Why do they still make 38 special revolvers?

[miketx]

For self defense it is best to master double action shooting rather than cocking the weapon. For one thing the trigger pull is much heavier on a DOA revolver so you will not fire it by accident when your adrenaline is flowing. Nor will the prosecution be able to insinuate you may have if legal action is involved.

A revolver also has other advantages. You can fire it through a jacket pocket or a purse and it will not jam. You can also ram it into an attackers stomach and it will still fire. A pistol would be “out of battery” and not fire if you tried that.

The S&W Model 642 which I carry is a double action only revolver. The advantage is if you carry it in a pocket holster it is easy to draw with nothing to snag on your pants. However double action shooting does take practice, lots of practice and the model 642 is a very light weapon so the recoil is very noticeable.

View attachment 681481

Had one. Traded to this for more versatility.

Did a trigger job on it and it's great!

 

[Batcat]

Sounds like they were loaded too hot. I used to reload a lot and as you worked up a load when you over did it the cases would be hard to extract. Look at the primers and see if they were flattened, if so that's a definite tell.

This one in pretty normal:
View attachment 681480

This one is pretty flattened. An overload:

View attachment 681484

I believe the main problem was trying to extract five rounds in a full moon clip from the cylinder at the same time. Regular 9mm factory ammo was no problem but the +P ammo must have expanded the cartridge cases slightly. The specs on the cylinder chambers might have been too tight also. I considered polishing the chambers but never got around to it. I bought the revolver used more as a curiosity than a edc weapon.

 

[miketx]

I believe the main problem was trying to extract five rounds in a full moon clip from the cylinder at the same time. Regular 9mm factory ammo was no problem but the +P ammo must have expanded the cartridge cases slightly. The specs on the cylinder chambers might have been too tight also. I considered polishing the chambers but never got around to it. I bought the revolver used more as a curiosity than a pin edc weapon.

Ok then.

 

[Batcat]

Had one. Traded to this for more versatility.

View attachment 681491

Did a trigger job on it and it's great!

I had a Ruger SP 101 for several years and it was my edc weapon. I bought the S&W Model 642 because it was lighter and a better pocket pistol.

The Ruger was a good revolver to carry in a holster but since I live in Florida I have to conceal the weapon. It is hard to conceal a handgun in the Florida summer heat.

The S&W snub nosed revolver has no external hammer to snag if used as a picket weapon. I can drop it into my pants pocket and head out the door. Once or twice in the quarter of a century I have been carrying it, I found myself in an odd situation. I just put my hand in my pocket on the S&W and if necessary I could have drawn it in a heartbeat. A concealed weapon in a holster would take longer to draw.

The Ruger weighs 25 oz unloaded and the S&W 642 weighs 14.6 oz.

 

[miketx]

Well as you saw the ruger has no hammer either. And it just drops in the pocket too. Texas is as hot or hotter.

 

[Batcat]

Well as you saw the ruger has no hammer either. And it just drops in the pocket too. Texas is as hot or hotter.

The main difference is the weight. My S&W is so light you can almost forget you are carrying it.

Now be aware that I carry more out of habit than necessity. At one time I lived in a high crime rate neighborhood in the Tampa Bay Area. Now I am retired and live in a much safer, small town in the Florida panhandle.

Still crime happens everywhere. For example an acquaintance who lives near me was involved in a road rage incident two months ago A pissed off guy shot into his car. The shooter put a hole in the passenger’s seat head rest where fortunately no one was sitting. The guy was arrested and is out on bail awaiting trial.

 

[Likkmee]

"They'int good fer nuthin, put a man six feet in a hole..."
I prefer a model 29SS or a Redhawk brilliantly polished then add a light glass beading to the upper 1/3 of the barrel.

 

[Innocynioc]

They still make .38 Special revolvers because there is a market for them. If someone wants a different revolver than that you favor that doesn't make them wrong or stupid.

 

[miketx]

They still make .38 Special revolvers because there is a market for them. If someone wants a different revolver than that you favor that doesn't make them wrong or stupid.

Thanks for for the moronic comment.

 

[Lord Long Rod]

Thanks for for the moronic comment.

.38 spec still has decent deterrence power, especially the hotter load. My thought is that its good for women. A revolver is almost a fool-proof handgun (to the extent that such a term is applicable in this context). That is, you do not have to worry about it jamming like you do with an autoloader (really, what chick is going to put in the range time to break in the recoil spring and keep it clean so that it fires reliably). Instead, you can buy a woman a 5 or 6 shot revolver and tell her to point and shoot. The .357 mag (probably my fave caliber in revolvers) may be a bit too much for women. My ex would not fire a .357 revolver unless loaded with .38 spec. I personally cannot really tell much of a difference between shooting normal .357 loads compared with the hotter .38 spl. Of course, the normal .38 sp loads feel quite different to the .357.

So I am thinking that the market must be for women revolver shooters, and tranny men.

 

[lg325]

Speaking of 357. Henry has come out with two revolvers I want the western style . .38 or 38 special is a good round it will get the job done in a bad situation I guess it come down to going to the range and finding out which caliber suits you. Heck I like .22 mag for concealed carry. i switched from that to my ruger sp 101 but nothing wrong with a lighter caliber if that's what suits you.

 

[Batcat]

The price is essentially the same for both handguns.
Now your post really doesnt make sense.

I carry a S&W Model 642 Airweight snub nosed revolver for self defense. Most S&W revolvers have a key lock system on the frame. This locking system has been rumored to lock up on its own when in a light weight revolver that shoots ammo with a heavy recoil such as .357 magnum.

Smith and Wesson Internal Lock: Is it a Deal Breaker?

Revolver owners don't hide their hatred for the Smith and Wesson internal lock but is that one feature enough to make the firearms unusable?

www.luckygunner.com

***snip***


But in the middle of all of this mess, some civilians were still buying new S&W revolvers, and they found reasons to hate the internal lock that had nothing to do with politics. First, the general consensus is that it was hideous. The big gaping hole right on the side of the frame is not especially subtle. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the “L” with an arrow printed next to it indicating which direction to turn the lock. For a company whose revolvers are often thought of as quite attractive, this was like tattooing the face of the prom queen.

Of course, that’s just subjective. The revolver is made to shoot, not look at. But that’s why the poo really hit the fan. It wasn’t long before “unconfirmed internet rumors” began to surface about spontaneous malfunctions of the lock. Revolvers owners who had never even taken the key out of the box were having the locks spontaneously engage during routine range sessions. This being the early 2000s, the first online claims were not taken seriously. S&W ignored it, die-hard S&W fanboys ignored it, and even respected figures in the industry chalked it up to rumor-mongering from an already agitated customer-base.

As time wore on, however, it became clear that the rumors were not just rumors. The first clue was that many of the malfunction reports had a key trait in common. They almost all involved the lightweight aluminum alloy or “scandium” framed revolvers firing heavy recoiling ammo. Apparently loading up a 25 oz. snub nose with full house .44 magnums is not just a good way to sprain your wrist, it’s also an effective method of sending serious vibrations through the frame of the gun; enough to cause the little internal lock to shimmy its way into a position its owner did not intend.

***snip***

If none of that sounds very reassuring, and you’re still concerned about trusting your life to a lock-equipped S&W revolver, then you have a few options:

1. Try to track down one of the few current production S&W models that do not include the lock. The 640 Pro, 642 CT, and M&P340 CT are among the best compact defensive revolvers on the market, and both are available lock-free.
2. Buy an older “pre-lock” S&W revolver. Some of the most innovative S&W revolver designs were only first released after the lock was introduced, but many of the iconic classic S&W revolvers were produced in droves for years prior to that sans-lock.
3. Buy a Ruger revolver. They are great, and none of them have an internal lock.
4. Switch to a semi-auto. What kind of dinosaur carries a revolver these days, anyway? (just kidding!)

 

[miketx]

.38 spec still has decent deterrence power, especially the hotter load. My thought is that its good for women. A revolver is almost a fool-proof handgun (to the extent that such a term is applicable in this context). That is, you do not have to worry about it jamming like you do with an autoloader (really, what chick is going to put in the range time to break in the recoil spring and keep it clean so that it fires reliably). Instead, you can buy a woman a 5 or 6 shot revolver and tell her to point and shoot. The .357 mag (probably my fave caliber in revolvers) may be a bit too much for women. My ex would not fire a .357 revolver unless loaded with .38 spec. I personally cannot really tell much of a difference between shooting normal .357 loads compared with the hotter .38 spl. Of course, the normal .38 sp loads feel quite different to the .357.

So I am thinking that the market must be for women revolver shooters, and tranny men.

Unfortunately, I had s&w model ten that would jam occasionally. By jamming I mean when I wanted fire double action and start to pull the trigger, the hammer freeze about halfway back.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I carry a S&W Model 642 Airweight snub nosed revolver for self defense. Most S&W revolvers have a key lock system on the frame. This locking system has been rumored to lock up on its own when in a light weight revolver that shoots ammo with a heavy recoil such as .357 magnum.

Smith and Wesson Internal Lock: Is it a Deal Breaker?

Revolver owners don't hide their hatred for the Smith and Wesson internal lock but is that one feature enough to make the firearms unusable?

www.luckygunner.com

***snip***


But in the middle of all of this mess, some civilians were still buying new S&W revolvers, and they found reasons to hate the internal lock that had nothing to do with politics. First, the general consensus is that it was hideous. The big gaping hole right on the side of the frame is not especially subtle. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the “L” with an arrow printed next to it indicating which direction to turn the lock. For a company whose revolvers are often thought of as quite attractive, this was like tattooing the face of the prom queen.

Of course, that’s just subjective. The revolver is made to shoot, not look at. But that’s why the poo really hit the fan. It wasn’t long before “unconfirmed internet rumors” began to surface about spontaneous malfunctions of the lock. Revolvers owners who had never even taken the key out of the box were having the locks spontaneously engage during routine range sessions. This being the early 2000s, the first online claims were not taken seriously. S&W ignored it, die-hard S&W fanboys ignored it, and even respected figures in the industry chalked it up to rumor-mongering from an already agitated customer-base.

As time wore on, however, it became clear that the rumors were not just rumors. The first clue was that many of the malfunction reports had a key trait in common. They almost all involved the lightweight aluminum alloy or “scandium” framed revolvers firing heavy recoiling ammo. Apparently loading up a 25 oz. snub nose with full house .44 magnums is not just a good way to sprain your wrist, it’s also an effective method of sending serious vibrations through the frame of the gun; enough to cause the little internal lock to shimmy its way into a position its owner did not intend.

***snip***

If none of that sounds very reassuring, and you’re still concerned about trusting your life to a lock-equipped S&W revolver, then you have a few options:

1. Try to track down one of the few current production S&W models that do not include the lock. The 640 Pro, 642 CT, and M&P340 CT are among the best compact defensive revolvers on the market, and both are available lock-free.
2. Buy an older “pre-lock” S&W revolver. Some of the most innovative S&W revolver designs were only first released after the lock was introduced, but many of the iconic classic S&W revolvers were produced in droves for years prior to that sans-lock.
3. Buy a Ruger revolver. They are great, and none of them have an internal lock.
4. Switch to a semi-auto. What kind of dinosaur carries a revolver these days, anyway? (just kidding!)

The Hillary hole as they call it can be disabled and there's a plug you can purchase to go into the Hillary hole.

 

[Mac-7]

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.

A .38 frame can be lighter than a .357 frame

 

[Lord Long Rod]

Unfortunately, I had s&w model ten that would jam occasionally. By jamming I mean when I wanted fire double action and start to pull the trigger, the hammer freeze about halfway back.

I have a model 10 that I bought used for next to nothing. When I bought it it had a goofy trigger, and sometimes the hammer would fall on its own. I took it to a local gunsmith and got it back in working order. Then I had it re-finished with new bluing. Today it is a cool little pistol. I would not carry it, of course. But it is a fun little gun to shoot.

 

[miketx]

The Hillary hole as they call it can be disabled and there's a plug you can purchase to go into the Hillary hole.

I don't think I'd want to plug the hillary hole!

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I don't think I'd want to plug the hillary hole!

Even with a yard of wet cement?

 

[miketx]

Even with a yard of wet cement?

Well ok then. But you have to haul her off.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Well ok then. But you have to haul her off.

Nah...let the buzzards eat her if they have the stomach.
You would have a grotesque cement statue in the end.