38 Special revolvers

WisBorn said:
No 38 special derringer???? I'm just saying:D
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:) Well, since you mention it, there is the Bond Arms derringer and a two Rugers (Speed Six & SP101) in .357 if they count! And I forgot the two .38spl Ruger LCRs - one spur-less and one with hammer spur.

(We won’t talk about SA cowboy guns in .45colt, either, in this .38spl thread.)

Yes it is an addiction!!
 
If you like shooting 38 special, the Italian SAA revolvers are a hoot. Most of them are chambered in 357, but I just shoot 38's out of mine. They're less expensive than most DA revolvers. Shooting and handling them is a lot of fun. :)
 
A .38 SAA, being on a .45 frame is heavy due to the smaller holes in barrel and cylinder.
A 4.75" or 5.5" still balances ok, but the 7.5" feels awkward to me; mine are .44s.
 
I HAD a .38 Derringer. Picked up on a whim, put it on a watch chain. Carried in vest pocket to Cowboy Action shoots.
It was $80. Took 16# of pull to cock the hammer. 22# trigger pull. 1 finger grip and 1 1/2" barrel. Plate size groups at 15 yards. Even with cowboy loads, it was a handful.

Had it about 6 months, carried to gun show. Guy walking around, seen it and wanted it bad. Said he had $125. I took it. Haven't missed it.
 
doubleh said:
If I could think of any good reason to have a 38 I would be tempted to return today but I can't.
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If you think about it, then you must have a liking to it and need to go back and buy it. You will not sleep well until you do. Tell your wife, family, friends that I said so and they will understand too. And if they don't, too bad, but you will have it and never regret it. Trust me, I have. And I sleep better for it.
 
New member here. Speaking of .38’s, Mid 70’’s Model 60 .38 special. Acquired it quite abused (Hollywood’ed) and dirty. I recently did some work to improve yoke play, endshake and headspace. Feels and measures much better now. Now I need to go put some rounds through it.
Also wet sanded out the dings etc. Here is a before and after (polishing still in progress).

0B9D7AFD-8BAA-40B5-B082-5E611FEDA1A7.jpeg 714F5FF6-3923-449E-91F2-A89528DB446B.jpeg
 
Thomasss said:
If you think about it, then you must have a liking to it and need to go back and buy it. You will not sleep well until you do. Tell your wife, family, friends that I said so and they will understand too. And if they don't, too bad, but you will have it and never regret it. Trust me, I have. And I sleep better for it.
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I explained on page 5 why I have no need for another and I have lost no sleep.
 
I found this one in a Louisville, KY gun shop 30 years ago...it was my gift to my wife as she travelled the back roads of eastern Ky on state gov't business. It was the first and only target sighted Smith .38 J-frame, I'd ever seen and I bought it straight away. It's a model 36-6, one of the rarer Smith .38s.

We have both carried it over the years with a variety of ammunition types that have evolved in the last 30 years. It's at its best with solid wadcutters loaded to a chrono'd velocity of 850 fps...a very effective CC load some would argue. Another effective round for us has been the 135 gr GD +P round from Speer.

Over the years, we've tried several types of grips and finally settled on the pair of Pachmyr Compac's in the pic. They were a bit 'sticky' for concealed carry when new, even in OWB holsters, but really feel better in the hand than any previously tried.

Best regards, Rod

IMG_E3331.jpg ​
 
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I’ve deflated my gut enough that the hammer on the Colt Cobra doesn’t poke it quite so aggressively, and so I’ve been carrying it a lot more.

3303DA49-44C5-48F5-9BEB-1ECDB1762E72.jpeg

I wouldn’t mind a grip adapter in combination with a slightly shorter set of stocks, but overall it makes for a decent amount of gun in a very small and lightweight package.

As an aside, I really wish ammo manufacturers would start using aluminum cases for .38SPL defensive loads. The weight savings is notable with the combination of aluminum cases and aluminum frame.
 
RevolvingGarbage said:
I’ve deflated my gut enough that the hammer on the Colt Cobra doesn’t poke it quite so aggressively, and so I’ve been carrying it a lot more.

View attachment 1125778


As an aside, I really wish ammo manufacturers would start using aluminum cases for .38SPL defensive loads. The weight savings is notable with the combination of aluminum cases and aluminum frame.
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Have you tried the CCI Blazer 38 Spl P+ 125 gr JHP ?
 
Z06 said:
New member here. Speaking of .38’s, Mid 70’’s Model 60 .38 special. Acquired it quite abused (Hollywood’ed) and dirty. I recently did some work to improve yoke play, endshake and headspace. Feels and measures much better now. Now I need to go put some rounds through it.
Also wet sanded out the dings etc. Here is a before and after (polishing still in progress).

View attachment 1124353 View attachment 1124352
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Wow, amazing thats the same gun! :thumbup:
 
NeroM said:
Have you tried the CCI Blazer 38 Spl P+ 125 gr JHP ?
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I have not. I tend to favor 158gr though that’s an interesting option. I wasn’t aware of any aluminum cases defense loads and at least now I know of one :thumbup:

I keep 6 rounds of Buffalo Bore loaded 130gr. Gold dots in the gun, and backed up by some old Speer 158gr +P TMJ in the speed loader. I know the gun won’t be ruined after rounds of plus P but I try to go easy on it and I practice generally with much lighter ammo I load myself.

The cool thing I found was that 6 rounds of the 158gr in the aluminum cases felt lighter than a full load of 95gr Hornady CD light in nickled brass cases. I think there’s a widely unexploited advantage there.
 
Well I for one also love the 38 special revolvers, and that is my current choice for CC. Have owned many though the years, and have been on the hunt again for S&W revolvers. Problem with that is, with the current prices that the good old ones brings it leaves me thinking why in the world did I trade them off years ago? I learned to shoot on the old DA and SA revolvers many years ago, and after trying many autos, I am back to the revolver again as that is what I like the best.
 
doubleh said:
They are a rare breed around here and it's been a long time since I have seen a new one for sale. Last Wednesday I stopped into the farm and ranch store for a couple of sacks of feed for my feathered friends and of course I had to detour by the gun stuff on the way for the feed. This place sells a lot of firearms and ammo and has the best prices in the area. There I found two Taurus 856 stainless revolvers in 38 Special. Nice looking guns. One was the matte finished one with rubber grips and the other was the polished one with wood grips. They were separated by a $150 price difference. I did not ask to handle them but would prefer the wooden gripped one as I have never liked the rubber grip design of Taurus guns. If I could think of any good reason to have a 38 I would be tempted to return today but I can't.
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I shoot 38sp and 357mag, I have a 4" stainless Security Six that is fantastic in all respect but wanted a snub nose for easier conceal, I looked at the 856 but ended up buying a 605, it is only 5 shot but i liked the fact that the cylinder notches are not cut over the chambers, it shoots mostly 38sp and if I want 357mags, but out of a 2" not much gain in velocity, I am one of the lucky ones I guess Hundreds of rounds from this Taurus with no problems so far, I load 125grn/140grn XTPs. 38sp nothing wrong with this cal. Safe punching holes in things, Ron.
 
I just bought a Taurus 856 s/s in matte finish.
I am certainly no expert but it seems to be well made. If you place any trust in the gun magazines they all say Taurus has improved their quality over what is was in the past. I have not had a chance to get to the range since I bought it but hope to this coming week. I totally get "once bitten twice shy" so I would never blame anyone who says "never again" on Taurus products.
 
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