38 special vs 9mm for home defense12/12/2023 ![]() 357 Magnum versions to ensure I have a better chance of ammunition availability and a gun that lasts longer under heavy loads. I had this to carry when nothing else will do due to clothing types and activities. A beautiful piece of equipment that is meant to carry a lot and shoot just a little. Not to mention 38 Special +P snub nose revolvers are much cheaper than 357 Mag version. 357 Magnum, all be it a lot more cartridge from a ballistics point of view, is not statically that much more effective in self defense situations when used in a snub nose revolver, especially in light of the difficulty the recoil causes in shooting them well. 38 Special +P is, with correct ammunition selection, a very effective caliber for self defense. Go over to the revolver section and look at some of the recent threads and the number of guys that buy a 357 Mag snub nose Airweight revolvers then after a few range sessions realize that they can't handle 357 Mag in such a light gun and end up carrying 38 Special +P in it. Very few people can shoot a light weight (<20oz loaded) snub nose 357 Magnum well enough. The 38 Special shooter is going to get a lot of free beer. The looser buys the beer when the feeling returns to his hand so he get the cash out of his wallet. Then two shooters race to get off 6 rounds 38 Special vs 357 Mag. ![]() Here's an amusing challenge, load up a 642/442 with 38 Special +P and a 340 with self defense 357 Mag loads. Although TK custom does not recommend +P or really hot 357 mag in their converted revolvers. Now you can shoot all three cartridges (9mm/38/357) in the same gun. If you really want to make it flexible, buy a 357 mag revolver and send it to TK Custom and have it converted to 9mm on moonclips. Bullets as heavy as 180 or more can be utilized and you can always shoot 38 Special, 38 Long Colt or even 38 Short Colt. 357 Magnum is a lot more flexible chambering. But there is not enough market to make a dedicated 9mm frame a viable product (except Korth) so you end up with 9mm in a 357 Mag. In theory you could create an I-frame that would have the same overall size as a J-frame but with a ~3/8 longer barrel and due to the shorter frame and cylinder a bit less mass and bulk. ![]() If they actually made a 9mm length frame similar to the old S&W I-frame then you might have something unique and useful. You have this relatively short cartridge in a unnecessarily long cylinder. They just take their 357 Magnum revolver and chamber the cylinder for 9mm. No manufacture makes a dedicated 9mm sized revolver frame. At least not with current offerings in 9mm revolvers. Unless you are heavily invested in 9mm (ie piled deep and/or reloading it) a 9mm revolver does not make a lot sense. Speer and Buffalo Bore are my favorite ammunition suppliers in any caliber with Buffalo Bore being the most powerful I have tested from any of the major OEMs. I highly prefer Gold Dot bullets and will be getting Speer 135 grains as soon as I can find any for the LCR. 44 Special using Buffalo Bore ammunition. 38 Special +p ammunition from Buffalo Bore or my winter gun of a Taurus. ![]() I really miss my awesome Glock G36 but now carry a Ruger LCR/357, 1.8" barrel, using. I do not have Buffalo Bore's ammunition in 9MM but believe it would have similar power factors.Ī couple years ago I switched from auto loaders for CCW to revolvers with all ammunition being flash suppressed, if possible. If I did a gelatin test I believe I would see much greater penetration from the heavier bullet. Very stout ammunition in a small revolver. 38 Special (#20A) 158 grain LSWC HP has a PF of 161. That said, my SP101 with Buffalo Bore (#19G) 125 grain JHP has a PF of 163 and their. Most good ammunition have a PF of 138 - 142 in either of these guns. Without getting into minutia detail, they are relatively equal in Power Factor, which includes velocity and bullet weight. More to your point with a relative apples to apples comparison using a Kahr PM9, 3" barrel including chamber and a Ruger SP101, 2.25" barrel not including chamber which are functionally very close. All things else being equal with expanding bullets, a lighter faster bullet will penetrate less than a heavier slower bullet since the faster bullet most likely will expand to a greater diameter and penetrate less. However, when speaking of short barrels of any caliber or weapon type (handgun and rifle), the concern is more associated with bullet performance as a result of its design parameters and velocity. I believe ammunition/bullet choice is far more important than caliber. But I have changed my opinion to heavier bullets due to more recent published gelatin tests and better bullet designs. For years I was a fan of the mid weight to lightweight bullets and higher speeds due to kinetic energy. I hand load and test all of my commercial and personal loads through a chronograph. This is a complicated issue and could generate "discussions".
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |