38 special for self defense

I have a Ruger SP-101 .38 SPL 3" (1989 manufacture 570-05xxx) that has had the cylinder reamed for Rem 125 gr. hollow-points back in the day before the elongated frames/cylinders. It still has the short factory grips and it is a brute to shoot with the .357 rounds. I have it loaded for SD with Federal HydraShok .38 129 gr. JHP +P rounds (I'm old-school) which are much easier to control.

The .38+P round from a short barrel works about as well as the .357 round.
 
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I handload the Lyman #358439 hollowpoint Keith style bullet at +P velocity of 962 fps with the bullets cast at 10 BHN . They open very well out to 50 yards which is the farthest I have tested them and are an extremely accurate bullet out of my K-14 . I have fortunately not had to proof them on an actual BAD GUY but am quite confident they will suffice when needed to get the job done . Second shot or more recovery is much faster and accurate in double action rapid fire shooting for me with this .38 than the heavier handguns I have tried this with . Add the adreneline factor those who have actually been in a gunfight speak of and I think I would prefer to use a load that was more prone to be accurate to start with in rapid fire mode and give up a little bit of that extra energy from the heavier calibres . Go with what you feel most comfortable with . You should have confidence in what you are shooting to protect you and your loved ones lives as there may well not be any time to mull this over should the pooh hit the fan .

10 Spot
 
The 38 Special is simply unfashionable at present, that's all. Bill Jordan said it best, it's the most powerful caliber the average man can hope to master.
 
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