Is a .38 snubby enough?

[megatronrules]

I was just wondering what you guys here thought of the snub nosed .38 for concealed carry? I love my colt 1911 and carry it 95% of the time but theres times,like summer here in florida where I find it easier to just carry my colt cobra. I carry it in a uncle mikes clip on IWB holster loaded with 158gr +p lead hollow points with an extra speedloader. I don't feel under gunned when having to pack my colt cobra but do any of you guys when forced to resort to a snubby feel undergunned? I've had people tell me that it wasen't enough gun,mind you this has mostly come from the gun shop commandos. I personally feel a .38 special snub nose revolver will take care almost any need a citizen with a carry permit could have. so whats your take guys?

 

[dawgtraxx]

I have no doubt with +p's that a .38 is enough,granted at close quarters,but most situations are,I usually carry a Sig 229 .40...but gets a little warm in South Texas in the summer, then I carry a Rossi .38 snubby.. very confident in it's effectiveness

 

[perpster]

Hell Yes!

Check the stats on most gun fights: 2 rounds fired by each side, within a few feet of each other, in low light. While I'd love to have a high round count, a five shot snub with reload available should cover most situations. Heck, they're small enough to carry 2 of 'em for a "NY reload."

If you're concerned about the caliber, get a .357 snubby and carry .357's and/or .38's.

Could you carry more or better guns. Probably, but IMHO the answer to your question is Hell Yes!

 

[orangeninja]

With the right ammo probably. I like the magnum snub though. It kicks and is noisy, but likely in a life or death fight, you wouldn't notice.

 

[Blue Jays]

Hi Megatronrules-

I would be perfectly comfortable with the setup you've described. Getting hit with a couple of hot .38 bullets is going to convince 99.99% of the dirtbags out there to stop fighting. Enjoy your revolver.

~ Blue Jays ~

 

[13.45]

as is often said, "it's the singer, not the song." the .38spec snub-nose will do its job if you do yours

 

[Old Fuff]

For a long, long time the Detective Special, along with other snubbies were carried by all kinds of detectives and agents - loaded with plain ol' standard 158 grain LRN cartridges. And ya' know? They got the job done. I can remember 50 years ago, more or less, that practically nobody complained about some so-called lack of "stopping power." Back then we didn't know what trick-bullets and ++++P were.

I still carry my Detective Special sometimes, loaded with ordinary cartridges. I'm a citizin, not a peace officer, and about all I'm going to have to worry about is a mugger or a carjacker. There is often a .45 in whatever I'm driving, but a snubby on my person. It will do to ride the river with.

Oh, and it helps if you know how to shoot...

 

[xring44]

About a lifetime ago, I was a state trooper here in Ar. I witnessed the effect of a 158 grain .38 special fired from a S&W snubby at about 3 feet. The bullet struck the BG in the little hollow low on the neck, it hit the spine, turned slightly downward and made a lump under the shoulder blade on his back, this guy was intoxicated and "a bad'n, but he was no match for the little 158 grain round nose lead bullet. He died within minutes without attempting any futher assault. They will indeed kill efficiently with correct bullet placement.

 

[isp2605]

Check these threads:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201271

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195424&page=3

 

[Iggy]

I responded to a "disturbance" call at a bus station.. A guy on a bus shot two guys as they stepped on the bus. LRN 158 grainers. 2 shots two fatalities. Dropped them in a pile at the foot of the steps.

I was the next guy on the bus.. Yeh, a snub nose .38 will do the job.

 

[Jeff White]

A reliable handgun in any caliber .38 special or larger will serve you well. All the arguments about revolver v. auto, 9mm v. .45 are just to sell gun magazines and stir up discussion on the forums.

If it's reliable and you can shoot it well, you're adequately armed.

Jeff

 

[Art Eatman]

From testimony in a trial where I was on the jury, the coroner's report stated that any one of the five hits with HydraShoks would have been sufficient. Model 36, roughly eight feet or so.

, Art

 

[JamisJockey]

a .38 in the hand beats two .45's in the safe.
Carry what you're comfortable with. If carrying a .38 means you'll carry it everyday, vs. a larger caliber that you might decide to leave home because its cumbersome...I think the .38 is your best chance at survival. Just learn to deploy it quickly and shoot it well. Pick the hottest and heaviest loads it will shoot. Carry spare ammo and practice loading quickly.

 

[chaim]

A .38 snub is enough gun.

A person can certainly come up with scenarios where 5 shots of .38spl isn't enough, but then a person can come up with a scenario where a belt fed M60 isn't enough either. The vast majority of self defense shootings involve no more than 2-3 shots fired. A 5 or 6 shot .38spl will handle that.

As for caliber, certainly with good ammo selection .38 and .38+P is a capable caliber. The new 135gr Speer Gold Dot load was designed specifically for short barrelled snubs. There are a couple other +P JHPs that will work in a snub. The old 158gr SWCHP or 150gr LHP in +P is still a great defensive round in a snub or any .38spl. Even in non-+P options the lead HP and SWCHP in 150-158gr are pretty capable defensive loadings.

When I'm in a state where I can carry, my most common carry gun is a 5 shot J-frame sized snub. Of my other two common carry options, one is two 5 shot J-framed sized snubs (the second carry option being a Taurus PT140 M. Pro that holds 10 rounds, the same number of rounds as my 2 snubs).

 

[HankB]

I often carry a G26 or a BHP, but my "always" gun is an S&W 340SC . . . OK, it's actually a .357, but the main thing is a snubby is more likely to be there in your pocket if/when you need it than a pistol that's more difficult to conceal, particularly here in Central Texas during the summer when one tends to wear less . . .

Pocket carry has another advantage - if you think trouble MIGHT be brewing, you can casually put your hand in your pocket and all someone sees is just that - a guy with his hand in his pocket. You're not "brandishing" but with your hand already on the gun, the time from draw to "BANG" should be no more than half a second.

Terminal ballistics? With just about any of today's premium defensive loads from the major manufacturers, I just don't think it's a major issue.

Round count? Well, the places I go I'm not very likely to be mugged anyway, but if I am it will probably be by no more than one or two bad guys, so 5 rounds ought to be more than enough. (I'm not at all likely to be swarmed by a horde of ninja jihadis or something.)

A snubby isn't my 1st choice if I know trouble's brewing, but then again, if I had advance warning of trouble, I'd make it my business to be somewhere else!

 

[Azrael256]

If it's reliable and you can shoot it well, you're adequately armed.

Exactly. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Is it reliable? Will you carry it? Are you willing to use it?

A .22 in the hand is better than a .44 in the glovebox. Caliber is far less important than reliability, accuracy, actually carrying it, and being willing to use it should the need arise.

I carry dad's old S&W Model 36 all the time.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

I think that a lot of the negative press around the .38 comes from two sources. First, the older .38 S&W (which is what my Webley Mk IV is in) is a pop-gun compared to my J-frame in +P .38 special. The second comes from the Spanish-American War and the insuing Phillipine (sp?) Insurection. The .38 revolvers used by the army back then had little effect on the muslim fighters who would often use a local narcotic before going into battle.

Think about a modern day druggie on PCP, most narcotics officers have trouble droping them with .45s. Now when you have everyday soldiers complaining about shooting a man 6 time and he keep on running...you can see where a caliber can get a bad rep.

For my money, I can get all 5 rounds in the 10 ring of a man-sized target at 50' (single-action, I'm not that good yet ) so the .38 is all that I need.

 

[CAS700850]

While a prosecuting attorney, I relied on two guns primarily: a Glock 19 and a Smith 649. I felt about os well armed for my generl protection with the Smith and I did the Glock. Frankly, I mostly carried the Glock when I was heading towards a situation with a known potential for hostility, such as search warrants, drug raids, and violent crime scenes. For every day protection, more often than not, the .38 was fine.

To be honest, despite a thread I started about six weeks ago about taking the bench, and what gun to choose, the 649 is here right now.

 

[LightningJoe]

I've begun to think that front pocket carry is tactically advantageous. It tends to ensure concealment for an active person who may stretch in various directions and move around a lot. It's good for weapon retention in extreme situations. It provides for a pretty quick draw from any starting posture (except maybe seated). And it allows you to put your hand on your weapon without taking an action that is conspicuously aggressive.


My new snub-nose .38 seems to be good for front pocket carry in an ordinary Uncle Mike's Sidekick holster. I tried to make my Millennium Pro pistol work in my front pocket, but I couldn't eliminate the print well enough. My Taurus Model 85 stainless steel ultralight isn't much smaller than my PT-745, but an automatic pistol in your pocket looks like an automatic pistol in your pocket. A snub-nose .38 in your pocket just looks like something in your pocket. It's not undetectable; it's unrecognizable.


The importance of getting your gun out and into operation quickly may outweigh the importance of caliber or capacity. If so and if the snub-nose
.38 improves your real-world draw, it may prove to be far more effective than a .45 in practical application.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

why use a .38 when you can pack a .44 or .357mag

 

[ACP]

"A reliable handgun in any caliber .38 special or larger will serve you well. All the arguments about revolver v. auto, 9mm v. .45 are just to sell gun magazines and stir up discussion on the forums. If it's reliable and you can shoot it well, you're adequately armed. -- Jeff White"

Amen to that.

 

[Old Fuff]

why use a .38 when you can pack a .44 or .357mag

Cuz some of us are so good we we don't NEED a .44 or .357 Magnum...

Which is not to say we don't have them.

 

[Biker]

Well, I'm pretty good, but that ain't good enough which is why I normally carry a .45 LC snubby....makes me just a bit better.
Biker

 

[106rr]

There is certainly a place for a 38 snubby in defense. However the hit rate from a snubby is among the lowest of all defensive handguns. It is not the caliber, barrel length, or ammo capacity that limits effectiveness. It is the hit rate. It is true that many of the THR crew would be better than average shots but we are still human and subject to emotional overload in a gunfight. It is this emotional overload that limits the type of gun to be carried. There is simply a higher hit rate, a shorter training curve and more effective calibers available in a modern, compact semi auto like a G19.
The snubby excells in tight spots where concealment limits the availablity of the more modern gun. Low ammo capacity, slow reloads, and limited power are all easier to deal with than the low hit rate.

 

[JJpdxpinkpistols]

"The .38 revolvers used by the army back then had little effect on the muslim fighters who would often use a local narcotic before going into battle."

Whats the Box O Truth quote?: A pistol is a pistol and a rifle is a rifle. The only reason you should use your pistol is to get BACK to the rifle you shouldn't have set down in the first place.

Seriously, a .38 is perfectly adequate a short ranges. Think "C O M" and practice, practice, practice. Move when you practice. Go to the woods, find a suitable clearing and set out 4x4x4 blocks of wood with bright targets on them (put them on all 6 sides). turn around, draw and then, while walking, shoot them.

Then set them up again and do it over and over.

Practice squatting behind your car, and then shooting them from a partially concealed position.

Put some of the blocks of 4x4 at 10 feet, some at 25 feet, and one far out. Shoot at them, and then when they stop rolling, shoot at them again (thus the all 6 sides).

Practice "dumping" your shells, and quickly reloading in place. Get some speed strips or speedloaders.

Keep in the habit of keeping your gun "out of battery" as little as possible: dump, reload, holster, THEN go set up your targets.

Work on that holster technique. Bring a jacket, and a coat. Wear your work-pants, or whatever you were when CCW.

If you are hitting 5/5 or 6/6 with your snubby at 4x4x4 blocks of wood, at 10, 25, and 35-40 feet, while moving, then your snubby will be your friend.

Oh, and bring bandaids. CLOTHE bandaids. Blisters will happen.

ahhh...I remember shooting 300 rounds through my snubby one day this way. 300 rounds, and 25 4x4x4 blocks. It was a very good day.