Please help--What is the SMALLEST .38?

I have owned (and carried) some derringers, both one and two shot, SA and DAO; I do NOT recommend any of them. If you need a .38 or specifically a .38 Special, the other folks have responded well. But if ".38" includes .380 ACP, the Ruger LCP is pretty good - light, concealable, adequate for most uses and smaller than any .38 Special revolver. Plus, it holds 7 rounds, where most small revolvers hold only 5.

Jim
 
I don't recommend a derringer either, just responding to mention of the Bond to say it's neither small nor the smallest .38 Special. :)
Denis
 
Quit shooting at 25-yard dimes with J-Frames!
Denis
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A friendly poke, in jest. I understand. :D

But, in all seriousness, I've never been able to do much with the boat-rudder sight on the standard J-frame snubbies.
I've messed with everything from .357 AirLites, to AirWeights, to steel frames.
To me, that crappy sight is as useful as the "sights" on a derringer: Stick in someone's gut and pull the trigger.

The best I ever did was with my S&W 642 (Lady Smith Airweight .38 +P)
At 7 yards, I could hold a 5-8" group. As bad as that sounds, that's really all I could manage.
I was about as good with a S&W 360 ("Scandium"/Titanium AirLite .357), but that damned thing made bullets jump crimp every 3-5 rounds, no matter what ammo was used or who was shooting it.
Sure, it usually worked. But, how many times would it go bang before it locked up? :rolleyes: (It happened far too frequently.)


I'd rather have a Ruger LCP than a J-frame.
...Which, coincidentally, is pretty much what happened to my 642. I traded the 642 in on an LCR (.327 Fed). And then I bought an LCP a few weeks later, for when I wanted just a little more concealment.
In practical use, I carry the LCR and LCP about equally. (Favoring the LCR during the winter and the LCP during the summer ... with a few other things thrown in on special occasions, here and/or there.)
 
StraightShooter, gives some good advice here:
I suspect that what you really want is the smallest 38 that is good quality and reliable. In my opinion, the choices in this category are a J-frame Smith & Wesson or a Ruger LCR. Within those choices, my favorite is a no-lock Smith & Wesson model 642, but really any J-frame or LCR (or LCRx) is fine.
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In that regard, I'd go with the Smith, then the Ruger. For a pocket piece, the Smith Airweights make sense. Rod
 
Agree the Js don't have good "combat" sights. :)

Last September did a piece that involved an older pre-lock/MIM 60 with four loads off the rest at 25 yards.
4 9/16 INS
6 INS
3 15/16 INS
4 7/16 INS

Best five-shot groups each load.
OK for torso, not OK for bull's-eye. :)
Denis
 
I have kept all my shots in the body of a silhouette target at 100 yards with my 3" barrel Model 36. Holdover was about 5 feet. I wouldn't guarantee a disabling hit at that distance, but I think a "bad guy" would have been a tad uncomfortable.

Jim
 
I've been looking at the Taurus 85 poly. It is just a bit wider in the frame than the standard 85, but the cylinder is the same. It's lighter, can be had with full or shortened grips, and comes standard with fiber-optic front sights. It weighs more than an LCR, but less than the all steel options - 18 oz for the .38+p and 20 oz for the .357 version. Beat of all, it's less than $300.
 
I wish somebody (NAA, you listening?) would come up with an updated .38 S&W type 5 shot revolver. Even a top break. It could really be tiny.
 
Don't forget the Charter Arms Undercover DAO ultralight. Smaller than the LCR and the 642/442. I pocket carry one occasionally.
 
I have a Taurus View. Smallest and lightest .38 you can buy. I wrapped the grip with a few layers of the rubber-style baseball bat grip tape. Makes the gun controllable without adding any appreciable bulk.

Great little gun that carries easily in any pocket.
 
Taurus Titanium View/Non View was the smallest .38. Bunch NIB Non-Views on GB is only under $300.. Once gone. I might get a non view for my collection.
This is my View. The Lucite window tended to stress crack at the screws. (Notice by larger screw.) Thus the remaining Views were made non-View.

757016d1414238051-glimpse-my-little-collection-hand.jpg
 
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