Why buy a .38special?

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Alan Fud

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Following on the heels of 'Time for a debate or "Can of Worms" 38's in a 357', I would like to ask a slightly different question ... most (not all but most) guns that come in .38 also have a .357 version. Whenever I purchased a .38special, even when they are +P rated, I've been told NOT to feed it a steady diet of +P's. I've even heard this from factory reps.

That said, why not just get the .357 version? One should be able to shoot .38specials +P through it all day without any problems. Addiionally, one also has the option of shooting .357magnums through it if desired.
 
One reason I can think of is that a .38 special does not have to be built as robust as a .357 magnum, and could be a lot cheaper to manufacture........and buy.
 
Double action natural point-shooting is just plain fun with a .38 special revolver. Fun, fun, fun.
 
4v50 Gary said:
Double action natural point-shooting is just plain fun with a .38 special revolver. Fun, fun, fun.
Click to expand...
Isn't it equally fun with a .357 loaded with .38's?
 
Some guns are not available in the more powerful .357.

S&W Model 14.

Colt Officer's Model Target and Match.

Colt Agent/Detective Special/Cobra

Early S&W models 10, 40, 36, 39, 49.

Unless it's a collector gun, I prefer the .357 version for shooting and carry.
 
You are mostly right. 38s and 357s will shoot to a different point of aim. If you don't have adj sights this could be a problem. Even then,if you shoot a lot of one and then change, you have to readjust. Shooting 38s carbons up the chamber a little closer and might make putting in a 357 stick before its all in. Also 38s in the longer chamber might not be quite as accurate due to the longer jump to the rifleing. I shoot 38s in my 686 S&W just fine, it's not a match gun anyway.
 
Whenever I purchased a .38special, even when they are +P rated, I've been told NOT to feed it a steady diet of +P's. I've even heard this from factory reps.
Click to expand...

While this is true in many cases it is not true in every case.
Examples: Ruger GP100's & SP101's in .38Spl are +P rated no exceptions
Wesson Arms 738P & 38P +P Rated no exceptions (Discontinued)

There are others.

:evil:
 
If you shoot .38 Special cartridges in a .357 Magnum chamber you have to keep the fouling cleaned out of the front of the chamber, or you may find yourself unable to extract and eject the longer round.

In small, light guns the inability to quickly recover from recoil and fire fast but accurate shots often offsets the aditional power of the Magnum cartridge. Precise bullet placement is a far better and more certain fight stopper then a poorly placed Magnum slug. In and of itself, so called Magnum power is a myth.
 
A .38 snub is light, has low recoil, and "in the zone" for SD--although on the low end. In addition, rapid follow up shots can be fired with the .38, accurately. My carry gun is a six shot Colt Cobra, not rated for +P ammo. So I use Buffalo Bore 150 gr. full wadcutters and feel well armed and comfortable about my selection. Some of the old time shootists know very well the value of the .38 special. There is a graveyard in my home town with quite a few .38special recipients.:evil:
 
-Dedicated .38spls are proven by Police Depts and Military Use going w-a-y back.

-Everyone is eat up with the "bigger is better" mentality.

So when you come across a really nice .38spl, just hang your head, sigh, play dumb as a brick and "well, it only shoots .38spls *sigh* had my heart set on my baby daughter getting a .357 since she is heading off into the world all by her lonesome"

When he/she comes down on price, plop down the money, run like hell and don't look back.
.

-Most folks stoke with .38spls anyway with a .357.
Bragging rights about the "1935 .357 Magnum", and they wince with 148 grain WadCutters.

Carbon Ring. Now they post for the umpteenth time about the carbon ring n a .357 having .38spls fired in them.
For the umpteen bazillionth time taking a fired .357 ctg and "punching" it out...
...taking a spent .357 ctg and filing teeth with a triangle needle file to "punch out", or other methods is posted.


Sorta like Hoglegs, BIG Ctgs and the Old West and .36 caliber was carried and used more often.

My take is, and what I tell folks - they NEED to go get the newest fangled Plastic Semi Auto Pistol of the Week.
I hear .40 cal is what "Police Depts" use, get .40s, Plastic 40s.

Trade in any and all OLDer Revolvers, Such as S&W and Colt, caliber does not matter.

Some old fools will pay *sigh* a few coins for a Old Antiquated Wheel Gun, in dedicated .38spl.
Other calibers too, still the .38spls is what he/she is looking for...
and 9mm and 45 ACP ammo as well.
 
.38 vs .357

I was issued a Model 15 Combat Masterpiece as my first duty gun.

I hated it. :fire: I could not hit a barn with it (well, I could, but not as good as I knew I should be able to). On the other hand, I had a Model 27 with which I outshot the other 15 guys on the department. My Chief would not let me carry it at first until I outshot the other 15. Then he decided that maybe it was not so bad a gun afterall with that 1/2 inch less of barrel. (Other coppers on the department could carry any other revolver so long as it had a 4" or more barrel) :p

I left that department many years ago, but the memory of a gun I could not shoot with haunted me, and lo and behold, I bought a Model 15 a few years back. :)

Still could not hit with the thing, :mad: until one day I got in some practice with a master at pistol shooting.

Since then, it behaves as good as gold for me. It is now a fun gun for me to shoot. :p

If the choice is to get either a .38 or a .357, make the decision on what you can shoot well, as it will not be fun until you can.

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
+1 SM

gandog56 - Do you also belittle folks with arthritis or other medical problems that make it painful to shoot .357 Magnum loads? Your momma must be proud........
 
Then there is the ladies and the Girlie men who don't like .357 recoil.

There are a lot of he men that shoot 12" groups at 10 yards with their 357 J frame too.

The amount of velocity lost in a short barrel really doesn't give you a big edge and a lot of negatives that have alreday been mentioned.

Precise bullet placement is a far better and more certain fight stopper then a poorly placed Magnum slug.

I've done it before and I'm agreeing with Old Fuff on this. If you properly place a 38 spl the target will swear that it was a 357.
 
cause they don't make conversions for a '51 navy in 357.
cause a 642 costs about 1/2 what a 360 does (since you will probly shoot +p anyway)
cause some of us like to put 6 rounds into one hole and then do it again (while the guy next to us with the latest tupperware is patterning it at 7 yards)
cause I WANT TO
 
Speaking of Physically Limited folks...

I grew up with Veterans with all sorts of "Physical Limits".
These were part of my Mentors & Elders, both men and women.

.32 and .38spl guns were popular. Cops carried Model 10s around here, State Boys carried Model 19s, and not all carried .357 loads, instead 38spls.

These Veterans had limbs missing, hands, fingers, forearms, even arms up the elbows.
Partially blind, ailment from shrapnel to arthritis...

I have always assisted Physically Limited Folks.
How raised - What you do.

Take a State Cop, used to shoot 50 yard quals and gets arthritis, I mean bad case of it.
He can no longer do full house .357s.
Wadcutters he cannot do from a J frame. Oh he could if he had to, just forget practice, his hand just "quit" for a few days.
His CCW gun until he passed was a Snubby Model 10 with Wadcutters.
He could put one ragged hole with this gun, and loads.

Got a elderly lady, bad off, she is dying. Used to shoot Bulls-Eye back in the day.
Osteo so bad, Doc said if she shut the car door , or trunk too hard, it might break her back.
No more driving, no more pistols, recoil that bad.
He home gun? Marlin 60s
Best we could do for her...

I am only 52 years old, but I have seen a lot of folks that "used to" get to where they "could not".

I don't mean only older folks , arthritis either.

Anyone of us can get sick, hurt, have surgery, and one is wise to have a gun and load they can shoot if down.

One petite young lady had shoulder surgery, knee surgery and detached a retina.
NO Recoil as per Doc's Orders.

Stropping fella, looks like a linebacker went through a similar deal.
He had to go buy a gun he could shoot, to keep at home.
Everything he had was "bigger and better".

So I know, I get chided, I get nasty PMs.

I also get folks thanking me for assisting off public view.
One lady is using a old S&W J frame 22 revolver her mom carried...
When she heals up, we will see ...
5 shots in half a playing card at 7 yards is close enough for gubmint work as they say...
 
Definitely a lot of great reasons for buying a straight 38 special instead of a 357 and shooting only 38's in them. That was the main purpose of the other thread. If, for whatever reason, you're able to get away from the Hype of having a 357 magnum, and you're only going to shoot 38's anyway, there's a lot of weapons that will probably be more comfortable to shoot. Along with in many cases a less expensive weapon to buy. I have a S&W model 10 that obviously only shoots 38's. I have a model 13 that I shoot a mix of 357 and 38. 38's are cheaper for punching paper. But when carrying either, I use the caliber it was built for. Later... Mike....
 
A .38 can be made smaller and lighter than a .357, which is great if you want to conceal it. The recoil from the.38 is lighter, so your small, light gun is still going to be quite controllable. And there is nothing wrong with a .38 for SD.
 
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