.38 special

[NWI369]

Recommendations for a good .38

 

[DadSmith]

Recommendations for a good .38

What barrel length are you wanting?
Any particular brand?
+P rated?
Carry gun or range gun?

 

[NWI369]

Definitely carry gun. Was wanting a Taurus or a colt but I’m new to the world of firearms.

 

[Max Volume]

Some say short stubbies are difficult to shoot for a beginner. I don't know that since I bought a snub nose after I was
shooting for awhile. Plus P is higher powered ammo many use for self defense. Being new to firearms I would suggest
first learning safety protocall before shooting anything. Maybe even take a class. There are several places around that
offer them. Then you may want to find a range that has rentals on firearms. No, you can't rent them and take one home.
It is by the hour at their range. Or you could possibly go to a range and make some shooting friends but again, make sure
you know safety first. Nobody wants to look down a muzzle (the front of the gun) or have a loaded one waving every
which way.

 

[Snapdragon]

I have had several .38's (still do), but my carry gun of choice is a Ruger LCR chambered in .357. They make a .38, but the .357 is a more sturdy construction because it's made to stand up to the heavier load. I carry .38+P self-defense ammo in mine, mostly Federal HydraShok because it has lower recoil. Snubbies are more challenging to shoot accurately, but with practice, you should have no problem.

 

[MrSmitty]

Taurus has really stepped up their game in the last few years, so that would be a budget option, that being said, you can never go wrong with a good S&W .38 spl....snubbie, or otherwise K, or J frame.....JMHO

 

[42253]

I have been carrying a taurus 4inch 38 special. Nice little budget gun. Does the job and no worries about messing up the S&W.

 

[Steve]

Snubbies are great little guns and much underrated as CC (concealed carry) or SD (self defense) guns. So far as accuracy goes, keep in mind that you are not using it to make 100 yard shots. At SD ranges, they will put the lead where you want it. I would strongly suggest that you go with a .357 so that you have the best of both worlds. That way, you can shoot .38's or .357's as you wish. And any S&W J frame or the Ruger LCR would be a great choice. I would keep an eye on the classified ads here. You can find some pretty good deals there.

 

[Max Volume]

Hickok45 hits his gong at 80 yards with a Smith J frame pretty regularly so they are inherently accurate.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I would keep an eye on the classified ads here.

Oh I have no doubt that he's doing that, given the number of one-liners he's been posting.

 

[NHT3]

Hickok45 hits his gong at 80 yards with a Smith J frame pretty regularly so they are inherently accurate.

I think Hickok45 is the inherently accurate portion of the equation. As for the OP I would suggest a basic safety class and then rent a snubby as well as two or three small 9mm pistols before making any decision on what might be the best option for you.

 

[blain]

Oh I have no doubt that he's doing that, given the number of one-liners he's been posting.

You've been walking these forums for many moons.

 

[BigRed]

I think Hickok45 is the inherently accurate portion of the equation.

Yep! He is good!

 

[BigRed]

I have had several .38's (still do), but my carry gun of choice is a Ruger LCR chambered in .357. They make a .38, but the .357 is a more sturdy construction because it's made to stand up to the heavier load. I carry .38+P self-defense ammo in mine, mostly Federal HydraShok because it has lower recoil. Snubbies are more challenging to shoot accurately, but with practice, you should have no problem.

Nice gun

 

[Nazgul]

Got the wife a S&W 642. She loves it.

Don

 

[Magyars]

S&W J frame snubbie...

 

[NHT3]

Yep! He is good!

Analogy from the past.. I used to play a LOT of tennis, got pretty good and took lessons on a regular basis.. I was always convinced that the guy that taught me could have whipped me using a coke bottle instead of a tennis racket.. Hickok45 is that good.

 

[ECS686]

Started with Revolvers in my USAF days and carried them with some municipal PDs. Love them.

38 Special is a great round. As far as revolvers the defensive stuff like newer 125-130 gr plus P JHP or SJHP or the old 158 Lead SWCHP (FBI load) is really designed for a 4” barrel in they penetrate and expand well in a 4” but a 2” snub they do not. The new Federal 120 gr Punch JHP looks like the best of the JHP in short barrels

However the best load for a snub 38 is the old 148 lead full wadcutter. It has low recoil is set to the sights of a snub (S&W anyway) and the bullet while it won’t expand the round cuts a full 38 caliber hole through a sternum and had the go to get to the goods. I worked with a couple folks in the south that put suspects in the ground with that load and was very popular in the revolver as a backup for copper days.

The mentioned JHp stuff you get all blast but no benefit in short snubby barrels

As far as brand I am a S&W and or Ruger in that order. Colt I have had issues with timing at very low round counts.

As mentioned any 357 version of a snubby is good for variety of rounds but the blast of 357 while yea more juice than a 38 the trade off in recoil isn’t worth it. The biggest benefit is 357 snubs add a little weight which could help in recoil but then it’s not as light as a S&W 442 air weight.


Anyway that’s the somewhat shorter thoughts from me but I could talk all day about Wheelguns.

 

[Leo]

I like s snub nose compact revolver. You cannot go wrong with Smith & Wesson or Ruger.

Another thing to think of is that Defensive ammo is almost ALL .38 +P rated. If you buy a revolver that is not +P rated, you will only be able to use light target ammo.

 

[OneBadV8]