.38 spl?
I love the round (the .38 spl is my second favorite cartridge....45 ACP is my first). The .38 spl is so easy to control (less recoil than 9mm IMO)! In a 4+" barrel, using the best Cor Bon load I have seen OSS percentages as high as 80% (M&S). To answer your question, the .38 spl is an adequate HD cartridge (but not a great HD cartridge). If you want the best, you need to look at 9mm (91% OSS), .45 ACP (94% OSS), .40 S&W (96% OSS), and .357 magnum (96% OSS). Of course, if you do not believe in the M&S research, all of my post is meaningless.