a custom built rig, my options to be slim & none. Ruger stocks Mitch Rosen leather holsters which was exactly what I was looking for. It is form fitted to the 3" LCR and the gun fits nice and tight. The pancake design holds close to the body and the discount coupon made it a no brainier.

The 3" LCR carries so light I forget it is on my belt. There is no comparison to my all steel guns when it comes to weight on the belt after a day (or several days) of carry on a camping or hunting trip. As I mentioned in my previous post, since I no longer live in Alaska I'm back at the top of the food chain. Unless I'm handgun hunting for whitetail the LCR in 38 Special is generally all the gun I need.

If you want a gun which will carry light, is accurate enough to take small game, and is in an effective self defense caliber, the 3" LCR could be the gun for you.

On Edit: Grip angles... For those of us familiar with the S&W J frame grip angles, the 3" LCR revolver is different.

I find the J frames somewhat GLOCK-like in their grip angle and as a fan of GLOCKs the Js point naturally for me. The 3" LCR has a more upright grip angle, maybe even more so than a 1911. Not a bad thing, however it is different enough from my J frames that I have to think about it when I aim this revolver.

Just one man's opinion...

Edmo

I had an lcr in .38 of the 2" variety, and the only issue I had with it was that it was so light I didn't shoot it well past 7 yards. I moved to an sp101 and tripled my accuracy distance due to the weight.

This is 100% a training/preference issue and nothing wrong with the gun. I will say, the lcr was durable and very comfortable to wear. I've been kicking around getting a 3" for hiking, but for no more often than I go, I'm fine with my sp101 or gp100 if I feel I need more gun.

Thinking about the 3 inch LCRx for a backpacking/survival/kit gun. Already have a Model 642-2 for social work...

If you don't already have one, a used S&W Model 10.

If you do have one, try the LCRx. It's very light.

One question: Does it have to be a revolver? Have you thought about a Bond Arms or Cobra derringers?

I'd recommend the Ruger LCR, as well...or the SP-101. S&W is reintroducing its outstanding Model 66 .357, and I don't know if it's available in a 3-inch version or not. But if it is, I'd snap one up in a heartbeat. I have a stainless Ruger Speed-Six .38 that I had reamed out to take .357, and I love it. Today's technology makes carrying a .357 practically the same as carrying a .38Spc.