.38 SPL +P+ VS .357 Medium velocity

SnWnMe, Mike Irwin, Colt Driver, stephen, Gunny Bob and the others, thanks for your answers, you have been very helpfull.
If I decided to use a .38 spl +P or +P+ would be in my S&W model 15 handgun. I have a Colt officers model and a Rossi model 68 too, but I think they are not strong enough for hig pressures loads.

Anibal.
 
Is it just me, or is anyone else noticing that the law-abiding Mexican people have limits on caliber and use for thier guns, and registration is required, yet (and this is based on news articles and posts here and on THR) that the criminals continue to have access to whatever they want and run unchecked murdering police chiefs, etc? looks like a good example of the failure of gun control to control criminals, only disarm good citizens.

To answer the question, however, i carry a snubbie with 158 gr lswchp +p's, and i feel 100% confortable and sufficiantly protected with it. (although, i do carry the 1911 45 acp when weather/clothing permits, mainly for number of rounds purposes). the only drawback of a 38 revolver i see is capacity. in a 'panic' situation, i prefer more chances. The best bet is practice, practice, practice though......caliber and capacity means nothing if you keep missing.....
 
I agree absoluty with you jrfoxx, the Federal firearms law in Mexico is like the alcohol ban in USA in the 20´s, almost nobody obey the law.
Those kind of laws don´t work in the real world.
People who have studied this term thinks there are 10 firearms without register for every firearm register in Mexico, but nobody knows the real number of ilegal firearms in the country.
Criminals have any gun they want. Think this: How can a civilian defend himsalfe with a .380 ACP pistol or a .38 spl. revolver against a criminal with a AKM or a .40 S&W pistol?.

Anibal.
 
Yes Jonathon, I´ve been thinking in the Glocks 25 and 28 in the last months, and I´ve been thinking in the Beretta 84F and the Browning BDA too even they have 2 rounds less than Glocks.
I heard Taurus has a new .380 ACP with a 19 rounds magazine, but I don´t know if it is true.

Anibal.
 
So, how do you get a pistol in Mexico if they are 'banned' according to the signs here at the juarez bridges? They say NO guns into Mexico or prison.
 
Anibal, I have an M15-3, and I've used standard pressure .38 special Hydra-Shoks in it. If 6 .38's aren't enough, you're probably in over your head.

Good gun.
 
Anibal,

We have been wanting a source for information about Mexico and firearms, so I appreciate your patience with the questions.

How about purchasing firearms? Are there regular gun stores and do you need to pass a background check?

Tell us about the culture - do people generally see a need for civilian firearm ownership, or do 'civilized' people feel that guns are inherently a source of problems whoever owns them?
 
Anibal,

Let me say that I don't think of Mexico as backwards - I have been a lot of places and you might have to travel to Ethiopia or Cambodia before you would find someplace I would call backwards. But Mexico is an interesting mix of a tradition of liberty and revolution, like the US, but also with a tradition of excessively strong central governments that have not always treated people fairly. The police are the most visible extension of the government,and since may Americans have had bad experiences with police in Mexico (admittedly this is sometimes the fault of our own drunken tourists), we percieve the government as not to be trusted.

I have spent a fair amount of time in Mexico and have never failed to be impressed by the generosity of most people there, but I have also been plenty intimidated by the police (especially the Federales).

To most people on this forum, the right to own a gun is equated with the general rights of self-determination. So it is impressive that Mexico has a right to own firearms incorporated into the constitution. But, we can't quite figure out exactly how the right to own a gun, coupled with strong (and not necessarily trustworthy) central authority, plus periodically active rebellion in the south quite fit together.

I apologize if it seems we are trying to dissect your country. I certainly mean no offense, and have never personally had any bad experiences in Mexico. We are quite interested in the perspective of someone looking from the inside, rather than from the outside.
 
I must say that I have had a lot of experience in traveling Mexico as a lot of my family is from Mexico. Firearms aren't terribly hard to get, even fully-automatic AK-47s. That was a very good point that such severe restrictions on legal ownership puts law-abiding citizens at a disadvantage. I recently went on vacaction to meet my girlfriend's (with whom I soon plan to get married and actually likes the fact that I have guns in the house to protect her) family in the state of Sinaloa, which is one of the most violent regions of Mexico and the Western Hemisphere for that matter. People get murdered there almost daily, many of these homicides involve 10+ people and fully-automatic rifles. It would be hard to fight these narco-criminals with .380 and .38spl. pistols. If the government won't allow its citizens to properly defend themselves then they should do a better job enforcing the laws and protecting the people. You don't read of too many homicides in the U.S. where more than 10 people are murdered. Unfortunately where my girlfriend is from, it happens almost every week. I also agree that Mexicans for the most part are very good people and have extremely high moral values and sense of generosity. Most Mexicans just live in rural areas and ranches and mind their own business enjoying their way of life, while some desire to come to the U.S. I get pretty offended when people make extremely racist remarks about Mexicans and referring to all of them as criminals.
 
How can people buy firearms in Mexico?.
There are two ways to buy a gun in Mexico legaly.
One is buying it in the only legal gunshop in the country. The Army gun shop in Mexico City.
The Mexican Army is the only institution which can import firearms in the country.
The other way is buying it to another person whom has a register of the gun he is selling. The buyer and the seller must go to the nearest army facility and change the name of register of the gun.

Unfurtunly there are a lot of ilegaly traffic of guns in Mexico. A lot of Mexicans buy their firearms in ilegaly way.

If you have bought a gun in ilegaly way, but the gun is in a no ban caliber you can legalize your situation going to the nearest army facily and telling them you have a firearms and you want to register it to your name.

For buying or register a gun in Mexico you must have no criminal record.

In Mexico we have the right to have firearms, but it is a very limitated right, all this limitation propitiate a big ilegaly traffic of guns in the country.
The reality is the goverment fear the Mexicans have many guns because they fear the people can revolt against them.

It is true some Mexicans are criminal, but we are 100 million people in Mexico and most of us are not criminals.

You in the USA have the freedom to have all the firearms you want, try to never lose it because it feels bad the goverment says to you what can have and what can´t have. Figth for keep this right.

Anibal.
Forgive my bad English.
 
Anibal,

Thanks again for sharing, and we appreciate your participation here.

Incidentally, I vote for the steel-frame .38. I think that, even though the .380 and 38 appear similar with regard to energy, the .38 typically shoots a much heavier projectile that is much more effective.
 
+p means about 10 percent more pressure as a general rule(around 21,000 psi in 38 spec. IIRC) +p+ has no "official" rating so be careful!!!

I fired some winchester 147 gr hollowpoint 38+p+ stuff through my speed six with a 3" barrel. Average was around 950fps. Very consistant load. Barely broke 1,000fps in my 7.5" redhawk. Seemed to be optomized for a 4 inch barrel.
 
Federal's Hydrashock +P+ .38 Special load is listed under the law enforcement tab on the website and it is so marked on the box. The specs don't look overly impressive v. +P IMO.

That said, would anyone run this fodder through a 642 Airweight for function and then carry if all okay? It would certainly not be a range load in the little snubby.
 
Is that airweight a 357 or a dedicated 38 special? I don't know my smiths that well, sorry.

If it is a 357, that 38 +p+ stuff should be just fine, if it's a 38, I'd say you are pushing the limits pretty hard.
 
The newer .38 Special 642 is +P rated so I am unsure about +P+. The load in question is Federal's 147gr +P+ Hydra-Shok.
 
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