What can and what can't a .38 special do?

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kcub

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It rode in the majority of police officers holsters for better than half a century in tough, crime ridden cities like Los Angeles and New York. Though out of fashion, at least as a primary weapon for police, it must have had something going for it.
 
Good compromise cartidge, good accuracy, good recoil, good penetration, good performance on 2 legged threats. It had alot going for it and does even still. It used to be the cats meow compared to others. The .38 Special is just that "Special"
 
It's where you put the bullet not what the bullet is. A .22 that hits is better than a .44 that misses. I stole that from somewhere.
 
The .38 Special was actually something special when first introduced, it was actually a pretty hot load in it's day, that day was a long time ago. But bureaucracy then was like bureaucracy now and the powers that be did not trust the new fangled auto loaders so they stuck with the .38. Stuck with it way too long, but back in the day a beat cop rarely drew his weapon.
 
It rode in the majority of police officers holsters for better than half a century in tough, crime ridden cities like Los Angeles and New York. Though out of fashion, at least as a primary weapon for police, it must have had something going for it.
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It was politically acceptable. It also got a lot of cops killed because the bullets of the day (round nose lead) were dismal failures.
 
Realistiicly power wiseit'll do bout anything you really need a handgun for. I still think it's fine for rural duty in most cases.
 
I carry 38 Spl. 158 gr. LSWCHP often.....proven


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My apologies for my question (ignorance :confused:) but why does this load makes a difference to common LRN 158 gr. if it has no +P added?
 
Bill Jordan said it was the most powerful cartridge an average man could achieve any real proficiency with. IMHO it started to lose effectiveness with old 158gr RNL when controlled substances became more popular.
 
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@melcob: Not sure if I understand your question, but .38+P is a little more powerful than standard .38 Special, because it has a higher pressure (the +P designation).

.38+P isn't that much more powerful, but at least for hollow point rounds, which achieve greater effects by expanding, every bit helps.

Here's an example of the difference: from Remington, their standard .38 Special round of 125 grains bullet weight makes 800 feet per second, while their .38+P round of 125 grains bullet weight makes 945 feet per second.
 
I shoot more 38Spl. than any other centerfire handgun ammunition. It's just a great plinking round and loaded with one of the many self defense +P rounds it is a very capable weapon to contend with. I have never felt that the 38Spl. has fell behind in bullet technology as new bullets were being developed they have always been included in the 38Spl. line up. Many advanced loads have been requested and developed for major city police departments and federal law enforcement agencies. From the onset of the cartridge there has always been larger and more powerful handgun cartridges available that have never reached the popularity of the 38Spl. With it's popular to despise soft 158gr. LRN loading it makes for a great meat and hide saving small game load.
Change the bullet to a soft 158gr. LSWC or LSWC HP bullet and it can move into a capable self defense load that only gets better with advanced bullet and +P loading. In the book on handgun hunting written by Lee Juras (of Super Vel fame) and Nick Nonte Jr. There is a chapter on hunting with the 38Spl. which includes the hunting of small Whitetail deer using advanced loads of the times. Even with a hard cast SWC +P load you can cut a clean wound chanel and penitrate at the same time. 38Spl. a great load when it was developed and a greater load as time advanced it, just ask all those who shoot more 38Spl's in thier 357's than what thier guns were designed for.
 
why does this load makes a difference to common LRN 158 gr. if it has no +P added?
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The old LRN (Lead Round Nose) tended to penetrate well but didn't expand. In addition, the bullet profile seemed to push the tissue aside leaving small sub-caliber wound channels and not much bleeding. It was an impressively poor self-defense round.

The 38 Spl. 158 gr. LSWCHP (Lead Semi-WadCutter HollowPoint) has a few things going for it. It's a heavy bullet so penetration is good even if it expands. It's got a shouldered bullet profile that tends to cut a wound channel even if the bullet doesn't expand--so no sub-caliber "ice-pick" wounds and reasonable amounts of tissue damage. And the hollowpoint is made from exposed and relatively soft lead so it doesn't take much to get it to expand to cut an even larger wound channel.

Back before the highly engineered high-tech expanding ammo came along, it was a great low-tech solution to self-defense in .38spl. Still not a bad choice by any means, but you may be able to improve on its performance with some of the new premium stuff from the better companies.
Bill Jordan said it was the most powerful cartridge an average man could achieve any real proficiency with.
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He's not the only gunwriter to voice that opinion.

From the July/August American Handgunner
From the .35s to the .40s – They Still Call ‘Em .38s! By Mike Venturino

...Most people in the know about such things consider the .38 Special is the minimum revolver cartridge that should be used for home/self defense. And I know for certain it is about the largest cartridge non-enthusiast people can be taught to shoot with any degree of proficiency.​

From the July/August 2004 American Handgunner
Sixgunner Column By John Taffin

I consider the ... Model 10, as one of the best choices, perhaps the best for that person looking for a “house gun,” whatever that is, or a revolver for concealed carry.
...
The .38 Special is the upper-limit of comfort and easy handling for many shooters, especially senior citizens, younger shooter, and women with small hands; ...​
 
darkroommike

Stuck with it way too long, but back in the day a beat cop rarely drew his weapon.
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what 'back in the day' timeframe are you talking about


******also john, thx for the handgunner info in the previous post.
 
A few weeks ago I helped a 65 year old lady buy a pristine pre lock model 60.
There were about 6 men in the store and every single one of us had a j frame Smith in our pockets. Various models but noteworthy nonetheless.
 
The old LRN (Lead Round Nose) tended to penetrate well but didn't expand. In addition, the bullet profile seemed to push the tissue aside leaving small sub-caliber wound channels and not much bleeding. It was an impressively poor self-defense round.
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To expound on this I've found the old 158gr LRN load to be very good for small game (rabbits and squirrels) because they do so little tissue damage. The damage done to small game is less than that of some HV 22lr.
 
I prefer 357 but the 38 is a fun round to shoot and in a pinch is fine for self defense. I would have no qualms about carrying it as an leo.
 
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