Does a 38 Special have good stopping power?
As mentioned before, 38 Special +P is an excellent personal defense round and it will stop the bad guy so long as you do your part. However, the 357 Mag will just do it a bit better, so it gets the nod for stopping power.
Is 38 Special enough for self-defense?
Is 38 Special A Good Self Defense Round? The gist of . 38 Special is that it's a medium bullet at medium velocity. It can be effective for personal defense but ammunition selection (and placement!) is important, especially if your gun has a shorter barrel length.
How lethal is a 38 Special?
Of course the 38 Special has enough energy to kill a man, though with seven main caveats : Distance. Every round has a maximum effective range. The 38 SPC has a shorter range than a 357 mag, but a longer range than, say, a 32 acp.
Does 38 Special over penetrate?
38 Special Ballistics. The issue with shooting . 38 Special out of short-barreled revolvers is that the bullet's muzzle velocity stays under 1,000 fps which isn't enough to expand when it hits ballistic gel. Instead, it typically will over-penetrate with little to no expansion.
Is a 38 Special stronger than a 9mm?
The standard pressure for the . 38 Special is roughly 17,000 pounds-per-square-inch (psi). However, the 9mm Luger has internal pressures of 35,000 psi. It's this higher internal pressure, the result of expansive propellant design and testing, that makes the smaller 9mm more powerful.
Is 38 Special easy to shoot?
38 Special is very easy to shoot, a micro revolver – like a J-frame – is snappy, the tiny grips can give some people fits, and the short barrel radius make them difficult to get very accurate with.
Is a 38 Special a girl gun?
38 Special was touted as a perfect women's gun because it was small, light and super simple to operate. Practically everyone accepted this as fact.
Does a 38 kick harder than a 9mm?
Recoil. . 38mm Special offers low recoil when compared to the 9mm Luger.
Will 38 Special go through walls?
. 38 Special is a low velocity pistol round. It would probably hit the brick, flatten out & wouldn't penetrate the brick wall. It might crack the brick, but wouldn't penetrate a brick.
Why carry a 38 Special?
Known for its accuracy and manageable recoil, the .38 Special remains one of the most popular revolver cartridges in the world more than a century after its introduction. It is used for recreational target shooting, formal target competition, personal defense, and small-game hunting.
Why is .38 Special so hard to find?
The Shortage of 38 Special Ammo
The intricate web of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors involved in ammunition production has been disrupted by various factors. From raw material shortages to transportation challenges, the entire supply chain has faced unprecedented strain.
What is the deadliest pistol caliber?
While more powerful handgun cartridges, such as the . 500 Bushwhacker, have emerged since, they are only available in custom firearms, and the . 500 S&W remains the most powerful production handgun cartridge.
Is a 45 stronger than a 38 Special?
The 45 ACP is a lower pressure round and can handle 21,000 psi of pressure per SAAMI specs. In contrast, the 38 Super is rater for higher pressure and can handle 36,500 psi, which is 14,500 psi higher than 45 and 1,500 psi higher than 9mm Luger.
What caliber is best for self defense?
The 9mm caliber is a popular choice for concealed carry due to its manageable recoil, high-capacity magazines, and wide availability of ammunition. It strikes a balance between controllability and effectiveness, making it a versatile option for self-defense.
Is a snub nose 38 good for self defense?
If you shoot a . 38 snub nose accurately, it's a decent enough weapon for self defense. That being said: It's on the low end for power.
Is .38 or 9mm better?
Ultimately, either round is great choice for self defense or just fun at the range. The 9mm is cheaper and there are plenty of semi-auto handguns on the market to choose from. However, if you like wheel guns, you can't go wrong shooting the . 38 Special.
Is 38 Special more powerful than 380?
Comparing . 380 ACP versus . 38 Special, the latter is the more powerful cartridge. This is something to keep in mind, even for small carry guns.
What guns can shoot 38 Special?
What is the Best Handgun for a Beginner? A 22LR handgun is ideal for a beginner learning to shoot because of its light recoil. For self-defense we recommend a quality 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Our #1 recommendation is the Glock 17 9mm.
What is the easiest gun to shoot for self-defense?
The SIG Sauer P238 is a great choice for women seeking a classic handgun style chambered for . 380 ACP. It's modeled on an all-metal 1911 frame while weighing only 15.2 ounces. Its caliber and comfortable grip create lighter recoil, making it easy to handle and shoot.
Is a .380 a woman's gun?
Looking at the ballistics tables below, we see that the 357 Magnum has higher muzzle energy for most of the handgun rounds listed. On average, the 357 has about 600 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle compared to an average of 340 ft-lbs for 9mm. But all that muzzle energy comes at the cost of recoil.
Is 357 stronger than 9mm?
38 special has a maximum chamber pressure of 17,000 psi. 9mm has a max chamber pressure of 35,000 psi. . 38 special was originally a black powder round, which is why it uses a large case compared to 9mm. Black powder has more bulk and generates less pressure than modern smokeless powder.
Why is 38 Special weaker than 9mm?
380 ACP is a viable round for self defense I can say from personal experience it definitely IS. It wouldn't be my first choice, but if that isn't your only option, it is better than nothing. As with any gun, you should put some time into learning to shoot it well.
Will a 380 stop an intruder?
Designed to completely harness the full capabilities of a 38 Special + P load, the Underwood +P 125 gr XTP self-defense ammo has the highest muzzle velocity and kinetic energy of any factory load on our top 4 list.
What is the most powerful 38 Special ammo?
Size. One of the primary advantages of a snub nose revolver is its size. With a shorter barrel and smaller frame, these guns are much easier to carry and conceal than larger firearms. This makes them an ideal choice for people who need a reliable self-defense weapon but don't want to carry a bulky or heavy gun.
Why do people carry snub noses?
Revolvers tend to be of more solid design and construction and those features allow revolvers to be chambered for more powerful cartridges. It is the cartridges they can be chambered for that makes many revolvers more powerful than most semi-auto handguns.
Why are revolvers so powerful?
Probably the 2.7mm Kolibri. It's the smallest caliber ever made and has a 3 grain bullet and 3 ft lbs of muzzle energy. For reference, a . 22 short has about a minimum of around 44 ft lbs of muzzle energy.
What caliber is the weakest?
22LR (long rifle) that can be used in a wide range of firearm types, including both handguns and rifles. Mostly used for target practice and small game hunting, these bullets can still be lethal when fired at people, though they are the least lethal of the various calibers.
What caliber is least lethal?
Since . 380 ACP is already a slow round, that means ammunition selection is critical. But know, too, that – again - . 380 ACP has proven to be effective in real-life defense situations IF the shooter chooses a quality bullet and does their job as a marksman.
Is .380 OK for self-defense?
It could be the attacker has been shot before and isn't fazed because they lived through the event, so even receiving gunfire may not faze them until they “stop”. But a 44 Magnum is going to go right through almost any person for the most part and hit the kid behind them. I say “most” because, well, “most”.
Will a 44 Magnum stop an attacker?
22-caliber versions of their centerfire pistols and rifles and these make excellent training guns. If our purpose when shooting defensively is to stop the threat, then a . 22, especially with the right bullet selection, will get the job done.
Will a 22 pistol stop an intruder?
The . 380 ACP is generally considered the smallest caliber that is reasonable for self-defense. . 38 Special and . 357 Magnum have more recoil than the .
What is the smallest caliber for self-defense?
In individuals without an impact of the projectile at the base of the skull, bullets lodged in the head were found up to a calibre of 7.65 mm (pistol) or . 38 special (revolver), respectively. In cases with a trajectory through the cranial fossae positive results were obtained up to 9 mm (pistol) or even .
Will a 38 Special go through a skull?
38 Special should only be considered weak when compared to modern smokeless cartridges. It was a better round than the . 38 Long Colt it replaced. Remember, it's been around since 1898.
Is 38 Special a weak round?
38 special with a longer case, contains 35,000 psi. In general, the more pressure a cartridge contains, the louder it will be. So always wear your hearing protection, but .
Why is a .38 so loud?
38 special from any reputable manufacturer will be accurate enough to hit targets at 50 yards. Most shooters are not, especially if shooting free hand. Good sights or optics and lots of practice will be needed.
How accurate is the 38 Special?
As the 38 Special was initially a black powder cartridge, its pressure remains comparatively low at 17,000 psi. Its common 158 grain bullet achieves a velocity of only 755 feet per second out of a 4-inch barrel, delivering 200 ft lbs of energy at the muzzle.
How many FPS is a 38 Special?
38 Special loads. A medium-frame, 4-inch barrel revolver with heavy +P loads is a formidable defensive revolver with controllable recoil and excellent wound potential.
Is a 38 Special a good self-defense weapon?
The standard pressure for the . 38 Special is roughly 17,000 pounds-per-square-inch (psi). However, the 9mm Luger has internal pressures of 35,000 psi. It's this higher internal pressure, the result of expansive propellant design and testing, that makes the smaller 9mm more powerful.
Is 38 Special more powerful than 9 mm?
Most 38 Special handguns will provide you with 5 or 6 shots (chances) to stop an attacker. If you can execute a brain shot, under the stress of being attacked, that shot will likely stop the attacker.
How much stopping power does a 38 have?
38 Special has a good balance between power and controllability for defense uses. Follow up shots are not slowed by high recoil. Recoil is acceptable for small light pocket pistols.
What makes 38 Special so special?
There's usually some difference between technical and commercial denominations of cartridges, and the . 38 Special was called "Special" to underline how it was better than the previous cartridges.
What's the best 38 Special?
A revolver has very few moving parts. Fewer things can go wrong with it for that reason alone, which means a revolver is less likely to fail during a self-defense scenario. Furthermore, if a revolver encounters a dud, the shooter only has to pull the trigger to align the next round with the barrel (assuming it's a DA).
Why is it called a 38 Special?
In 2015, the Glock 19, a compact 9 mm, was added to the SEAL handgun inventory. The SEALs plan to eventually replace the P226s with the newer Glocks. For now, the M9 continues to be the primary sidearm for U.S. uniformed personnel worldwide and the P226 continues to be the primary handgun of the SEALs.
Why revolvers are better than pistols?
There's not as much training and practice needed to correctly and safely use a revolver compared to what's typically recommended with pistols. This tends to make revolvers safer for newer or less experienced firearms users.
What pistol do Navy SEALs carry?
Is a 380 a weak gun?
Are revolvers or pistols safer?
What is a ladies gun?
Is 38 Special more powerful than 380?
Can a 380 hurt someone?
Is a 38 Special more powerful than a 40 cal?
What is the best 38 Special ammo for defense?
Comparing . 380 ACP versus . 38 Special, the latter is the more powerful cartridge. This is something to keep in mind, even for small carry guns.
What is the best 38 Special defense load?
The . 40 S&W is also a more powerful round, with a higher velocity and greater stopping power than the . 38 Special. Another important difference to consider is the recoil.