38's or 357's for lever gun home defense?

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Hi...
Of the two calibers and action type specified, I would choose the .357Mag.
Having said that...there are better options.
Personally, my home defense choices are a 1911 in .45ACP, 12ga shotgun and an SKS in 7.62x39 with hi cap magazines.
 
In a home defense situation the .38/.357 rifle should be very effective... as long as the round you’ve chosen is a reliable feeder (as others have posted) and the bullet is of sufficiently stout construction to penetrate to the vital organs without blowing up due to the greater velocity the rifle will generate over a 4” revolver.

I would load mine with a 140 to 158 gr JHP that is designed for magnum velocity and feel well-gunned indeed.

The pistol caliber lever rifle is a formidable tool in the hands of a competent and determined defender... be it a .38 Spl or a full-house .44 mag... I’ll say find that load that works best for your needs and don’t hesitate to use it when defending you and yours when such a response is called for.

Stay safe.
 
I know exactly what load I would use. I got my father in law a 357 magnum revolver for Christmas a couple years ago. He is very recoil averse in handguns but I knew he would want something a little more powerful than 38 specials to take with as a deer hunting sidearm, so I worked up a 357 "light" load for him. I tried a few different things and settled on 8 grains of bullseye behind a 125 gr XTP. Because of the low charge weight and fast burning powder there is very little recoil and about the same muzzle blast and flash as a 9mm, but that 125 XTP gets out the 4" barrel at 1200 fps. I bet in a rifle that would probably be 1600 fps with no more blast than a 9mm carbine. An XTP at 1600 FPS is quite a formidable little thing, they really flatten out, but they still hold together.
 
Hi...
Of the two calibers and action type specified, I would choose the .357Mag.
Having said that...there are better options.
Personally, my home defense choices are a 1911 in .45ACP, 12ga shotgun and an SKS in 7.62x39 with hi cap magazines.
This I would feel a lot better with a 12ga with No 5 or 6 shot in it just a better pick for H/D for me in my house but out of the 38 vs 357 i'll run with the 357 if just for feeding
 
I would feel confident with .38 Spcl in Marlin 1894's 18" barrel as a defense gun. Same as some of the others have said.. a 12 gauge shotgun would be the first choice.
 
38 snub with soft lead wad cutter. Won't penetrate a 50 gal barrel at 10ft but will spread to silver dollar size. Will make a hole that will put a hollow point to shame.
 
The 158 gr. Hornady Custom XTP-HP performance should be about midway b/t these two tests, ~ 1750 fps at the muzzle from a carbine.



Should be right at a foot of gel and ~ 0.70" of average expansion.

They are also crimped, with fairly small hollow points and a round ogive, so they feed smoothly and reliably.





GR
 
Also another option would be Glaser and/or Frangible type of bullets, yes the ammo can be on the pricey side(both 357 mag and 38 Spl.) but they will work in wheelguns and lever action long guns.
 
Would there be enough (or any) benefits to loading 38 special SD rounds in a lever gun vs 357 mag rounds for home defense?

357 is far more powerful of course, but 38's gain a decent amount of energy from a rifle. Would that and the benefits of less recoil, less indoor noise and muzzle flash, be adequate?

I would load .357mag due to reliability issues. If you want a lower pressure HP/JHP, they can be found in some of the mid/mild .357mag SD loadings. Some older ones like Rem Golden saber 125gr and some newer ones for folk that want to claim to carry .357mag in their snubby revolver, but really don't want .357mag recoil.

If you are worried about penetration, the faster and lighter the projectile, the quicker it expands and/or busts up. The old hot 158gr or 125gr SJHP out of a lever gun would be in this category. Nasty, violent expansion, but not too depp.

Wife and I wound up configuring shotguns (his & hers Rem 870 12ga) for HD, but a lever gun that is reliable with the chosen SD ammo is a perfectly valid choice. We tried out a .44mag lever gun for just that purpose. And an AR-15. For HD, I am biased in favor of lower-pressure rounds (.38spl, .45ACP, 12ga) due the severe muzzle blast shooting high pressure rounds generate. For a .357mag lever gun this is attenuated somewhat by the longer barrel. Shoot that same .357mag in a snubby revolver and the muzzle and cyl gap blast would be quite severe.

God luck.
 
What ever feeds the most reliably. Reliability is #1. If .357 is too much flash and noise you could try the .38's but I believe you should go with reliability first. If you reload you can choose a powder that gives energy and accuracy even in .38 Specials. The length of the rifle barrel is your friend. Make the best of it with the right powder.
kwg
 
First & foremost is reliability. It must feed thru your action smoothly every time. Second is to avoid overpenetration. If it were me I would load it with some hot loaded 125 jhp ammo as loaded by Remington or Federal. It's going so fast that the bullet dumps all it's energy into the target while penetration is limited due to violent expansion.
 
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