38 s&w topbreaks

There is a little difference, but, I doubt with good shot placement the difference would be be argued. One of my favorite guns and one that I carried for a number of years is a Perfected Model S&W in .38 S&W. They are classic, and it was a popular caliber at one time. Factory ammo is a little pricy these days compared to .38 Special.

Remington 38 S&W, LRN 146 Grain 150 ft lbs 685 fps

WWB 380 FMJ 95 Grain 190 ft lbs 955 fps


There are better options. If you want a small revolver, why not go with the S&W J frame in .38 Special.

Remington 38 Spl, SJHP 110 Grain 220 ft lbs 950 fps

I would consider the .38 S&W to be somewhat the better of the two due to its ability to use much heavier bullets effectively. A 140+gr lead flat nose or wadcutter should provide pretty reliable penetration at even the modest velocities that the .38 can safely manage. JMHO.

mike

.38 S&W is factory loaded very lightly to avoid stressing 100+ year old antiques that were designed for black powder. Also, revolvers are vented and velocity would be a good bit lower than a comperable .380 even if both were loaded with identical powder charges and identical bullet weights.

I'm not sure how heavier bullets would do in the smaller top breaks. But back in WWII the Webley used the .38S&W case with some 200gn bullets. The "classic" British 38-200 load. Muzzle velocity was a paltry 620 fps. But apparently it was considered strong enough to penetrate heavy uniforms and damage the enemy troops for many years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38-200

But like I said, I have no idea how the pressures and that weight of bullet would do in a small vintage style top break in terms of possible damage to the pivots, latch or frame.

I carry mine with 115gr. .356 bullets over a case full of pyrodex. They have some serious smack to them.

Ammunition aside (please!), the main problem with the old S&W breaktops is that they are old and use a lot of flat springs. Some even have a wild cylinder stop that curves like a mountain road and is about irreplacable if it snaps, which they have been known to do. I think it would not be good to try to use a gun in self-defense and hear "click". Highly embarrassing.

I strongly recommend against carrying any of the old guns for SD, even the S&W's, which were the very best. Other brands, like H&R and IJ are even more likely to have problems. Plus, many of the old guns are simply too valuable to risk having them confiscated and destroyed, a common fate of guns used in shootings, even when the shooting is justified.

Jim