Why on earth would you want to????
The ability to use a wider variety of bullets is a drawback for .38 Special... if you say so...
Why on earth would you want to????
intriguing that this topic is opened, when I watched this video yesterday
Bad guys did go down a bit faster in the past, but I think that was because fewer of them were full of drugs.
This is something I often see when people compare 9mm to .38Sp. Right away, they want to compare 9mm to .38Sp. +P. Comparing standard pressure to standard pressure and +P to +P shows that the 9mm is a little bit hotter. I see no reason to compare standard pressure in one caliber to +P in another unless the goal is to shade the comparison.Would the hot 124 grain 9mm load do as well, against a 158 grain +P 38 Special round?
If someone doesn't except FBI gel testing as a valid predictor of field performance then any further conversation with them is moot.
In gel tests, the best of the best 9mm ammo penetrates 14 to 16 inches and expands to around .66", and there are quite a few rounds that perform like that. IMO, the best of the best 38 Special ammo is +P and those rounds usually penetrate to around 14 inches in bare gel and expand to around .63" So I'd say, as a family, 9mm seems to have a greater selection of rounds that exhibit better terminal ballistics.
One standout round in 38 Special, IMO, is the Federal 130 gr HST Micro. Out of a 4" barrel it penetrates to around 14" and on average expands to around .70" I think that's pretty decent.
If you' favor deep penetrating bullets, there are quite a few 38 Special bullets that will penetrate deeply, but they don't expand much. An example of this would be the Federal 129 gr Hydra-Shok +P. The Federal 129 gr Hydra-Shok +P, only expands to.35" but it penetrates to around 18"
If someone doesn't except FBI gel testing as a valid predictor of field performance then any further conversation with them is moot.
In gel tests, the best of the best 9mm ammo penetrates 14 to 16 inches and expands to around .66", and there are quite a few rounds that perform like that. IMO, the best of the best 38 Special ammo is +P and those rounds usually penetrate to around 14 inches in bare gel and expand to around .63" So I'd say, as a family, 9mm seems to have a greater selection of rounds that exhibit better terminal ballistics.
One standout round in 38 Special, IMO, is the Federal 130 gr HST Micro. Out of a 4" barrel it penetrates to around 14" and on average expands to around .70" I think that's pretty decent.
If you' favor deep penetrating bullets, there are quite a few 38 Special bullets that will penetrate deeply, but they don't expand much. An example of this would be the Federal 129 gr Hydra-Shok +P. The Federal 129 gr Hydra-Shok +P, only expands to.35" but it penetrates to around 18"
1- shot placement is always king 2- no 2 shootings are the same- even with animals like deer. 3- if the 9mm is so inferior, why is it the most common caliber world-wide, to include among some of the most highly trained units/agencies?
That's because the 9mm is NOT inferior. "J frame size guns"? Take one and compare weight, thickness, recoil, and mag capacity to something like a Ruger LC9 or S&W shield 9, not to mention ammo cost and selection for target and SD rounds.I doubt many people think the 9mm is inferior. It has killed millions of humans for over 100 years. The 38 Special has gotten the job done but nowhere near the same numbers.The 38 comes in a smaller package (S&W J frame sized
guns), I know there are 9mm's in J frame sized guns also but they are a pain to reload. The J frame is easy to carry and shoot. My wife who didn't know anything about guns or even held one was able to pick it up and shoot one.
A more appropriate consideration would be 9mm vs .357 due to the bullets being the same diameter and thus 9mm moon clipped can be shot out of a 357 revolver. But I digress, in modern bullet technology and all things being equal. It boils down to whatever you shoot best.
Just checking: Expands to .35" (ie: Doesn't expand at all) or expands to .53" (Some expansion)?