Why would anyone buy a .38 revolver?

.38 vs. .357

Thanks for the comments. I don't have anything personal against the .38 caliber, but considering a .357 gun can shoot .38 also, I thought wouldn't people want the versatility of having the .357?

So far, based on posts to this thread - the reasons on buying a .38 over a .357 are:

1) they're cheaper

2) they're more accurate than a .38 round out of a .357

3) personal preference

I'D probably rather shoot a .38 myself, but with a .357 revolver.
 
I think there is one reason you haven't mentioned and that is because we like the guns chambered in .38. The smaller framed guns from the Smith K-Frame and J-Frame guns don't hold up to continued use of heavy loads over time. But in .38 they are a lifetime investment. If I am buying a .357, I want one that will take all the .357 max loads I ever care to fire out of it. That means a fairly heavy gun. There is no reason to have a heavy gun if you are going to shoot .38s. Many of the .38 guns are very very sweet examples of the gun making art. I certainly wouldn't ignore them just because they don't shoot .357. And, as you say, many of these are now available cheap because they are police surplus or because everyone today wants the last plastic toy featured on the magazine covers this month. Many thousands of people trusted their life to a .38 and humans are no different today.
Not that this matters but I own seven .357 revolvers. I never, ever shoot .38s in them. That is why I own .38s, to shoot .38 ammo in. This may sound silly, but there are a lot of people including me that don't buy guns because we have some pressing need for one; we buy the gun because we like it. To me, once you get one good hunting rifle, one good shotgun, one good defensive pistol and one good plinker (.22) you have all bases covered. The rest of the collection is because I think they are cool and I enjoy shooting and reloading for them. They have no particular purpose other than my own personal enjoyment.
 
I second the fact that a 38 is a much cheaper investment. I was looking for a 357 and found that they are much more expensive in the used market. Like 2x the cost at times. I however came across a model 10 that has only cosmetic blemishes for 200 clams. I am now considering selling my glock to feed my new apreciation of the wheel gun. Hell I will probably buy a 44mag for the hell of it or a 357 but the 38 does just fine for me and my little 5foot nothing wife can shoot that!:D
 
Size and weight are important. Comparing a heavy 686 versus a model 85 titanium taurus really amplifies the difference. Imagine the difference if you carried it for 16 hours.
 
If you could purchase the exact model in 357 or 38, I think I would buy the 357 for versatility, However this is not always the case.
For example, I dearly love Colt revolvers. The Colt Detective Special, (and the like), have the greatest feel and action I could ever imagine. These actions are over a 100 years old in design. Colt came out with a new snubby a few years back, it was built on the new SF-VI frame. I bought the 357 "Magnum Carry". No way does it ever come close to the old style Detective Special in feel and workmanship. I would not buy another 357 Magnum Carry. But I would buy and older style 38 cal Detective Special again.:)
 
I defy you to find a safe 6" 357 mag with a tiny grip. However, I have a Rossi 38 that fits my 8-year-old perfectly, and he doesn't need 357 power for targets anyhow.
 
Because it was a Colt 2" Detective Special made in '62 and in excellent condition for $100.00! That's why...;)
 
38's

Becouse some of the classic revolvers don't come in any other caliber. or becouse you just don't need 357 power for shooting paper. Either works for me.
 
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