Well armed with five rounds of .38 Special?

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FUD

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I normally carry a pistol as my CCW -- either a {pre-agreement} 3913TSW, which gives me eight (7+1) rounds of 9mm plus another seven rounds in a spare magazine or, when the weather gets hot and/or deep concealmment is required, I carry a Kahr MK9, which gives me seven (6+1) rounds of 9mm plus another six rounds in a spare magazine. However, in and around the house I carry a five round
Taurus Model 85 Undercover Ultra-Lite Titanium snubbie revolver ...
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... chambered in .38 special that I recently picked it. While it is slightly larger than the MK9, it is much lighter than the MK9 and much more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, especially when I'm not wearing a belt.

It is not my home defense gun (I've got a full-size .45ACP and a .40S&W for that), but just my "around the house gun". However, when I step out to the corner store or go to the in-laws (who live 10 minutes away) to either drop off the wife & little one or to pick them up, I frequently do not bother to strap on one of my pistols and just go with the revolver.

I often ask myself if five rounds of .38 special is enought (I carry five extra rounds for reload purposes but if a quick reload is required, I might as well forget about it)? I know that with proper bullet placement, even Tarzan on PCP will go down but when faced with a life & death situation against one or more moving targats, I often wonder I am well armed with those five rounds or if I would be better off bringing one of the pistols along and leaving the revolver behind -- at least with a pistol, a quick reload is possible.

Comments? Suggestions? Ideas?

Share what you know, learn what you don't -- FUD
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[This message has been edited by FUD (edited June 27, 2000).]
 
I can put all five rounds in the X-ring at 7 yards under calm, controlled conditions. Not sure how I would do under stressful conditions against a moving taget. FUD
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[This message has been edited by FUD (edited June 27, 2000).]
 
I often carry my 5 shot titanium smith. I sometimes even carry a 6+1 shot .25. Would I feel better armed with my P13.45 and two extra mags full of Black Talons? Sure. Would I feel even better armed with my AR-15 and a few extra 30 round clips? Heck yeah!

Obviously, the problem is that you can't always carry an AR-15 (or even a mid-sized .45). I don't think there is a cutoff between an acceptable gun and a non-acceptable gun. I think there are shades of gray. It comes down to what type of situation you forsee yourself possibly being in.

When will you know if a 5 shot .38 is enough? I guess after you get in a gunfight. Until then, your guess is as good as mine.
 
Being a newbie I don't feel well armed with only five rounds. What am I saying, even with my 18 rounder I still feel naked. :)

vega
 
Get familiar with speedloaders.

If you can't do that, Bianchi speed strips.

------------------
Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
How many rounds is enough? One per bad guy if you're good enough to make five head shots. :) As Futo says, most encounters are two or three shot deals, but I would hate to be a statistical outlier while carrying a three-shot gun.

Five rounds of .38 Special should suffice to get you out of a sticky street situation on the way to your in-laws. Remember, the goal is to disengage safely. A speedloader is a good idea if you're willing to carry it around. I found the HKS speedloaders for my S&W Model 19 to be a bit of a pain to carry.

In the house, you'll only need it to fight your way back to your higher capacity weapons (was it Jeff Cooper who said, "a pistol is what you use to fight your way to your rifle"?)
 
Hello, FUD. You hit the 'gator when upset as I recall. You are practiced at arms as well.
While it's not the best for a pistol fight, the little snub's saving grace is that it offers a compact, reliable package dishing out at least "adequate" power. You are also ahead of the "average bear" in that you have obviously thought out the "what if" situations we all could face. Thus, with your having thought this out coupled with your ability with arms, I suspect you are adequately armed for MOST situations involving deadly force. You will be facing probably one or two opponents. 5 shots properly placed with adequate ammo will likely suffice, but is certainly not as comforting as a .45 automatic. The .38 is likely to be with you, however. Was it Jeff Cooper who said, concerning high ammo capacity, "One runs out of time before ammo."
Best.
 
I DO like the *&* 649 with the shrouded hammer. . . .

it can be EMPTIED in enclosed spaces without snagging, e.g. from a pocket.

Battler.
 
I once saw a comment to about how many rounds are enough, which I think is correct.

People feel most comfortable with the number of rounds that their first serious handgun has/had.

For those who started with a revolver. A ten shot auto is more than enough ammo.
Those that started out with 18 round autos, to be limited to ten rounds is scary.

Interesting thought......
 
FUD...If you can shoot on the run while grabbin for a kid and hit the crokigator, you well be armed better than most bad guys. I consider my mod 36 to be a good defence gun. It is my back up but I do practice a lot with it. Reloadin is an art in itself with speed loader and the person who is fast with a strip uses magic.

George has a good point with the +p 158, I like the Cor-bon 125. Both speak with authority, specially out of the little fellows.

Sam....my favorite 9mm is the 9X32, second choice is the 9X29
 
Another good thing about the 5 shot .38 (which is what I usually carry) is that you are adequately armed for self defense AND adequately dubious of the power so you will tend to look for ways out of a fight first.
 
Fud,

A handgun -- plus the load(s) you select -- is only a tool tailored for the particular mission you have at hand.

Obviously, you have analyzed this situation with care, you have several other options, and you know (gator and "downpour intruder" experiences) that you will handle yourself well. Therefore, I suggest five .38 Specials will be more than adequate for your "around the house" mission.

I would respectfully recommend, however, that your choice of ammunition be as thoroughly analyzed as your choice of weapons; you may wish to consider Federal's 125 grain +P Nyclad .38 Special hollow point rounds.

Regards.

[This message has been edited by RWK (edited June 27, 2000).]
 
I currently own 7 handguns (I know I am running low) but so far none of them are a "perfect" CCW. My next planned handgun purchase is a Taurus 357 Magnum snubbie with porting. However, I have a feeling I will be loading it primarily with 38's. I have put tons of thought into the subject and 5 rounds of 38 special seems to be ideal, unless you plan on putting yourself in the middle of a gangfight or something. Only problem is, I promised myself I will pay off MasterCard before I buy another one. (sigh)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by FUD:
However, in and around the house I carry a five round Taurus 85 chambered in .38 special that I recently picked it. While it is slightly larger than the MK9, it is much lighter than the MK9 and much more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, especially when I'm not wearing a belt.

It is not my home defense gun (I've got a full-size .45ACP and a .40S&W for that), but just my "around the house gun". However, when I step out to the corner store or go to the in-laws (who live 10 minutes away) to either drop off the wife & little one or to pick them up, I frequently do not bother to strap on one of my pistols and just go with the revolver.

I often ask myself if five rounds of .38 special is enought (I carry five extra rounds for reload purposes but if a quick reload is required, I might as well forget about it)? [/quote]

Nice gun, FUD...
As you know, the 85UL has been a steady companion for quite a while now. I do carry a speedloader with 5 rounds of Tritons (same as in the cylinder).

The only thing I suggest is getting a few hundred rounds thru it ASAP.

I'll betcha you carry this a heck of a lot more then you think you will...



[This message has been edited by Ezeckial (edited June 27, 2000).]
 
Thanks to everyone for their comments especially for your high confidence in my abilities. Just to clarify things, I didn't kill the gator. I emptied 10 rounds of .40S&W at him as quickly as I could and while some of them must have hit their mark because I drew blood and caused him enough pain to back off, I suspect that a majority of them missed because he wasn't hurt so bad that he couldn't run away as he was gone when the police arrive -- don't want to take any false credit but your vote of confidence is appreciated. Thanks.
 
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