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Thread: #RevolverCurious

  1. #1
    Member feudist's Avatar
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    #RevolverCurious

    What I don't quite get about the current wave of interest in carry revolvers is they're almost all going to use .38 not very Special.

    I like revolvers and shoot them well but the .38 across it's life as a service weapon was considered marginal. Only a couple of loads ever got it off it's face and on to it's knees.

    Notice that when discussed as a BUG load, a lot here carry and advocate softball wadcutters.

    Had I been allowed to carry magnums, I would likely have stayed with the revolver a lot longer than most cops did. But magnums are plain nasty in carry sized guns,

    and get characterized often as a .38 with a flashbang attached to it. Maybe...

    But really, do people seriously buy into the "All handguns suck" "If you can shoot it doesn't matter" "mine handgun is to fight my way to my rifle" line so that you are going to

    carry a 4 " 35 oz 6 shooter loaded with .38 wads? Or even "FBI" loads?

    Do any .38s make Doc's list?

    And why do I want an AIWB for my skinny model 10?

  2. #2
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    in the 380 and .38 thread in the ammo section:

    Currently, the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P JHP, Winchester 130 gr bonded +P JHP (RA38B), and Barnes 110 gr XPB all copper JHP (for ex. in the Corbon DPX loading) offer the most reliable expansion we have seen from a .38 sp 2” BUG; Hornady 110 gr standard pressure and +P Critical Defense loads also offer good performance out of 2" barrel revolvers.
    The 130 bonded seems to do well out of my 3 inch k frames as far as accuracy as well.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter JRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by feudist View Post

    But really, do people seriously buy into the "All handguns suck" "If you can shoot it doesn't matter"
    All handguns suck. I fought a guy on an EMS assistance call that had a 9mm Gold Dot deflect off the slope of his skull. Clerk at a convenience store punched him an inch above the T-zone, and it basically scalped him partially and riled him up.

    We had an OIS with a guy at an assisted living facility. Son was trying to kill his father while high. Deputy put two .45+P HSTs in him, a lung shot and a gut shot. Guy continued to fight until restrained, then walked himself into an ambulance under his own power.

    I went to college with Trooper Mark Coates’s son. He was a SC Highway Patrolman killed on US-17. Put five 125 gr .357 Mags center mass on an obese guy, and they all failed to penetrate. Obese guy shot the Trooper with a .22 short derringer, and it ricocheted off his humerus, went behind the vest, and capped his aorta.

    Revolvers give you several advantages. They are not sensitive to contact shooting. The ammunition is not held in by a simple button that’s easy to actuate inadvertently on foreign objects or in a fight. They are difficult to ND under stress but (speaking of quality guns here) easy to shoot deliberately. They are not sensitive to ammo choice. .38 Spl gives, with good ammo selection, ample penetration with good controllability. Wheelguns conceal like crazy because of their rounded, organic shapes. There is a historicity (or character, perhaps, I couldn’t find a better word) to carrying one, especially for older or prior LEOs and their kids/friends/associates/trainees.

    You give up capacity, but that’s the trade-off for having your ammo attached quite securely to your gun.

    And why do I want an AIWB for my skinny model 10?
    The siren’s song calls to all that sail into the fog.
    Well, you may be a man. You may be a leprechaun. Only one thing’s for sure… you’re in the wrong basement.

  4. #4
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    ...the .38 across it's life as a service weapon was considered marginal. Only a couple of loads ever got it off it's face and on to it's knees.
    The same can be said about the 9x19. If it weren't for the boatloads of R&D money thrown at it recently, it would still be true. .38 Special hasn't benefitted from the same level of R&D.

    Wadcutters are recommended for snubbies because they're more controllable and penetrate to FBI standards. I'm unaware of anyone who recommends them in larger guns.

    There aren't any .38 Special loads on Doc's list because Doc's list is limited to 9x19, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. He mentions a couple in his .38 vs .380 thread, but that's specifically for snubbies. He has favorably mentioned the R-P version of the FBI load for use in 4" revolvers.

    Though it's counterintuitive, some of us (including me) shoot revolvers better than autoloaders.

    IMO, the biggest reason to choose an autoloader over a revolver remains capacity rather than ammo effectiveness. That's why I've switched, but I'm still comfortable carrying my 4" M10 stuffed with the R-P FBI load, and just ordered a JMCK IWB 3 for it to replace the leather IWB I used to use.
    Last edited by revchuck38; 11-30-2020 at 08:00 AM.

  5. #5

    Just carry/shoot what you are proficient with

    No matter what firearm one shoots, proficiency is what I am looking for. Putting holes on the paper so to speak. This takes practice with the firearm, shooting carry ammo, hand-eye coordination, controlling breathing....the list goes on. Shooting against a timer can add a bit of stress....just to show how groups can open up when timed.

    So I don't care what handgun/caliber a person has on his/her person. Just be able to hit what you aim at. If a recoil sensitive person shoots and is proficient with a .22, well then bravo. If someone else wants to shoot a 44 magnum, and is proficient, well then, "Go ahead, make my day". My point simply is, no matter what you shoot, be a good shot! Have confidence in the firearm and your abilities.

  6. #6
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by feudist View Post
    Had I been allowed to carry magnums, I would likely have stayed with the revolver a lot longer than most cops did. But magnums are plain nasty in carry sized guns,
    Nasty how and what's carry size? If you want penetration, a .357 magnum from a 4" barrel seems to offer it in spades.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  7. #7
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
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    While I prefer carrying magnums I really dont feel undergunned with 130gr rangers or a 158gr swc at 900-1000fps.

    I am planing on looking for a 125gr jhp (probably xtps) that I can push 1100fps from a 4" that still expands from a 2" gun.

  8. #8

    The senior citizen

    I realize that the PF crowd is mostly interested in carry guns, but there is a segment of the population that I think is well served by a double-action, medium frame, .38 revolver. They are interested ONLY in home defense, not carry. They are generally not gun people, but open to learning the basics of safe gun handling. Who am I talking about ? Your 78 old grandmother, living alone, with hand strength issues and recoil sensitivity. I’m putting her in a S&W model 10, with factory wad cutters. When asked, that is my go to answer. FYI, I reside in a 55 plus community. I probably know your grandmother (LOL).

  9. #9
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BehindBlueI's View Post
    Nasty how and what's carry size? If you want penetration, a .357 magnum from a 4" barrel seems to offer it in spades.
    My 2.75" gun actually shoots some loads faster than my m19 and the rest are nearly identical

  10. #10
    The logic behind wadcutters in the little j-frames is pretty straightforward. It goes like this:

    1. Magnums offer marginal performance gains over +P JHP rounds in exchange for unacceptable levels of recoil and muzzle blast.
    2. +P JHPs are unlike to expand when fired out of J-frame/LCR revolvers and offer harsh levels of recoil, plus sometimes don't hit to the fixed sights.
    3. 148gr WC offer acceptable levels of recoil, and in 100% of tests will meet the FBI penetration standards after defeating 4LD. Plus, they frequently print right behind the front sight, which is what we want.

    I carry wadcutters in my LCR, and 135gr +P Gold Dots in my L-Frames.

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