.38 Special vs. .357 Magnum for Home Defense

Which would you choose and why?

  • .38 Special

    Votes: 105 67.3%

  • .357 Magnum

    Votes: 51 32.7%
  • Total voters
    156
Who here would chose lets say a Beretta 84 380 over a Beretta 92 compact in this same situation? Not quite as much a ballistic difference but similar. I'd pick the 9 for the same reason I'd pick the 357, more power.
 
Careful bullet selection with the .38

A wide variety of .357 ammo is good for home defense.
The .38 requires you to do some homework.
The .357 will have a lot of blast and flash that might limit effectiveness in a dark room once you crank one off.
I could recommend trying a few range sessions in low light to get a feel for what you might be in store for.
 
I also wonder if we're too hung up on this "One Shot Stop" notion. Single shot pistols went out of fashion for self defense use with the Civil War. The main argument for larger calibers and expanding bullets is that greater use of recreational drugs makes perpetrators less sensitive to pain, but I would to see real documented cases of individuals absorbing several rounds and continuing to fight back.
 
Calling the .38 "weak" or "anemic" is ridiculous. Come on, people.
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I'd have no problem with shooting .38 out the longer barreled revolver. I just think the extra weight will reduce recoil. One shot stops are too rare to rely on.

Besides a GP100 is an excellent firearm. If it aint broke don't fix it.
Try both. See which one YOU like.
 
Yep, I don't think I disagreed with anything you said. It just always seems to boil down to "one is awesome and the other is puny" to some people. You didn't strike me as saying that, though.
 
Yep, I don't think I disagreed with anything you said. It just always seems to boil down to "one is awesome and the other is puny" to some people. You didn't strike me as saying that, though.
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Not by a long shot. (pun intended ;) )
I don't have an issue with regular .38. I don't have an issue with .38+ or .357 mag out of the GP100. I'd be more hesitant to shoot .38+ out of a regular .38 for follow up shot reasons and wear on the pistol itself.

Personally I carry a 9mm. thats a lot closer to a .38 special than a .357 Mag IIRC. I feel completely comfortable with that, and killed a sofa through a wall once to prove the point. :eek:
 
For a walk in the woods or any self defense situation outdoors I would say .357mag. For everyday carry and home defense I prefer .38. I just don't want to touch off a .357mag indoors, the muzzle blast is just too severe. Shooting any round without hearing protection in an enclosed area would probably do some damage, I don't need to make it worse.
Insofar as .38 being "anemic", I don't buy it. I feel pretty comfortable carrying my Ruger LCR with a quality hollow point .38 in it. In my bedroom I have a 9mm Stoeger Cougar and a 4" 686+ loaded with .38 special ready to go. My wife has a Taurus model 85 with low recoil Hornady hollow points.
 
Every cop in the country was armed with a .38 special for about 30 years.
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And then they changed to other cartridges that are much better.

The US Army also once used the 38 Special, until they realized it didn't work that well
 
An acquaintance of mine shot a home invader once in the chest with a standard pressure. 38spl from a 2" mod 36. The invader turned and dropped dead on the spot. Hardly even bled.
It's capable, just not my first choice.
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An aquaintance of mine (Deputy Sheriff) shot a guy 5 times in the chest with a 38 just before the guy nearly beat him to death.

One lucky shot doesn't prove it's a good choice when there are better options
 
The US Army also once used the 38 Special, until they realized it didn't work that well
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When did the Army have problems with the .38 Special?

An aquaintance of mine (Deputy Sheriff) shot a guy 5 times in the chest with a 38 just before the guy nearly beat him to death.

One lucky shot doesn't prove it's a good choice when there are better options
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There have been cases where a .38 Special didn't stop someone. That's also true of .45 ACP, 9mm, .40s&w and .357 magnum.
 
Use the GP100 with the 1st two or three shots loaded with 38+P, finish out the loading with 357. You'll have the comfort of full power ear drum busters if you get that far along, but controllability and less flash to start off with.
 
The US Army used the 38 Long Colt, it worked OK in Cuba-TR said the 2 Spaniards he shot with it both went down, in the Moro Rebellion it was weighed in the balance and found wanting. The 38 Special was developed to address the 38 Long Colt's shortcomings. Didn't help that they had only RNL bullets back then.
One of my bedside setups is my 4" S&W M-27 with Pachmayr grips and 125 gr JHP 38 Specials. In that N frame they're like wadcutters.
 
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I have heard stories and seen videos with everything from a women getting shot pb in the skull with 44 mag and living, called 911 herself!!! to a .22 hornet getting fired up in the air then dropping back down and killing a horse...

Heres the thing with defense weapons, it is FAR more important the user knows the gun, is comfortable with it, and can manipulate it efficiently than the stopping power of the round...

My wife can't pull the trigger back on most revolvers, even my vcomp which has a sweetheart of an action, so no matter what round is in it, that gun is useless to her, my brother in law flinches and almost drops his 40sw every time he pulls the trigger, if he shoots the paper at 7 yards he gets excited, but he still carries that stupid glock.. He can shoot my ppk and hit the target every time but he would rather carry a 40, lol...

Most of the time I carry a p3at with a crimson trace, no holster, just the grip clip, and the spare mag in my other pocket {if I take it with me}. Its a .380 not a ton of stopping power, loaded with a good handload that I can shoot very very well, the gun is dialed and never fails at the range...

NOW if there are 2 bad guys and I keyhole them both and they still get the best of me, I guess it was my time to go... I will take that chance since I carried a larger weapon for a while and I hated putting it on in the morning so mos tof the time I didn't, the one you will carry is much more reliable than the one you wont...
 
Thanks guys!

From reading the comments it seems the general concensus that the .357 magnum is going to be much more effective at stopping the threat, and the .38 special is pretty weak. Am I about right? I know loudness can be a problem but frankly if the .38 special isn't going to stop the threat than I would rather have the stopping power of the magnum round instead.
 
I once carried a .38 Special snub. I shot a small (100 pounds, approx.) deer with it (using the old FBI load, 158 gr. +P LSWCHP) at about 20 yards, hit it well, and was underwhelmed by the deer's reaction.... it paused, looked at me, and gathered itself to take off! It required a quick finishing shot by my son, who was right beside me when the deer appeared. Only time I've ever failed to anchor my deer with one shot (I pick my shots carefully, and will pass up the deer if I can't place my bullet where I want it.).

While I recognize there are no certain "one shot stops," I wanted a bit more punch than that! Now, I favor an SP101, loaded with 125 gr. magnum JHPs. For home defense, I keep a set of electronic hearing protectors (and a good flashlight) right beside the revolver. I've been known to use these loads (or equivalent handloads) in IDPA BUG matches, and find the SP101 with Hogue grips to be controllable.

My wife uses +P .38s in her old Security Six, as she has difficulty controlling the recoil of the magnums.
 
I would NOT want to get shot with 38, 38s, 357, or .380 for that matter, I shot a hog with 38s and nearly split his head in half...

You need to be confident in your weapon, and most 357 revolvers will fire 38 on up to 357, which is a nice feature, the box of ammo will tell you your energy levels, shoot some water jugs and you make your decision on which to load the gun with.. Go to the range, and see what you are more accurate with, its a long process but well worth the time..

There is NO doubt the 357 mag will be a strong cart. but if the recoil forces you to not make accurate follow up shots you may be better off with a 38s..

I have shot both of these rounds and have a few boxes of each in the safe,
http://www.underwoodammo.com/38specialp125grainjacketedhollowpoint.aspx
http://www.underwoodammo.com/357magnum125grainjhpboxof50.aspx

If you look at the specs they list you will see the 357 has about double the energy {at the muzzle} and I can tell you first hand shot out of the same gun, it also has twice the recoil!!! I can fast group the 38s with much more precision in a shorter barrel revolver than I can the 357... I have since shot many many 357 loads so have gotten a lot better, but I have the time and means to do that, at almost $1 per trigger pull some people may be better off just carrying the 38s...

For example, you shoot to defend your life at 35 feet, with the 357 you can land your first shot to the chest but the follow ups are all over the place but with the 38s you hit center mass with all 7 or 8 , you are MUCH MUCH better off with the 38s...

I have seen it first hand and done it myself, my follow up shots with the 357 when I first started shooting were slow and unpredictable, but with the special I could keyhole multiple moving targets and do it relaxed {well as relaxed as you can be}, with the 357 I was racing and not consistent.. So if that is the case at the range what will it be like in a real life situation, with innocent bystanders around...


scbair, at 60 feet I would never have the heart to take a shot at a deer with a snub nose pistol, that was ballsy, did you spin it on your finger first? lol It would make a VERY cool hunting story though, kudos you must be one heck of a shot...

Its just one of them things, I was coyote hunting and seen a doe limping along with an arrow in her quarter, it was my land and I was about 30 yards out, I shot her in the eye with my cooper 204 , probably the most accurate rifle I own, I spent around $4000 on it with the scope and I myself thought I was crazy, until I started shooting it, and I was still debating morally if I should take that shot because there was a lot of brush in the way... That was a wounded doe with a rifle I know was capable of dropping her, and I shot I was 80% sure I could send through her eye. When I went back with my machine to pick her up, she didn't have long the leg was in rough shape, I had a ton of meat so I gave her to a friend of mine and he butchered her for his dogs...
 
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From reading the comments it seems the general concensus that the .357 magnum is going to be much more effective at stopping the threat, and the .38 special is pretty weak. Am I about right? I know loudness can be a problem but frankly if the .38 special isn't going to stop the threat than I would rather have the stopping power of the magnum round instead.
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Is that what you get from people picking the .38 Special for home defense two to one over the .357 in your poll?
 
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