.38 for edc?

158 grain SWCHP @ 850 f.p.s. will protect you fairly well against any human.
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I would go to the larger, open carry, cop guns to shoot that round. I have a stash of two boxes of the Remingtons.
 
The military moved to .45acp due to the need to stop a motivated enemy from fighting even after he'd been mortally wounded (in the Philippines IIRC).
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The US involvment offically ended on July 4 1902. Many years befor the 1911 and the 45acp were on line. They did bring in single action colts in 45 colt and reissue them. And those also failed to stop on occasion. But so did the Krag 30-40 rifles with a 220gr bullet going over 2000fps. The only sure stopper they had was a 12ga shotgun loaded with buckshot. See if you can find a copy of the artical by Jack Lott titled "the 45 and the Moros. A myth exploded" or something close to that. It appeared in a Guns and Ammo annual, I have a copy of it up in my attic.

I can't really add much to what the others have said except you don't need a load that will hit 1000 to 1100fps either. A SWCHP at 850 will do everything you need to do with a snubby revolver. Just a plain SWC at the same speed will do more than you think it will.

Buy this book. It has all you need to know about snubby guns. I have read my copy about 10 times.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Snubby-Revolver-Concealed-Standard/dp/1581605714
 
I carry 38 all the time, if you feel you need a larger chunk of lead to go in the bad guy, practice double tap wife and I do when we go and shoot the lcr's we also run the old fbi loads (the 158 grain lead hollow points)
 
Silly

I would be fairly certain that anyone telling u that 38spl is not good self defense round is either a firearm novice or bloviator. The 38spl ballistics are good for SD and a load such as the Hornady American gunner XTP hollow point is outstanding n I carry it with utmost confidence.
 
Some rounds might be iffy in a snubnose, but I have no worries about Speer Short Barrel 135gr Gold Dot doing the job.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k890Rio2oBY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWn--pMkvtg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-FFfjGLhZQ


Full disclosure: I EDC a 9mm semi-auto, only because I can shoot it more accurately than a J-frame and better manage recoil to quickly get more accurate shots on target. I do like the J-frame as a BUG though and feel comfortable with both rounds with proper ammo choice.
 
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The military moved to .45acp due to the need to stop a motivated enemy from fighting even after he'd been mortally wounded (in the Philippines IIRC).
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Also keep in mind that the military was not using .38 Special at that time. It was a much slower .38 caliber round. (.38 Long Colt IIRC)
 
DMK you are correct. They were using the 38 long colt round. It shot a 150gr round nose bullet at 750fps, just about like a 38 special wad cutter target round.

In the Jack Lott article I mentioned he reported that initially the round gave a very good account of itself. It wasn't till the battle moved to the southern part of the island that the army had stopping problems. The story is a very good read if you care to Google it. And its not what you think it is either.
 
38 isnt great for self defense?
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I don't think the comment is about the cartridge as it is about the wheel guns that holds only 5 shots. Personally, I would feel a little undergun with 5 shots because I know that once the adrenaline flows, the heart rate gets to 150, accuracy goes out the window. It ain't about spray and pray either. It's about having enough ammo to end the fight.
 
I carry 38 all the time, if you feel you need a larger chunk of lead to go in the bad guy, practice double tap wife and I do when we go and shoot the lcr's we also run the old fbi loads (the 158 grain lead hollow points)
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That load as a double tap in an LCR would be pretty difficult to control, would it not?
 
I would be fairly certain that anyone telling u that 38spl is not good self defense round is either a firearm novice or bloviator. The 38spl ballistics are good for SD and a load such as the Hornady American gunner XTP hollow point is outstanding n I carry it with utmost confidence.
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There has to be some basis for the police known as opting for a heavier round (than 38 Special). Are people picking a caliber of 38 or simply a 5-shot, smaller gun to conceal? Bugs and backups become primary carries, all for the sake of fashionable wardrobe.
 
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There are five rounds of .38 special in my pocket right now, just like every day. I vote yes, it's a capable round.

Deaf Smith, what the heck was meant by that "amego" comment?
 
real gun
my wife shoots that load out of her lcr we both do, I myself do not feel that its a difficult load to shoot. granted every one deals with recoil differently, heck I don't think my 44 super red hawk is that bad to shoot with my hunting loads of 21 grains of 2400 and 240 grain xtps...
 
38 revolvers were the primary carry for lawmen for many many decades. It put down a lot of bad guys over the decades. I carry a 1911 45ACP 9 rounds or a Shield 9mm 9 rounds for EDC. The semi-auto guys think I'm under gunned because I'm not carrying 9mm with 17rd mags. I put my shots in small groups where it would hurt!! Don't need 17rds if you put them where it hurts!! But if was going to carry a revolver it would be a 38 Special rated for +P, a 357, or a 45ACP revolver.
 
real gun
my wife shoots that load out of her lcr we both do, I myself do not feel that its a difficult load to shoot. granted every one deals with recoil differently, heck I don't think my 44 super red hawk is that bad to shoot with my hunting loads of 21 grains of 2400 and 240 grain xtps...
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re double tapping an FBI load in a snub, I was picturing doing that as something I would need to practice, if it was even practical to do it. But then if you need to fire twice without an assessment between shots, what does that tell you?
 
real gun
not sure what your fishing for, but what works for us may not work for others and really not sure of your fire arms skills but these loads in our lcr's really are no big deal for us, may be for you but not us.
 
Today's carry gun was a 642 in a pancake holster with a speed strip in pouch on the belt. I didn't feel under gunned at all. YMMV. tom.

ETA same set up for over forty years and I'm still here. :cool:
 
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