![]() A load that clocked 900 fps from a 4-inch-barrel revolver might perform well. The prohibition against lead loads should be respected.Īnother consideration: In the past, most expanding-bullet loads were designed with service-length barrels in mind. The factory knows what they are recommending. Why? Because the recoil is so great that a lead bullet could strip the crimp and move forward to tie the handgun up. Then there is another drawback - the ultralight handguns are prohibited from using lead bullets. Let’s face it, some loads are controllable in a steel-frame handgun but over the edge in the light frames. However, since so many shooters use ultra-light 38s and others rely upon steel-frame handguns, we tested a representative sample of each load in both steel-frame and aluminum-frame handguns. As a rule the ammunition is tested for ballistic effect and not for the recoil factor in different handguns, although we consider power factor important. This test program was a little different than others. While either line of reasoning has merit, we recommend only factory-fresh ammunition for personal defense. One of our raters relies upon a handload using a 200-grain hard-cast bullet at 850 fps from a 2-inch barrel. The late Chick Gaylord, an influential writer in his time, recommended the Super Police 200-grain load. Another line of reasoning was to use a heavy bullet. But low velocity is an issue, as these loads barely break 650 fps from a full-size handgun. The wadcutter loads are very controllable. The line of reasoning is that the flat nose will hit harder than the round nose loading, and cut tissue rather than push it aside. For several generations writers and other authorities have recommended the 148-grain target wadcutter for personal defense. There are conflicting viewpoints on the 38 snub and ammunition selection. If we carefully maximize load selection, the 38 Special should get us through the night. The smaller cartridges are not enough and the larger cartridges are often too much to control. The point is, the 38 Special is all of the cartridge the occasional shooter is willing to handle, particularly in pint-sized handguns. He sat down and rolled his pants legs up in disbelief! On the other hand, we have on hand a number of cases in which the 38 Special performed superbly in the hands of good men and women. On another occasion, one of our raters shot a robber in the leg with the 38 Special, and the man did not realize he had been shot until he noticed the blood trickling down his leg. While the arriving officers milled around, the subject recovered his senses, sat up, and then ran away! It was later discovered that the bullet had penetrated the skull cap and expanded to 1 inch or more on the occipital ridge of the skull and stopped. One of our raters arrived on the scene of a shooting some years ago in which a perpetrator had been shot in the middle of the forehead with a 110-grain 38 Special. Hollowpoints that open too quickly are about as bad. Jacketed hollowpoints that do not expand are no help. Historical documents and common wisdom agree. Conventional wisdom holds that the traditional 158-grain roundnose lead 38 Special factory loading is a widow maker, often producing little effect on the target. When it comes to ammunition choices, there are many, and the choice is very important. The 38 Special is simply too good a choice to ignore. With the steel-frame revolver and practice, good shooting may be done. The pocket also droops with a lightweight handgun, only less. When you put a steel-frame revolver in the pocket, the pocket droops. A good-quality holster that properly conceals the snub 38 and keeps it in place will take care of the characteristic sag of a heavy handgun. A steel-frame handgun is by no means too heavy if proper attention is given to concealment leather. We think that sometimes the shooter attempts to go too light. The 38 Special snubnose revolver is often criticized as being inaccurate and difficult to handle, but it is all in indoctrination. A peace officer who is defending against a gun grab would be in much the same situation. A self-loader would jam after the first shot. When the assailant is at bad-breath range and the action becomes intimate, the only answer is to press the handgun against the attacker’s body and press the trigger. The 38 is a particularly good choice for female shooters. While the 38 Special may be a backup for armed professionals, the 38 is a primary handgun for shopkeeps and armed citizens. The 38 snub is still the most popular backup handgun and the one that makes the most sense. It is fine to consider the ballistic differences between all calibers, but when it gets to brass tacks, the snubnose 38 Special revolver is a handgun that all of us know and use. A hot topic among serious personal-defense shooters is ammunition for the handguns that we really carry.
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