38 vs. 357 for Home Defense?

Tyro,

This is an important question for me, since one of my two home defense handguns is always a .357 magnum (either a Ruger KGP-141 or one of my S&W 627 Special Editions). These are very accurate, utterly reliable revolvers, and I feel perfectly well armed with any of them (even with only six rounds).

One key question you must ask concerns "carry through". The .38 Special versus .357 magnum issue should probably consider your individual home defense situation. A single-family house on a farm with no one within hundreds of yards is a very different environment than an urban apartment with only a couple sheets of wallboard between homes. Without doubt, virtually any .357 magnum round has the energy to penetrate inter-apartment walls and to pose a threat to innocents in adjoining rooms.

Therefore, I'd certainly consider a .38 Special Nyclad +P round, instead of a .357 magnum, in town homes, apartments, and other multiple dwellings.
 
Greetings (Sam: GREETINGS),

I was once in a living room with a .45 that discharged a +P bullet. Very disorienting. I wonder, is there any recognized training method besides shooting with no ear protection to prepare a defensive shooter for the effects of indoor muzzle blast?

Regards,

Ledbetter
 
"Silence of Death..."

C.R. Sam,

I've always thought that death would actually be loud, sort of a like a Pink Floyd concert... :)

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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
RWK,

The concerns and caveats you present are indeed very important. I live in the country, with acres of woodland between my house and the houses of the nearest neighbors, whose houses are brick and log. My wife and I have no children in the house. The dog makes it very highly unlikely that any innocent person would be on my property (neighbors know not to walk on my property, and they never do - they respect the dog and the warning signs regarding the dog). The juxtaposition of my house and the likely lines of fire within it make it practically impossible for any shot fired from a 357 in my home to get anywhere near a neighbor. So the question depends entirely on considerations within the house.

[This message has been edited by tyro (edited September 19, 2000).]
 
Mike; actualy I was guessin, that one of the few things I haven't tried (successfully)

Sam...not Yosimite, no hair on top.
 
Tyro,

Thank you for sharing the information re your individual defensive situation. Given the facts you've just provided, I would opt for a .357 magnum round -- probably either 125 or 158 grain HydraShok -- rather than any .38 Special load.

The earlier posts that indicate the .357 round is loud, its muzzle blast is bright, and its recoil is stout have merit. However, we are discussing the defense of you/your family from a grave and immediate danger. The goal is to immobilize the criminal instantaneously. This is something we all hope we'll never have to do and something that will only occur under the most serious circumstances. Under those rare -- but critical -- conditions, I want to stop the BG instantly. For this reason, I opt for the .357 magnum. Simply stated, the .357 magnum is the most certain "man stopper" among the common handgun calibers (and, also, within the scope of your question).

Accordingly, my "bottom line" is simple: temporary deafness, broken crockery, etc. are inconveniences; I want the felon down now and permanently.
 
Tyro, I suggest you conduct a test:

Set up two humanoid (IDPA or similar) targets next to each other at, say, 15 feet. (To make things more realistic, try covering half of one target to simulate a bad guy using cover.) Then try putting two shots on each from a low ready position as quickly as you can, making 3 or 4 runs with both full power .357 Magnums and 158 grain +P .38 Special. This should give you some idea of how much speed and accuracy you'd gain by using a lighter load.

You might want to try the Golden Sabres that Mike Irwin suggested as well. I agree with him that they're a good compromise between power and controllability.
 
Thanks Matt, I'll order the 158 grain +P .38 ammo, and the Golden Sabres that Mike Irwin suggested, and do the comparative testing.

[This message has been edited by tyro (edited September 19, 2000).]
 
Since I don't have to worry about overpentration now I load my toys with the hottest thing I can get.
Forget about the recoil and flash, if your life is on the line they will not matter.
Pack the best thing in the barrel you can afford to practice with (corbon is always good).
Go full bore is my opinion.

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He who dares wins.
NRA Life Memeber
 
The 110 grain Whichester SJHP load that I recommended (or any other brand 110) will NOT over penetrate in fact it's lack of deep penetration has been critisized by the "deep penetration" advocates.

I really don't see over penetration through walls and what not being an issue with any of the 110-125 grain .357 loads.
 
Easy, neither. A good 'ol fashioned 12g Shot gun is the best for home defense. You don't have to be "right on target", close is good enough. And you don't have to worry about killing your neighbor with a stray .38 bullet punching it's way through a wall!!! The .357 is my overall favorite, excellent stopping power, but not practical for home defense. Hope this helps...: )

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"Where there is doubt, there is no doubt"
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DirtyDave:
but not practical for home defense. Hope this helps...: )[/quote]

Hmmmm...well, I can't see how the Shot gun can be secured easily and yet it still be quickly "unsecured" & employed. I have an 11 year old & therefore I keep my 686 .357 "locked & loaded" that is locked up in a wall safe but fully loaded and ready to go. A shotgun would NOT fit in such a place. I suppose you COULD get a safe large enough for that though.
<sigh>
 
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