..from what I heard, a 357 or a high-power 38 doesnt thave the barrel length needed to burn up the powder charge effeciently...the gain in velocity is out of proportion(low) to the gain of muzzle flash and blast(high)....which is the main reason that I chose a 38 snub-nose...gun control is another...I believe the 38 is the ideal round to use in a pocket revolver...still another reason is that it is far more pleasant to shoot in quantity...a second needed shot will be considerably faster with the 38...
which is better caliber for snub..38 or 357?
- Thread starter shotokan99
- Start date
shotokan99
New member
guys would u feel undergun in a gun fight if ur armed only with 2" snub 38?
StrikeEagle
New member
Hate to say it, but I would. I carry a Jframe as a backup but would be distinctly uneasy if that's ALL I had...
shotokan99
New member
strikeeagle:
why uneasy? is 38 not enough to do the job in a real engagement? can u pls explain.
why uneasy? is 38 not enough to do the job in a real engagement? can u pls explain.
38 or 357 snubby
Unless you are very experienced with firearms, I'd stay with the .38+p for carry. The .357 will tear the flesh off your hand if you have any faults in the way you grip your pistol. .357 mag J frames are more expensive, and why shoot .38 +P ammo out of a .357 mag? If you can't handel the .357 you should have saved money and bought a 642 or 442.
I don't think you should be worried about carrying a snubby. Five rounds are more than enough. From what I understand, 1 to 3 shots is usually the most these confrontations have. A police officer needs 15 rounds, joe lunchbox probably has enough with 5. Anyway, the object of concealed carry is suprise, don't you think? Large, ammo-heavy pistols are difficult to keep a suprise. A lot of people carry small .380's or .32 mags...even .22 mags. Do what seems right for you.
Unless you are very experienced with firearms, I'd stay with the .38+p for carry. The .357 will tear the flesh off your hand if you have any faults in the way you grip your pistol. .357 mag J frames are more expensive, and why shoot .38 +P ammo out of a .357 mag? If you can't handel the .357 you should have saved money and bought a 642 or 442.
I don't think you should be worried about carrying a snubby. Five rounds are more than enough. From what I understand, 1 to 3 shots is usually the most these confrontations have. A police officer needs 15 rounds, joe lunchbox probably has enough with 5. Anyway, the object of concealed carry is suprise, don't you think? Large, ammo-heavy pistols are difficult to keep a suprise. A lot of people carry small .380's or .32 mags...even .22 mags. Do what seems right for you.
azredhawk44
Moderator
I'd feel undergunned even with a Thompson subgun and a mortar crew behind me. I want all the gun I can get if I am in a gun fight.
Absolutely, I'd feel undergunned. Ideally (hmmm, my ideal gunfight...morbid), if I one day find myself in a gunfight, I want my Glock21 and/or Springfield XD9. 14 rounds in one, 16 in the other... Chances are it's over one way or another before I have to reload.
Actually, I'd want my M1a with a 20rd mag of softpoint 150gr bullets. But that isn't likely to be available.
I am afraid of that "click" that just told me I tried to shoot cartridge #6 out of a 5 shot wheelie.
That being said, any gun is better than no gun and a wheelie can go places that the G21 or XD cannot.
I definitely would never carry a 5-shot of anything less than 38 special. The NAA minis, the .32 S&W Long, etc... If I only have 5 BOOMS to make, I want each one to be as big as possible.
The other thing I considered the other day was that a snubbie is really only a good weapon for defense from 1 or 2 ill equipped adversaries. If you're really in a gunfight with an exchange of bullets, you have a 90% chance of being out gunned, since your aggressor came with premeditated intent and planned on using a gun. Chances are, he has a bigger gun than you.
If you have only 5 rounds, you may not be able to acheive cover in order to reload and continue confronting your attackers.
Do I feel undergunned with a .38 spl?
Normally no I dont feel undergunned, but there was one incident when I really wished I had one of my 1911's on my hip instead of my snubby.
It was in our very own backyard last summer me and my family were grilling outback enjoying some nice weather.
A couple of thugs came around the side of the house & into our back yard, my dog instantly started barking and ran towards them (he was tethered on a long line that stretched from our back door to the farthest tree in the yard (about 120' worth of line) none of which allows him to leave our property.
When the thugs saw my fericious miniture schnauzer charging them, one of the thugs jerked back in surprise, lifted up his shirt and reached into his waist band for a handgun while his partner shouted for him too "f-'ing kill it".
Of course I immediately stood up from the table, uncovered my pistol and placed my hand on the butt of the gun in response, he glanced over as I did this and it prompted him to remove his hand from his waist band.
My steel never cleared leather but it came awfully close, had his handgun come out of his waist band there would have been shots fired.
Now I wouldnt shoot to protect my dog, regardless of how much I like the dog, it is afterall just a dog.
However I would shoot to protect my family which would have been in immediate danger if this thug had started blazing away hap-hazardly in my backyard while we were back there enjoying our supper.
Now the part of which I would have prefered to have had a 1911 on my side instead of the J-frame was because of the distance involved.
While up close and personal the J-frame is well suited to placing the rounds exactly where I want them, but in this situation where the distance was the length of the dogs tether (120') and in a "shooting back at you" situation I would have much rather have had a 1911 on my hip that day.
Anyway immediately afterwards we spent 4 grand and put up a 7' privacy fence around our property so that this sort of thing doesnt happen again.
Normally no I dont feel undergunned, but there was one incident when I really wished I had one of my 1911's on my hip instead of my snubby.
It was in our very own backyard last summer me and my family were grilling outback enjoying some nice weather.
A couple of thugs came around the side of the house & into our back yard, my dog instantly started barking and ran towards them (he was tethered on a long line that stretched from our back door to the farthest tree in the yard (about 120' worth of line) none of which allows him to leave our property.
When the thugs saw my fericious miniture schnauzer charging them, one of the thugs jerked back in surprise, lifted up his shirt and reached into his waist band for a handgun while his partner shouted for him too "f-'ing kill it".
Of course I immediately stood up from the table, uncovered my pistol and placed my hand on the butt of the gun in response, he glanced over as I did this and it prompted him to remove his hand from his waist band.
My steel never cleared leather but it came awfully close, had his handgun come out of his waist band there would have been shots fired.
Now I wouldnt shoot to protect my dog, regardless of how much I like the dog, it is afterall just a dog.
However I would shoot to protect my family which would have been in immediate danger if this thug had started blazing away hap-hazardly in my backyard while we were back there enjoying our supper.
Now the part of which I would have prefered to have had a 1911 on my side instead of the J-frame was because of the distance involved.
While up close and personal the J-frame is well suited to placing the rounds exactly where I want them, but in this situation where the distance was the length of the dogs tether (120') and in a "shooting back at you" situation I would have much rather have had a 1911 on my hip that day.
Anyway immediately afterwards we spent 4 grand and put up a 7' privacy fence around our property so that this sort of thing doesnt happen again.
Concerning the liability of a five-shot J-frame (as opposed to a six-shot revolver), before getting my 642, I seriously considered getting the six-shot J-frame chambered in .32 H&R Magnum (can't recall the model no. offhand). Still not certain which of the two is the better choice. If matters were settled in five shots or under, the 642 was probably the right decision. If, however, as azredhawk44 posited, the battle was still on when the loudest "click" in the world was heard as the sixth round was reached for...