![]() ![]() 357 Magnum revolvers were the default police sidearm from the 50s onward. While easy to shoot, the original police load was long considered little better than adequate, which is why. ![]() The original load was a 158-grain roundnose lead bullet at somewhere between 800 and 900 feet per second (depending) and 310 ft-lbs of energy out of a 6-inch barrel. 38 Special was the hot load of its day, using a touch more smokeless powder than. 38 Smith & Wesson Special were essentially continuations on the theme. 36 caliber percussion pistols into the cartridge era.36 caliber guns were some of the most popular for personal protection and police use, so cartridges like. 38 Smith & Wesson Special, was one of the first pistol cartridges to be made with smokeless powder, as it came at the end of the black powder era. So which is "better"? It kind of depends on how you mean that… 38 Special. Both have been used and are useful for defensive purposes, both have been used and are useful for competition as well. There are fans of both, and both have been used (and used a lot) for every possible purpose you can use a handgun for.īoth have been in use in police and military service pistols since the dawn of the 20th century. Of the medium bore calibers, these are the two most common chamberings. 38 Special, who knows what they're doing, is necessarily at a serious disadvantage But it's also true that it doesn't mean that a person armed with a. The question of 38 vs 9mm is really "is 38 Special so good that I should have a revolver instead of a semi-auto in 9mm." Is it?īasically no. These are all larger guns, and in them the good ol’ Colt is a cinch to manage and still as effective as it has been since the late 1800s.38 Special vs 9mm. In addition to the Judge, today you have the S&W Governor, S&W Model 25 (part of the company’s Classic line) and Ruger Redhawk. 45 Colt/.410 shotshell revolver sparked a resurgence in a great old round. Then the Taurus Judge arrived on the scene. Until relatively recently, the legendary Colt round had been largely the province of Cowboy Action shooters. 44 Special-out of the same chamber.45 Colt I’ve shot it in my five-inch S&W Model 629, and it’s really controllable-while still providing the penetration you would need against a bear.Īnd as I’ve already mentioned, it’s one of those cartridges that allow the use of a less powerful caliber-in this case the. Options for that sort of task abound, and one of my go-to loads (which, thankfully, I haven’t had to use for real) is a 310-grain hard-cast load from Garrett that is doing only 1,050 fps. It is a popular choice for folks in brown bear country. 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and it will blow your head clean off.” Powerful it is, way more than you need for self-defense-against humans, that is. Say it with me: “This is a Smith & Wesson. Load options have grown over the years, and you can find defensive-specific options from Hornady, SIG, Speer and more.44 Magnum However, I know this is a thing, and the versatility of the chambering allows you to do it. 38s and then keeping the gun loaded with. 357 Magnum is it’s available in many barrel lengths and constructions/weights, and with a bit of experience, most people can handle at least the longer, heavier guns with. But a super-lightweight, alloy-frame gun of the same size? I’d rather pass. 357, recoil is tolerable, although it’s not like I can shoot magnums through it all day. Sure, in lightweight, short-barreled guns it lives up to its “magnum” moniker and can be a real handful-literally. 357 Magnum is the most versatile defensive cartridge we have. I think it would be hard to argue against the case that the. It’s tough for a cartridge when only one maker is paying attention to it. 327 in all its self-defense wheelguns-SP101, GP100, LCR/LCRx-no one else does. Plus, while it’s faded from the scene, the. It’s a bit snappy with that kind of pressure, but the guns I’ve shot have been easily controllable, and by all rights, it should be a capable self-defense round. It’s a hot little number, running at 45,000 psi-a higher chamber pressure than the 9mm. 327 Federal was introduced over a decade ago, and I thought it would take off. These figures don’t account for gun weight or design, which plays a huge role in felt recoil, but they provide some frame of reference.327 Federal Magnum The factors are calculated based on momentum of gas and bullet for a typical loading. The Relative Recoil Factor data are from Bob Forker’s Ammo & Ballistics 6th edition. 44 Magnum ( Hornady Custom), I used Hornady Critical Defense for the muzzle energy figures in an effort to make this as apples-to-apples as possible. No pistol rounds, some of which are found in revolvers today, will not be included.Įxcept for the. We're going to stick with popular rounds chambered by major makers. Here's a roundup of popular revolver cartridges for defense applications.
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