.38 Special for a home defense gun?

[evil jose]

What are your thoughts and opinions on a .38 Special revolver for a home defense gun and what ammo would you suggest? My dad can no longer rack the slide on the .45 I bought him a few years back so I bought him a .38 Special Taurus (M85?) with a 2" ported barrel. I figured the .38 Special would be better for him than say a .357 Magnum because of the recoil. If I had to do it over again (buying him a revolver) I'd probably find him a .357 and just load it with .38's if he couldn't handle the recoil from the Magnum.

Anyway, what are some good home defense loads for a .38 Special? And where can I buy a "speed loader" locally? I'd like to have a couple of those handy for him to reload quickly if necessary.

[PooterWS6]

Hit Tony up, hes got a 357 Commanche for cheap, I almost thought about picking it up for a truck gun/backup...(But im saving for my AR)


If money is no object, I really dig the Smith and Wesson 642, or some of the other "J" small frames...

[JESmith]

The m85 is a perfectly good gun for self defence. Unlike the old S&W J frames, the Tarus is rated for +P ammo. Stoke it up with some Corbon, Magsafe, Glaser, etc and your'e good to go. I have bought speedloaders from Cheaper than Dirt. FYI my J frame speedloaders work just fine in my buddy's M85.

[evil jose]

Hit Tony up, hes got a 357 Commanche for cheap, I almost thought about picking it up for a truck gun/backup...(But im saving for my AR)


If money is no object, I really dig the Smith and Wesson 642, or some of the other "J" small frames...

Well I'm going to stick with the Taurus. But if I was buying "new" I might look at something else (like another Taurus :D ).

The m85 is a perfectly good gun for self defence. Unlike the old S&W J frames, the Tarus is rated for +P ammo. Stoke it up with some Corbon, Magsafe, Glaser, etc and your'e good to go. I have bought speedloaders from Cheaper than Dirt. FYI my J frame speedloaders work just fine in my buddy's M85.

Thanks for the info. I might check out CTD next weekend, haven't been there in a while. Hmm... I wonder how Corbon's will hit on this little thing :eek:

[5111]

Funny you mention this as I was at Bachman Pawn today looking at both the Taurus Ultra-light in .38 Special ($339) and the S&W 642 ($419). I didn't buy either because I couldn't make up my mind. I wanted one for my wife to carry. I could load it with weak .38s for the range yet carry the +Ps. I'm also considering picking one up with an ankle holster for a backup.

[03trubluGT]

What are your thoughts and opinions on a .38 Special revolver for a home defense gun and what ammo would you suggest? My dad can no longer rack the slide on the .45 I bought him a few years back so I bought him a .38 Special Taurus (M85?) with a 2" ported barrel. I figured the .38 Special would be better for him than say a .357 Magnum because of the recoil. If I had to do it over again (buying him a revolver) I'd probably find him a .357 and just load it with .38's if he couldn't handle the recoil from the Magnum.

Anyway, what are some good home defense loads for a .38 Special? And where can I buy a "speed loader" locally? I'd like to have a couple of those handy for him to reload quickly if necessary.

.357 Magnums are NOT FUN to shoot through a light, short barrel firearm.

I'd stick with a 125 gn +P in a jacketed hollow point round for that gun. There's nothing wrong with a revolver for defense. I have 5...

Matt

[Vertnut]

Jose, the .38 will be fine! Get a good +p load, and you're near .357 ballistics without the recoil of a short-barrelled .357. I have a 2 1/2" Python I bought 25 years ago, and it's like a gorilla ripping it out of your hand every time I fire it. :cool: Consequently, I load it with .38 ammo when I take it out to the range.

[blue88lx]

I've got a s&w model 19 .357 w/ a 2.5" barrel. Keep it loaded w/ speer gold dot +p's just in case the wife ever picks it up. Even at the range I only load .357's if I feel the need for my hand to hurt for a week. .38 is a good load for people not able to handle the recoil of something larger IMO.

[Vertnut]

.357 Magnums are NOT FUN to shoot through a light, short barrel firearm.

I'd stick with a 125 gn +P in a jacketed hollow point round for that gun. There's nothing wrong with a revolver for defense. I have 5...

Matt
x2. There's a reason "police issue" for every department in the US for decades, was the .38 special.

[J&T's 82]

My mom has a 5 shot ladies S&W that my grandfather gave her years ago. A .38 special will suprise alot of people in its power. As far as ammo, I have always been a fan of the hydro-shocks.

[Yale]

There's nothing wrong with .38spl. I would feel honored to shoot a burglar with one.

[FatassLX]

Nothing wrong with it IMO. My mom keeps a small five shot rossi that belonged to my gramps in her nightstand. I keep a 2" S&W 15 loaded with hornady HP next to my bed.

[Denny]

Why not just get the .357 and load it with .38's? :confused:

[OC]

Jose,

You may want to load it with some heavier bullets to reduce the recoil. The +P's everybody is talking about can be pretty brutal in a little gun, especially since it sounds like he has some hand strength issues.

[03trubluGT]

Jose,

You may want to load it with some heavier bullets to reduce the recoil. The +P's everybody is talking about can be pretty brutal in a little gun, especially since it sounds like he has some hand strength issues.


+2

[evil jose]

Jose,

You may want to load it with some heavier bullets to reduce the recoil. The +P's everybody is talking about can be pretty brutal in a little gun, especially since it sounds like he has some hand strength issues.

Thanks for the tip Larry. I may buy a box of Corbon's for the hell of it to see how it recoils.

[jwalk]

Recoil is not an issue for home defense in most cases. The adreneline rush will take care of it for the most part. Any weapon that he is accurate with is adequate for home defense.

I personally like the corbons but don't think they are all that. Spped loaders are a must for the wheel gun, along with a lot of practice using them...

[cobra93teal]

I have around 1000Rds of reload 38.. anyone intrested?

[evil jose]

Why not just get the .357 and load it with .38's? :confused:

Didn't want to go to all the trouble of selling this one and finding something similar. I really like the Taurus .38 I bought him. It's a small (2"?) ported barrel with a bobbed hammer and rubber grips. I really believe the ported barrel helps alot with the recoil from my experience with shooting other pocket snubbies and I got such a good deal on it I'd hate to spend more money if the .357 will never get used. As a backup though he's got his M1 Carbine handy and he has no problems working the slide on it.

I have around 1000Rds of reload 38.. anyone intrested?

I'm guessing it's all FMJ? Who loaded it? You? And how do you have it broken down? I might be interested in some of it depending on the price.

[cobra93teal]

My grandfather reloaded them... they are all wadcutter I think..great for target practtice.. I got 2700 rounds from him and have been throug over 1k of them..no probs. LMK if your intrested.

[evil jose]

Let me know what quantities you can break it down into. I would be interested in buying a couple of hundred at a time depending on the price.

[cobra93teal]

OK here we go boxes are quanty 50

RELOADS

275 148GRAIN WADCUTTER RELOADS

NON RELOAD

1 BOX FEDERAL JACKED HYDRA SHOCK 147GRN LAW ENFORCMENT ONLY
1 BOX FEDERAL (+P+) HYDRA SHOCK 147GRN LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY
1 BOX FEDERAL WAD CUT HOLLOW POINT 158GRN
1 BOC REMINGTON 158GRN LEAD (JUST SOLID LEAD POINT?)
3 BOXES REMINGTON 148GRN WADCUTTER
4 BOXES REMINGTON (MATCH) 148GRN WADCUTTER
25 ROUNDS 158GRN FEDERAL LEAD(SOLID LEAD POINT)


Do you have any (45/9/.357) ammo to trade?
If you just want to buy the reloads 10bucks
for the non reload stuff.. lmk what you want and I will pm you prices

[turbo93gt]

i had a s&w model 65 .357 4" heavy barrel years ago. my buddy had a model 64 .38 3" thin barrel. same frame, just different cylinders and barrels. anyway, that .38 with a remington 130gr target load had as much muzzle flip as my .357 did with full power double tap 125gr 710ft/lb loads. in my experience barrel length and thickness makes as much or bigger difference then load. if i were buying a .38, id go with a 3" heavy barrel.

[Casper]

I would look for a 148gr or 158gr wadcutter. You won't maximize velocity with that barrel so mass will be a plus. a wadcutter doesn't need velocity for expansion either.

The downside to a wheelgun is the blast debris from the cylinder gap. And I wouldn't even think about a ported pistol intended for a situation without eye protection.

[evil jose]

OK here we go boxes are quanty 50

RELOADS

275 148GRAIN WADCUTTER RELOADS

NON RELOAD

1 BOX FEDERAL JACKED HYDRA SHOCK 147GRN LAW ENFORCMENT ONLY
1 BOX FEDERAL (+P+) HYDRA SHOCK 147GRN LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY
1 BOX FEDERAL WAD CUT HOLLOW POINT 158GRN
1 BOC REMINGTON 158GRN LEAD (JUST SOLID LEAD POINT?)
3 BOXES REMINGTON 148GRN WADCUTTER
4 BOXES REMINGTON (MATCH) 148GRN WADCUTTER
25 ROUNDS 158GRN FEDERAL LEAD(SOLID LEAD POINT)


Do you have any (45/9/.357) ammo to trade?
If you just want to buy the reloads 10bucks
for the non reload stuff.. lmk what you want and I will pm you prices

Incoming PM.

I would look for a 148gr or 158gr wadcutter. You won't maximize velocity with that barrel so mass will be a plus. a wadcutter doesn't need velocity for expansion either.

The downside to a wheelgun is the blast debris from the cylinder gap. And I wouldn't even think about a ported pistol intended for a situation without eye protection.

Haha.. That just made me think about that Raging Bull you had.

So what exactly is the difference between Wadcutter ammo and Hollow Point?

[03trubluGT]

I would look for a 148gr or 158gr wadcutter. You won't maximize velocity with that barrel so mass will be a plus. a wadcutter doesn't need velocity for expansion either.
.


Wadcutters aren't meant to expand. I've seen one go through a person (without hitting bone) and then through sheetrock without deforming.

It looked like you could reload it after cleaing off the sheetrock...

[FatassLX]

Wadcutters aren't meant to expand. I've seen one go through a person (without hitting bone) and then through sheetrock without deforming.

It looked like you could reload it after cleaing off the sheetrock...

What he said. Wadcutter isn't meant to expand, its target ammo.