.38 Specials

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I've had a Taurus .38 Model 85 since 1985 and it's never given me a problem. Recently I purchased a Taurus .357 Model 66 to use for the revolver portion of my CHL instructors class that I'm taking in a couple of weeks. Right out of the box it's shot very accurate with either .38 or .357.Both are very accurate, but I wanted a 4 inch barrel to qual with.
 
Erik F...What are the grips made of on that S&W mod 67?
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Ahrends Maple. You should've seen the condition this poor gun was in when I found her. I literally had to use a knife to chip out some of the encrusted lead under the sideplate :eek:

Once I got her back into shape, I had to dress her up nice. Any gun that shoots this well deserves to feel pretty :)
 
Very nice, Erik. Very nice indeed. Thank you. I have a Marlin mod 81 .22 rifle with a maple stock and thought I recognized yours as the same...
 
Familywagon... my S&W model 10 was given to me by a friend about 30 years ago, and has served well. It has a 4in. barrel and adjustable sight. I'm using it along w/ my Marlin 1894c, as a test bed for my first hand loads. I could not shoot this gun accurately until I put a Pachmayer grip on it. Also, If you choose to work up hand loads with a revolver like this, an adjustable rear sight (which many don't have) might be worth considering.
 
The .38 spl is an excellent caliber for both defense (+p) and target shooting or plinking in standard pressure loads. The Smith K-frames in .38 special (Model 10 or 15) are lighter than even .357 magnum K-frames like the Model 19. The Model 19 was beefed up even though it is a K-frame. When you move to an L or N frame, they are considerably heavier than .38 spl K-frames.

While it is a matter of personal opinion, the .38 K-frames are also better balanced than .357s, especially those with the pencil barrel. I like .357s and own some, but for there is definitely a place for .38 specials.

My two favorite revolvers to shoot just for fun are both older .38 specials -- a SW pre-M&P target and a Colt Officer's Model Match:

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I love my old Chief's Special Model 36 snub and carry it most every day.

But I sure would like to acquire a Model 10 - and a Model 15 - and a Model 19 - and a Model 40. When I can afford it - I'll own one of each.
 
I have mostly .357 Magnum revolvers left, there is just one Ruger GP100 in
.38 Special chambered among them.
I do not shoot a lot of .357 Magnums, I much rather load my .38 Specials to +P+P++ and don't have to change the dies.

For every .357 Magnum that I fire, I shoot probably 10 .38 Specials ( and maybe 20 9x19).
 
I used to shoot spl's from my assorted magnums, but after acquiring a M15 and then a pre 10, I find myself shooting them a lot. No more cleaning that ring of lead from the cylinders.
 
I've got three just .38s. I have a Rossi M68 3", a Taurus M85SSUL snubby, and a Smith and Wesson M10 heavy barrel 4". Just to shoot, the M10 is my fave, the most accurate and a nice old gun with no locks. However, I really like the little Rossi's combination of size and accuracy and the Taurus is a carry gun.

Of course, I feed a lot of .38s in a couple of my .357s.
 
I bought a new S&W M10-14 after a lot of research and reading a little over a year ago. Before I made the final decision on what to purchase I made a list of criteria that I was looking for, at first I was thinking of a .357 magnum. However, I was not looking forward to cleaning the stupid ring that would be left behind in the chambers from shooting .38 Specials. Some of the things I was looking for are:

1) Durability/accuracy

2) Loads of reloading info, components and factory ammo

3) Easy shooting for the wife yet still being a formidable caliber

4) Factory ammo that was econimical and would not break the bank account at the time.

After all was said and done the .38 SPL and the S&W M10 met all of the above criteria. If need be while in the woods and a target of oppotunity presents itself, I will not go deaf from the muzzle blast. Due to the M10 having fixed sights, I don't have to worry about knocking the sights off of zero if I slip and fall while hunting. For general purpose shooting and plinking I use a 158gr SWC over 4.6gr of Unique. It is a nice accurate load to shoot and allows me to concentrate on the fundamentals, not recoil or muzzle blast. At the moment my woods load is a 158gr SWC/SWCHP over a +P charge of Unique these are some great full power .38 SPL loads. As soon as I get done doing some range testing, my new woods load is going to consist of a Lyman #358429 bullet. This bullet weighs between 168gr - 173gr depending on alloy mix or who you buy them from.

No the .38 SPL is not a .357 magnum, but it is a lot more plesant to shoot. When you get a 158gr -173gr bullet going into the upper reaches of 900 - 950 FPS, it is quite a formidable round in it's own right. I don't even shoot that many .41 magnum loads from my M58. For the most part I only shoot a load that duplicates the old .41 Police Load, more fun and much much less muzzle blast to contend with.:)

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I just have been lucky a few times in watching the auctions and staking out some guns that for some reason didn't attract the other bidders.
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Which is exacly how to get deals. Good job. Nice guns.
 
Thank ya'll so much for all the awesome pictures and information.

I must say, the classic Model 10 is well... a classic!

I'm know that I could just buy another .357, but since I am going to start reloading .38 asap, I wanted to see some examples of .38 revolvers. Plus I need to get my .357 reworked, as its had a hard life before me.

Another question, though, is there a 7 or 8 shot .38 available?

Thanks again, familywgn
 
S&W makes the L-frame 686 Plus that's a 7 round count revolver. Nice gun.

Taurus makes the model 66 7 shot revolver, similar to the K frame of S&W.

Taurus also makes the model 608 which is a 8 shooter. If you want the stats on the Taurus send me a PM. I can bring up the links on either Taurus.
 
I've had several -- a S&W K38 that was found in the wreckage of a shot-down C-130 (which I gave to my father-in-law), a Colt Official Police (which I gave to my oldest daughter), a Ruger SP 101 (ditto), a Colt Detective Special (which I often carry), a Colt M357 (which I took on my first tour to Viet Nam) and a Colt SAA (2nd Geration) in .357.
 
.38s

I have several, but my most recent acquision is a Model 15-3. I think it is appropriate as I recently joined the air force! I can't wait to shoot it.
 

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S&W mod. 14-3, 6"
S&W mod. 15-2, 4"
both wearing Pachmayr Gripper Pro's
(those that don't cover the backstrap)
Wouldn't want to miss either of them.
Probably the guns I enjoy to shoot the most.
 
My S&W mod 64-5, 4" barrel is a great shooter, and it stays on my hip as much as possible (at home, in the truck, and ocassionally while out and about). It stays loaded with GA Arms 158gr LSWCHP +P. Do I wish it was the mod. 65 so I could have the option of shooting .357? Sure! But I am also kinda happy my 64 is .38-only, so that I don't have to worry about it being worn out from any previous owner shooting heavy .357s out of it too often.

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My .38 SPL....

It's a Victory Model that was all tweaked & fancied up by Parker Hale in England a long time ago. The trigger on this thing is sweet & the nickeling is magnificent. I found the handmade stag grips on eBay.

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This little beast is my highest round count gun and only gets lead 38 specials. I cannot remember ever shooting a non-lead load out of it and I doubt it has had more then 100 rnds of factory ammo down it out of the 46,000 odd rounds I have fired out of it. That is 50 rnds at 15 yrds offhand.
 
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