Are .38Specials effective enough for home D?

T

twoblink

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Ok, am I reading this right? I'm reading the specs on .38Specials vs. 357Mag's and the .357's are like 2.5x the energy of the .38's???

So that brings me to the question, is a .38Special a good enough round for home Defense?

Wow, when you all told me that the .38's go "pop" and .357's go "BANG!!" you weren't kidding!!!

Anybody have official specs of generic .38's vs. .357.?

Thanks.
Albert
 
I believe the .38 Spl. is a fine home defense cartridge. I prefer it over the .357 Mag. for that purpose. If you've ever fired a .357 indoors, you'll know what I mean. Plus the .38 is more controllable.

The factory specs of my preferred loads in these calibers are as follows:

.38 Special: Winchester 158gr. LSW-HP+P @890 fps/278 ft-lbs.

.357 Magnum: Federal 125gr. JHP @1450 fps/580 ft-lbs.





[Edited by glockten on 02-04-2001 at 03:43 AM]
 
I think .38 special is a good home defence round.
You could use .38 special +P
It's about half way between .38 and .357
 
2-blink,


The 38 Special, loaded with decent ammo (like a 110g JHP+P or a 158g LSWC-HP), is a competent HD cartridge.

The real factor is the operator....
 
My bride has had many revos in her hand as I tried to find one that fit so I could get her to the range and up to speed. I finially bought her a 12 guage for Christmas :)
loaded it with some tactical cop stuff and now she doesn't have to practice. This also clears up the caliber selection
question quite nicely.....dewey
 
Shotguns do take practice. Things can go wrong with any perfect pan and it's better to encounter those problems at the range. Buy some bird shot to practice tactics and some #1,#4 or 00 Buck to get a feel for your preferred HD load. #1 BTW is preferred by the folks at http://www.firearmstactical.com/
 
As for .38's, I'm off to the show today to buy some 147 gr wadcutters (target load) for my Model 14 and maybe some 158 LSWCHP for HD.
 
Just a reminder, a .357 will accept .38specials, including the +P. If you buy a revolver chambered for the .38special only, make sure it is manufactured for the .38+P if you decide to use +P ammo. Most new .38s are made to handle the hotter +P round. Older revolvers, if you buy used, may not be able to handle the higher pressure of the +P loads.
 
Twoblink,

IMHO, .38 Special rounds -- even some standard standard pressure loads such as Federal's 125 grain Nyclad hollow point-- are adequate for home defense.

So much depends on the individual circumstances. For example, in an urban apartment or a townhouse where carry-through may be a real issue, it may actually be wiser to use a .38 Special than a .357 magnum. I respectfully suggest you evaluate your unique circumstances and then make an informed decision based on that analysis.
 
A friend of my mother used one to stop a BG who broke into her apartment. Her husband gave her a loaded .38 revolver in 1939 and she kept it in her dresser drawer. When a BG broke into her place in 1988 (she was a widow then) she fired 2 shots into his chest. This gun sat in a drawer for almost 50 years with the same 6 LRN cartridges in the cylinder. When she needed it, well it worked fine. This incident was written up in the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN magazine.

Yes, a .38 is fine for home defense.
 
There have been times that I loaded my 586 with 38spl for my nightstand just because I don't want a miss to go through every home on the block. 38spl will get the job done just fine without having to worry as much about your neighbor being hit in his/her home.
 
.38 Special is the only thing I put aside for home defense, particulary 110 Gr SJHP +P. This is my ammo of choice for home defense from other calibers guns I own - .357 Mag, .45 cal, 9mm, 7.62 TOK, and .22lr. I personally believe it will do more than an adequate job without "overkill" and penatration through walls are kept to a minimum.
 
As you can see by the preceding posts, many homeowners feel that the .38 Special is a good household defense round. Their reasons are sound: the round has good but not excessive power, report and recoil. I think that the .38 or the 9mm with the proper bullets are just about the best general home defense cartridges going.
Notice, though that I said WITH THE PROPER BULLETS! You don't want to choose a light (110-grain) .38 bullet for your home defense weapon. You want momentum, not velocity. The best loading for the home .38 is the 158-gr lead HP or SWC. Next best is the regular target wadcutter, which is virtually as effective as a heavy (at 148 grains it's reasonably tubby) but recoils like a peanut 110-grain load.
There have been too many failures of light bullets in lethal confrontations. Go with bullets that are of moderate to heavy weight for the caliber. Sacrifice velocity, but not mass.
 
Good, I really needed some reassurance... I've shot .38's and .357's, and there's a HUGE difference.. I figure it should be bad, same size hole as a .357, just not as deep.

I guess the federal 150gr JHP seems like a pretty good choice.

Thanks.
Albert
 
Hum...

I guess I'm NOT screwed.

I just checked the nightstand. My snubbie's not there.

My 1917 S&W in .45 ACP is in there. I had the snub at the range the other week.
 
.38 For Home Defense

Hey Twoblink, I stand corrected on my previous post concerning the grains of my HD .38+P round. I don't use the 110 grains but use the 125 grains instead. Recommendations for the 158 grains has got me rethinking my choice for a good home defense round. Take care.
 
The 38 special was the police weapon of choice for years & years. Now bullets are even more effective & velocity higher. Proper shot placement is the key with any ammo & you can afford to practice more "physically" & dollar wise with a 38.

Only problem with any handgun is penetration of walls if you miss. That is where the Shotgun rules, but a shotgun is large, hard to maneuver and sure won't fit in most nightstands.
JM$.02 k
 
I have a friend that asked me this "effective?? Ask yourself this, would YOU like to be shot by a .38Special? Well then, it is an effective round then!"

:-) I guess I understand what he was driving at..

I know snubbie .38's have been a "ankle saver" for most cops I know... A lot of heat but small enough to stick on an ankle holster... So I guess it tells me that it's not bad as a last resort gun.

Thanks.
Albert
 
Mix .38 Specials followed by .357 magnums

My earlier post to this thread endorses the ".38 Special is fine for home defense" proposition.

I just had a thought that may help others regarding this subject. Since many of us use .357 magnum revolvers to shoot our .38s, how about the first two or three rounds in that "bedside" revolver being .38 Specials and the remainder .357 magnums.

In this way, we don't overkill -- carry through danger -- with the first couple rounds, but we ensure the last ones are mighty potent loads.
 
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