Low Recoil 38 Special?

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dmw16

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
Messages
49
I just bought a Ruger GP100 (.357) for my wife (and me too, of course :) ). I may find myself gone all week every week for business in the near future and she wanted a house gun for protection. She is more comfortable with a revolver over a semi auto (we have a P22 and Glock19).

So I bought a .357 GP100 figuring I can load up 38SP or 357.

To get her used to the gun I am looking for 38SP with the least recoil possible. She doesn't like the recoil of my G19 so I figure a light load w/ a heavier gun will be a good way to go.

I know a larger load is better for SD, but just to get her comfortable I want rounds that won't scare her.

Thanks in advance.
 
One of the reasons I love .38 Special for range practice, "shooting the collection" and for supplemental defense is the enormous variety of loads available, and the smaller case cartridges the guns can handle. LRN is my favorite for older guns like the Colt Army Special and the Colt Officer's Model Target. Yes, lead can build up in the rifling, but I don't shoot the old Colts THAT much.
 
I second wnycollector on the Mastercast 100gr DEWC popgun ammo. It pops as light as--if not lighter than--.22lr in a Ruger MKIII 22/45. And, it was cheap. I saw it a local rental range and I was curious enough to get a box.

Shooting it through a Model 60/3" barrel, there is so little recoil that, on a fresh target and even when concentrating on the front sight, you can see the hit over the sights when you squeeze the trigger. It's just like when you watch hits on target when somebody else is shooting.

My wife used these to clear-up a flinch before we got the .22 pistol for extensive practice.
 
Another new option are frangible loads. They use copper powder bullets that turn to dust on impact. The bullets are very light, and the commercial loads generally have low recoil and excellent accuracy.

Prices are now competitive with lead. I"ve shot quite a bit of it in 9mm and really like it. Soft shooting and no cleanup in the bore, virtually clean shooting.

http://www.frangiblebullets.com/products/ammunitionfr/pistol/38SPLAmmo.html
 
I would say the wadcutters. Personally I would stick to the standard 148 grn ones for the extra weight.
 
http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/index.php/cName/38-special-wadcutter-ammo

S&B Wadcutters are as low recoil as you can get in a factory round, price is decent and they are accurate. I bought a case a while back and still have a few boxes. The brass is average as far as reloading goes, a little brittle, but it will hold up for a few loadings. In the GP100 recoil should be virtually non existent with a mild wadcutter. Wadcutters offer decent penetration as well and are often recommended as defensive rounds for the recoil sensitive. Bill
 
A hit from a 22 she has confidently learned to shoot well does far more damage than a miss from a 38 that intimidates her.

I'd buy her a 22 and let her practice a lot.
 
Check www.mastercast.net. They have a 100gr WC that lopes to the target at about 600fps, and recoils and sounds like a .22. I fired off 500 of them and found them accurate at ten yards, and almost embarrassingly wimpy. Mastercast is a topnotch reloading facility. I've fired more than 6,000 of their rounds, mostly .38sp but a thousand of them 9mm, without a single problem. Prompt, reliable and inexpensive. They are particularly inexpensive if you send them your spent brass in exchange (same type and quantity). If you choose to do this, do it by USPS Priority Mail. I send them a thousand cases this way for nine dollars and change. Any other way I know of costs more than twenty.

Cordially, Jack
 
Jack, great advice, thanks.

Actually great advice all around. She picked out her gun today (need to wait 7 days now, silly MD law). She actually went with a S&W airweight, so low recoil to start will be essential to getting her comfortable with it.

I wasn't what I thought she would want, but rule #1 of getting the wife a gun: Get her the gun SHE wants :)
 
Midway lists some low recoil .38 Spl. cowboy loads from Meister. The most ridiculously light load is a 105 grain bullet at 610 fps. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=624191

I've never tried their ammo, but lots of their bullets have gone through my revolvers, with great results. The Meister 130 grain bullets over light charges of HP38 are a great load for plinking and for my sister to shoot. In an M10, they barely make it bounce.
 
I'll reinforce wc's earlier advice that Sellier & Bellot 148gr wadcutters are mild and accurate loads for any .38 revolver, but should be almost recoil free from a heavy gun like the GP-100.
 
+3 or 4 on the 148 grain wadcutters. try Georgia Arms to purchase some. You'll also read a lot that suggests that a 148 grain wadcutter is actually a decent SD round. biggest problems with wadcutters comes when you go to reload them. W/out the typical bullet nose to guide you, you can get hung up getting a wadcutter into the cylinder.

Someone else said it; she has to be confident and able to handle the round so she can get the shot placement. Shot placement trumps caliber unless you're talking bazookas! ;)

God Bless
Gideon
 
After reading this thread and wanting something my wife would not mind shooting out of a newly purchased Model 37 S&W, I bought three boxes of the S&B. We went out this morning to a back field and shot a box. WOW!....There was very little recoil. She didn't even get off target much for the second shot and she grouped very well at about 18 feet. (I did too) This S&B seems to be just the ticket for home protecting or concealed carry. The round does leave some residue that I have never noticed from other rounds. Is the Wadcutter any harsher on the cylinder or barrel? If not, I am going to purchase more of this. It's easy on the hands to practice with and I am sure the psychological comfort of not being afraid of the "kick" will pay off in the event of having to use it at home.
 
I dont want to start sounding like a schill for mastercast BUT they make a Total copper jacketed DEWC that is loaded ~75fps hotter than the norm for WC's. I bought some for my wife to carry in her S&W 638. I didnt have a chrony back then so I cant quote real velocities from a 1.78" barrel.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Recommend me the mildest recoiling 38 sp ammo
Replies
23
Views
14K
Shadow 7D
S
B
  • Locked
reduced load 38 special?
2
Replies
43
Views
4K
cougar1717
cougar1717
D
  • Locked
Looking for a Steel 38 Special or 357 Revolver for SD
Replies
20
Views
818
Elvishead
E
B
  • Locked
Gun For Girlfriend
2
Replies
38
Views
1K
Benton
B
K
  • Locked
HD handgun for a petite woman?
2 3
Replies
62
Views
2K
jaydubya
J
Back
Top