Why do they still make 38 special revolvers?

[Seymour Flops]

I carry a .38 Special for two reasons: One, I have one, so I don't feel like going out to buy another very similar gun like a .357. Two, if I ever have to use it in self-defense, and get prosecuted by an anti-self-defense, Soros-backed DA, I can honestly say that it's a gun I bought years ago, and only started carrying it recently since the crime wave.

At home, I have an old 1911 .45 for more power, so I can use it with the same back-story.

 

[miketx]

Lol, no one understands.

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

Have you ever opened a .38 round?

Not much powder in there compared to a .357 round

What is the difference between a 357 magnum and a 38 special?

Modern 357 Magnum ammo is designed to fire a 158-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1,235 FPS and a target thumping 535 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. Compare that to the 38 Special, which fires the same bullet weight at 755 FPS and has a muzzle energy of 200 ft-lbs, which is less than a 45 ACP.

That said,
You can kill someone just as dead with a 22

Am I wrong?

 

[Batcat]

For me, the heavier weight makes it harder to aim and hold steady, and even so the recoil is greater IMHO. I still have both guns though, if I have to start shooting I'm going to fire the .357 first cuz that thing is LOUD and should scare the shit outta anybody in the house. But after that 1st shot I'll switch to the .38 if I have time.

If you have a .38/.357 revolver you should notice the .357 ammo causes more felt recoil than the .38. Obviously the weight of the weapon is the same.

Heavier revolvers have less recoil. A .357 Magnum round fired in a S&W Model 627 which weighs 41.4 oz will feel mild compared with a .357 Magnum round fired in a S&W Model 340PD snub nosed revolver which weighs 11.8 oz.

Firing a box of fifty .357 Magnums ammo though the heavier Model 627 will be fun for an experience shooter while a box of fifty .357 Magnums though the snubby Model 340PD will be painful.

To see a comparison of recoil between .357 and .38+P watch this video starting 6 minutes in.

 

[Concerned American]

Uh...Pretty sure that was sarcasm.
Everyone but a liberal knows a revolver doesn't drop brass.

I noticed that too but I thought, "has there been tech that I don't know about?" I guess there has. Colt has a prototype gas powered auto eject revolver. I think it is the most ignorant idea I've ever heard. Something that will fail that isn't any faster than a S&W speed loader. Here's a video.

 

[miketx]

I'm sorry I started this.

 

[Concerned American]

Have you ever opened a .38 round?

Not much powder in there compared to a .357 round


That said,
You can kill someone just as dead with a 22

Am I wrong?

or a club or a knife or arsenic. LOL

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Have you ever opened a .38 round?

Not much powder in there compared to a .357 round


That said,
You can kill someone just as dead with a 22

Am I wrong?

Sure you can kill someone with a 22,but it's going to be easier with a higher caliber round.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I noticed that too but I thought, "has there been tech that I don't know about?" I guess there has. Colt has a prototype gas powered auto eject revolver. I think it is the most ignorant idea I've ever heard. Something that will fail that isn't any faster than a S&W speed loader. Here's a video.

Never heard of it.
But yeah it's a stupid idea.

 

[Batcat]

No different than my FNX .45 just pull the trigger through the double action on the first shot and the trigger is very light for the next 15 rounds.
One in the chamber,safety off with the hammer down. Not concerned about misfires since this thing has never failed to go boom.
Or condition 2 as they call it.

View attachment 677801

Pistols have improved a lot over the last couple of decades. Once jamming was a regular problem, but not as much today from what I have observed on the range. Keep in mind Murphy’s Law — What ever can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment.

Still, your pistol has a decocker safety that you have to remember to disengage. That may prove difficult to remember when an intruder wakes you up. Some people wake up fully alert and others take a couple of minutes.

 

[Batcat]

With practice you can load a revolver in seconds using a speed loader or moon clips.
I've got my S&W 10mm down to two to four seconds. But then the mag for my FNX .45 carries 15 rounds and I can load it just as fast.

10mm. Magnum in a moon clip.

View attachment 677799

Some .357 revolvers have cylinders that will accept full moon clips.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/sites/...1 - Model 442 Cylinder cut for moon clips.pdf

https://www.smith-wesson.com/sites/default/files/spec-sheets/178042%20-%20Model%20642%20Cylinder%20cut%20for%20moon%20clips.pdf

 

[The Duke]

I can't see any good reason why they do it. You can shoot 38 ammo in a 357 and they make small 357 revolvers. I even have a small one. I just don't see why they make the 38 special unless they just want get as much money as they can.

Mikey, it's a historic thing. Think early 1900s.

I have a brick of .38 Special +p

Is it more powerful than 9mm Luger parabellum? No.

Is it what it is? Yes.
Do you wanna catch one? I think not. Only a dumbass would.

 

[miketx]

Mikey, it's a historic thing. Think early 1900s.

I have a brick of .38 Special +p

Is it more powerful than 9mm Luger parabellum? No.

Is it what it is? Yes.
Do you wanna catch one? I think not. Only a dumbass would.

I've got a lot of +p also.

 

[lg325]

Law for security and body gaurds is .38 only .

 

[miketx]

Law for security and body gaurds is .38 only .

Law? Hard to believe. More like misguided company policy? I know at the prison that's all we had and I was terrified to be around some of them when they were armed.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Pistols have improved a lot over the last couple of decades. Once jamming was a regular problem, but not as much today from what I have observed on the range. Keep in mind Murphy’s Law — What ever can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment.

Still, your pistol has a decocker safety that you have to remember to disengage. That may prove difficult to remember when an intruder wakes you up. Some people wake up fully alert and others take a couple of minutes.

I dont have to remember to disengage anything.
Pick it up and pull the trigger...thats it.
The decocker is used when the hammer is back and you want to safe the gun,in my opinion a decocker is kinda lame,I can just as easily put my thumb on the hammer and release it that way but they're trying to make the gun safer by adding a decocker.
With a revolver they want you to put your thumb between the hammer and the firing pin when you want to safe the gun.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Some .357 revolvers have cylinders that will accept full moon clips.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/sites/default/files/spec-sheets/178041 - Model 442 Cylinder cut for moon clips.pdf

https://www.smith-wesson.com/sites/default/files/spec-sheets/178042%20-%20Model%20642%20Cylinder%20cut%20for%20moon%20clips.pdf

They've been modified to accept moon clips.
They mainly use them in competitive shooting,although I dont see why you'd have a gun modified to accept a moon clip when they have speed loaders already.

 

[miketx]

Pistols have improved a lot over the last couple of decades. Once jamming was a regular problem, but not as much today from what I have observed on the range. Keep in mind Murphy’s Law — What ever can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment.

Still, your pistol has a decocker safety that you have to remember to disengage. That may prove difficult to remember when an intruder wakes you up. Some people wake up fully alert and others take a couple of minutes.

My pistols have no decocker. 1911's have a safety that sits right where your thumb is when you grip the pistol.

 

[The Duke]

I dont have to remember to disengage anything.
Pick it up and pull the trigger...thats it.
The decocker is used when the hammer is back and you want to safe the gun,in my opinion a decocker is kinda lame,I can just as easily put my thumb on the hammer and release it that way but they're trying to make the gun safer by adding a decocker.
With a revolver they want you to put your thumb between the hammer and the firing pin when you want to safe the gun.

That sounds like it could get painful. People overthink things sometimes.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

That sounds like it could get painful.

Only if your thumb slips off the hammer.
Of course thats what they are anticipating and why they recommend putting your thumb there.
I never do the thumb thing,I just make sure it pointed in a safe direction in case my thumb does slip off the hammer.