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Any Fans of the old .38Spl?

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I'm about to begin learning to shoot my late husband's S&W 10-5 snubby of mid-70s vintage.
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These revolvers were factory sighted in to shoot to point of aim with 158 grain bullets. Different bullet weights will shoot to a different point of impact.

Shooting 148's will be very easy on the hand and ears, and will probably shoot a bit low. 125's will shoot even lower.


Can I ask a question? What does the +P add to noise and recoil? Would it be better for a newbie to start out with <whatever non +P is called> ?
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For practice I would recommend standard, non +P loads. +P loads are louder, recoil more, and don't make a bigger hole in a piece of paper. For self defense I would use the best +P rounds I could stuff in the thing. I think I was able to find 158 grain Hydroshoks, but just buy a brand name premium factory box. Since a snubbie is likely to be used at very close range, the difference in point of impact for a 125 or 158 grain bullet can be ignored, basically out to 10 yards. Perhaps a little further. At 25 yards, the point of impact difference will be around 6 inches in elevation, at least in my guns.
 
As a "fun to shoot" gun it ranks right there with the .22.

As a "self defense" gun...Well I have three Mod 10s and two of them are loaded and kept in convenient places in the house.
 
It's my favorite CF cartridge for handguns. I can shoot it accurately and comfortably all afternoon. And it's still a decent SD cartridge when loaded with the right bullets.
 
Not my favorite, but...

I probably load and shoot more .38 Special ammo than anything else. I think my favorite is .44 Special, but it's hard to say.

It turns out I have more handguns in .38 Special than any other caliber. A total of 13, as I recall. That includes J, K and N frame S&W revolvers and two semi-automatic pistols. That does not include .357 Magnum revolvers that will also handle .38 Special ammo.

The bulk of what I load and shoot is 148 wadcutters and a small charge of fast burning powder - typically WW231 these days. The number two load is 158 RNL over a moderate charge of WW231 (they are very accurate as well.) The rest are fairly serious defense loads or practise loads.

I'm definately a supporter of the old fellow. It has a wide range of uses and suits any number of circumstances.
 
My favorite to shoot is the 38 special followed by the .45 acp.
 
Hard to beat a 38 Special when you've got a DA revolver. You can fire so fast and get that topstrap hot to hold. I'd go through 300 rounds in a session until someone tells me I've shot up enough (free) ammo.
 
Best all around caliber. Wouldn't trade mine for anything (well maybe one or two things)

JRB
 
I went to the range with my mentor to try a S&W airweight last weekend. Walmart was out of 38 Special, so I had to stop at Gander Mountain. 50 rounds cost $24 and change, tax included. Plain old WWB, nothing special.
 
perfect

My wife had never shot a gun in her life. When we decided to get one for her I drove her to the gun store. To my amazement she couldn’t get her hand around many of the grips and her finger wouldn’t reach the trigger (a tad over 4 foot she is). I found a 5-shot Taurus snub-nose in 38 that would. After a hundred trips to the range shooting cheap target ammo I must say she is very good with it. I keep a box of Magtech 158 grains for emergencies. Her confidence is very high with this little gun. This is about the most perfect gun/round for women who want something for home defense. It is not to big, or to heavy, no recoil and she knows she can shoot it well. I guess it wouldn’t be a bad concealed carry gun ether.
 
The .38 Spl. is the "golden mean" of handgun cartridges; not perfect for each and every purpose, but can and will get just about any reasonable job done well enough with minimum fuss.

The only other cartridge that I use nearly as much is the .22LR.

OTOH I can't remember the last time I shot a .44 Magnum load, and don't have any plans to. But then I don't buck hay bales any more either. Something to do with cost-benefit analysis.
 
I've shot 38's out of my 357 for years and years. Reload as well. Like it so much that I chose it again when I bought a carry gun recently. Went with a 642 and so did my wife. It may not be the best in every category, but to me it's one of the best "does everything well enough" caliber. :)

David
 
I really consider the .38 spl to be a VERY accurate cartridge. I guess there is a reason it has been around for so long as a police/security/self-defense round. Its what I carry most of the time in one of SP101/M85/642. Specifically Buffalo Bore "standard pressure" .38's.

If that combo won't get me out of trouble, then either i am badly outnumbered, or damn inaccurate that day.
 
My wife's favorite gun to shoot and carry. I love shooting the 38 also, it's one of those guns that when you shoot you just know your going to hit where you aim. We love our Colt Detective Specials.:)
 
I just did a test with my snub 38 125 +p speer LE and 135 gr. +p speer short barrel.
Wow that short barrel ammo has a lot more energy.I shot both in a 5 gal bucket,the 135 gr split the bucket and the bullet folded all the way back the other speer didn't.now I got 50 rounds of 125 gr I have to just shoot up and buy more short barrel ammo.I only have 2 rounds left
 
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