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.38+P vs. .44 Special question?
- Thread starter MikeJ
- Start date
As far as current production goes, that's not really the choices we have.
There's 7 shots of smallbore (from both S&W and Taurus) versus 5 of big. And the smallbore is generally .357, versus .38.
The only close comparo I'm aware of exactly like your parameters is a six-shot Colt Dick Special versus a 5-shot Charter Bulldog. But in that case, the Charter will shake loose too soon to be a real contender.
In 7 shots of .38Spl, hypothetically, that wins hands down over 5 .44Spls. In 6 shots of .38, damn, that's a tough one. The sixgun will be smaller than any 5-shot .44 except for the Charter 44, which is a gun I'd never own.
In any case, it's not all about the caliber, the quality of gun and it's "shootability" matters too. Center of mass with a .38 beats a wingshot with a .44 every time.
There's 7 shots of smallbore (from both S&W and Taurus) versus 5 of big. And the smallbore is generally .357, versus .38.
The only close comparo I'm aware of exactly like your parameters is a six-shot Colt Dick Special versus a 5-shot Charter Bulldog. But in that case, the Charter will shake loose too soon to be a real contender.
In 7 shots of .38Spl, hypothetically, that wins hands down over 5 .44Spls. In 6 shots of .38, damn, that's a tough one. The sixgun will be smaller than any 5-shot .44 except for the Charter 44, which is a gun I'd never own.
In any case, it's not all about the caliber, the quality of gun and it's "shootability" matters too. Center of mass with a .38 beats a wingshot with a .44 every time.
9mmepiphany
New member
i find my smith m-696 (5 shot .44) as accurate and just as controlable as a 2.5" m-66, and surely more controlable than any j-frame with +p rounds.
but it comes down to a matter of size of the carry package. i can't think of anywhere i could carry a K-frame and not carry the L-frame. but there are lots of places a J-frame can go that a L-frame would be just too heavy.
the proper comparison WOULD be the 2 L-frames (686 vs 696) and 7 vs. 5 shots
between a 6 shot K-frame and the 5 shot L-frame, i think the .44 (L-frame) wins
but it comes down to a matter of size of the carry package. i can't think of anywhere i could carry a K-frame and not carry the L-frame. but there are lots of places a J-frame can go that a L-frame would be just too heavy.
the proper comparison WOULD be the 2 L-frames (686 vs 696) and 7 vs. 5 shots
between a 6 shot K-frame and the 5 shot L-frame, i think the .44 (L-frame) wins