Why would anybody buy a 38 special

[Fatboy412]

There is this:
Man kills 820 pound hog with three shots from a 38. Would not be my go to against hogzilla but it worked for him.
https://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/t...hog-in-front-yard.1463105/reply?quote=7327644

 

[MRH]

Not the same gun at all, not even the same make of gun, and different length barrels and cylinders.


A revolver is 5 or 6 guns in one frame as each chamber has its own performance. Gun to gun variations can easily give 200+ fps difference due to cyl gap, headspace and chamber dimensions. A true comparison is diff ammo fired from the same chamber in the same gun. The guns used do not even have the chambers numbered, so there is no way to even compare loads in the same gun.

The ammo used was lighter than S&W recommends in their guns.

Entertaining video, but not a valid comparison. Yes the 357 is faster, but it has way more muzzle blast, recoil, and longer recovery time.

In the end it is all angels dancing on the head of a pin as they are both handguns and do hand gun damage. VERY little difference in real performance, except you are less likely to miss as many times with the 38 unless you are an active, competitive shooter. The 357 has essentially 9mm ballistics out of that size gun, and few praise the "stopping power" of the 9.

We're talking about which is more powerful. The .357 is clearly a LOT more powerful than a .38 and it doesn't matter which gun you are using. The snub .357 used in the video has much greater power than the 4" .38 used in the video as well. There is no comparison in power.

I never said anything about a snub .357 being more practical for carry. I would agree with you on that, and that's why I carry a 638.

 

[MRH]

The 357 has essentially 9mm ballistics out of that size gun, and few praise the "stopping power" of the 9.



LOL

[Broken External Image]:

Interesting. The FBI did a 17 year study on which handgun calibers had the most one shot stopping power, based on actual shootings, and the .357 magnum topped the list at 94%. To claim that it has the same ballistics as a 9mm is completely laughable.

 

[jeep78]

[Broken External Image]:

All out of a 2"" barrel? LOL

 

[spencer60]

The 357 has essentially 9mm ballistics out of that size gun, and few praise the "stopping power" of the 9.
LOL

Yup, that's why I carry a 9mm LCR snub sometimes. Same ballistics as a 357 (when dealing with a 1.75" or 2" barrel), less recoil (although the LCR is the best snubby out there with 357 as well) and easier follow-up since my eyes aren't readjusting from a solar flare going off two feet away.

I do love the 357 round, but in a snubby it's simply ridiculous. If you download it enough to work well, you essentially just turn it into a long 38. Anything under a 4" barrel with 357 is simply a waste of good powder.

 

[MRH]

I'm done with this. I won't get into a caliber debate, especially one as ridiculous as this one. When guys actually believe a .38 or 9mm are as powerful as a .357 magnum, no matter the platform being used, they are either trolling or delusional. That's all there is to that.

To stay on topic, I like .38 and carry one often.

 

[spencer60]

Interesting. The FBI did a 17 year study on which handgun calibers had the most one shot stopping power, based on actual shootings, and the .357 magnum topped the list at 94%. To claim that it has the same ballistics as a 9mm is completely laughable.

A 357 needs some barrel length to be effective... in a snubby that's just not there.

Check out "Ballistics By The Inch". It's a great site where they test different ammo by starting out with a longer barrel, then lopping off an inch and retesting.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/index.html

You'll see that the 9mm can significantly outperform the 357 with a 2" barrel, and at worst is break-even.

 

[Tautog166]

Snub nose 38 with shot shells is my pocket snake gun.

 

[jeep78]

Interesting. The FBI did a 17 year study on which handgun calibers had the most one shot stopping power, based on actual shootings, and the .357 magnum topped the list at 94%. To claim that it has the same ballistics as a 9mm is completely laughable.

Ugh... the FBI wasn't looking at 357 snubbies. Those numbers were from 6" and 4: barreled guns.

The "velocity" numbers being cited are advertised numbers, real world is a whole nother story.

Does anyone know what caliber is the number one mankiller in the US? But, but, but, but..............

 

[Tony2X]

Yall carry on with ya lil 38's and 9's....I carry on with my 45.