@@tylerhaskiell3184 Automatics jam..might not jam at your gun range but could jam in real life and that could cost you your life. Revolvers will go bang..6 shots of 38 is enough.
Nice! I just bought one for 300. It’s a Rossi 5 Shot Edition. I’ve yet to shoot it due to limited Bullets but I do own 50 bullets of it plus my 12 and 20 Gauge Shotguns!😂
@@frankberst9849 I love Pump Action Shotguns. I tell people if you want a very reliable powerful decent gun, get a 20 or 12 Gauge Shotgun whether it’s a Savage Arms or Maverick 88.
Robert Crowley also, isn't that the reason 38's have more knockdown power? the 9mm will go right through, where the 38 will put all the energy into the target.
Robert Crowley I agree and not only is he using plywood he's using three-quarter inch plywood and four of them so add that up that's 3 in of wood I think the skin of a person is a little less than that duh
Shooting through barriers is real shit. I had an altercation with an angry person in a car with a gun. I was able to get away but still glad i had a g26 with +p t series and an extra mag for the 3 other guys with him.
The two bullets are different, the.38, a hollow point, and the 9mm, a solid bullet. The hollow point will tend to loose energy as it begins to flatten out.
Loaded to max potential, the 38 Special is MUCH more powerful than the 9mm. Standard Pressure 38 Special is kept at 17,000 PSI peak in factory ammo because there are 19th and early 20th Century revolvers still around that could be destroyed by a heavily loaded, high pressure 38 Special. In a 357 Magnum revolver, the 38 Special can be loaded to exactly the same power level as the 357, because 38 Special specs call for the bullet to be seated out 1/10" farther than the 357 Mag, meaning the powder capacity and pressure are identical between 38 SPL and 357 Mag. (Crimp groove on 357 Bullet seats nose 0.300" outside case; crimp groove on PROPER 38 Special bullet seats bullet nose 0.395" outside case). In the 1920's for Police use, the 38 Special HV(High Velocity AKA 38/44 for "38 SPL/ 44 Frame") was loaded to nearly 1200 fps for a 158gr bullet out of a 6" barrel. These loads were marked "for use only in 44 Frame 38 revolvers" (AKA "N" Frame S&W). The fear that these 38 SPL HV loads would destroy "K" frame revolvers is what eventually lead to the 357 Magnum in 1935. Lengthening the 357 case 1/10" longer than the 38 Spl, ensured that 38 SPL HV loads and hotter could never be loaded into a "K" frame.
You have no idea what you are taking about. It is true that you can load a .38 Special case to the power and pressure of .357 Magnum. In which case you would have a .357 Magnum load not .38 Special. Stop trying to make .38 Special something that it is not.
@@TheGearTester Check some of the Buffalo Bore +P loadings for 38 Special. The 38 SPL +P 158 Gr LSWC-HP pretty well duplicates the 38/44 load from the 1920's described in the previous post, and will blow any 9mm +P+ load out of the water. Also, suggest you read page 278 in SIXGUNS (Elmer Keith, 1961 Edition) for a description of the 38 Spl (including the 38/44 loading) that pretty much states what I said in my previous post. The 38 Special standard pressure is considered 17,000 PSI and less by SAAMI. Most factory loadings that are "+P" run just a bit above 18,000 PSI and are very mild actually. SAAMI actually lists maximum +P pressures for the 38 SPL at 21,000 PSI, but only Buffalo Bore (and hand loaders) push 38 Special ammo to that level. At 21,000 PSI levels, using a good progressive powder like Hodgdon Lil' Gun, the 38 Special can easily leave the 9mm +P+ loads behind, at safe SAAMI rated pressures safe in any modern 38 Special revolver. Now, I suggest you go to the Buffalo Bore website, and to Hodgdon's reloading website, and to the SAAMI website, to verify the information I just provided. The 9mm is a fine cartridge, but as an auto pistol cartridge it is limited in bullet shape and power levels. The 38 Special is far more versatile than the 9mm, able to fire any bullet shape or composition without issue, with a wide range of power levels from mild to wild that the 9mm cannot hope to rival.
With FMJ maybe. But for JHP ammo, velocity generally helps them expand faster and more violently, and its more likely to tear tissue than just poke through making a tiny self closing hole.
Been threw this conversation. lol i did the same thing.. the way i see it if it takes u ten rounds to hit what ur aiming at? Ull be in big trouble before u get 5 off..
I’m pretty sure without a shout of a doubt the 38 special fmj is able to go through someone and through walls. That’s why I pick hallow point in home defense.
You kept making a great important point then backed away from it. As a former LE officer who carried .45 and then 9mm on duty because of rules, I always carried a 38 special as backup (and used it a few times claiming my 9 jammed) and always carried it off duty and after retiring. As your board demonstration proved the 9mm is prone to going through a human body, even as a hollow point and offers little stopping power, as an ER doctor told me, the slug is so hot it cauterizers the wound as it passes through. Several suspects had been shot through major arteries but lost almost no blood due to cauterization, they kept firing and were only taken down by head or major organs being hit. I shot one suspect in the side with my .38 missing all organs, but the force of the slug stopping inside him took him down, and even though no artery had been hit, he'd lost so much blood in the 15 mins to get an ambulance and get him to ER he almost died. And yes we did apply pressure to his wound. If we'd realized how much internal bleeding was happening we'd not have waited for the ambulance.
Wonder what would happen if you shot the 9mm out of a 2" barrel and the .38spl out of a 4" barrel? Also, I wonder how often the revolver jams or stove pipes a round?
So which was 3"? Any way you measure it, the 9mm had more distance and time in an enclosed barrel than did the .38spl. Measured from the tip of the bullet nose or from the end of the cartridge, the 9mm had the most length to travel. Period. I merely mused how the results would be different if the lengths were reversed.
kinda noticing a trend with this channel. These "tests" aren't close to being "fair". I agree with what's been said about barrel length. Same problem with another video he posted. Talk about a forced outcome. On top of that, who's to say that they didn't switch up the shot placement. Just bad "testing" in general.
A +P 38 special through a 4" barrel is actually more powerful than a standard 9mm out of that subcompact Glock. However, your test is still valid because most people do carry the .38 in snubbies, so it's some real world expectations of the .38 special. One thing I have to say though, is that a breast plate with heart and lungs behind it, doesn't have plywood in front of it! A .38 special will do just fine.
Why is it that snub nosed revolvers are always used when comparing the 38 to the 9mm? And why do people fall silent once you get to the + p loads on 4 inch barrels?
Good video. In my personal point of view I think in regards of damage and killing power it might be better if a bullet stuck half way and push the attacker back and do a lot more damage inside with any type of movement than a through and through (Keeping in mind bad shot placement) Shot placement will always be most important.
If you are serious about doing more head to head tests, I'll send you a box of Underwood gold-dot +p 125 .38's for the J and a box of standard pressure 9mm gold-dot 124's for the g26 on my dime. No joke. 9mm gives up less in short barrels than .38 but the Underwood .38 +p loads aren't wussed out like golden sabers. Underwood's standard pressure .38 loads are hotter than golden saber +p.
It's great to see that my little J frame is going to dump all its energy into its intended target and not over penetrate. Federal HST + P 130 grain JHP.
This is my first time watching one of your videos, and I truly enjoyed it. Looking at a side by side test with real objects is way better than just watching shots into gel. Seeing the penetration factor and the difference between a hollow point and fmj really puts things into perspective.
Kind of funny really; comparing apples to oranges. Velocity doesn't kill people any better in self-defense mode. Who cares if it comes out the other end. If that bullet mushrooms when it hits soft tissue, the bad guy is going down.
Lol ok the 2 in barrel vs 3 1/2 or 4 in barrel u think is fair to compare it. The 38 spl wnt burn not even half of the powder unless u buy special ammo for the 2 in barrel
Realize I’m way late to the party but anyone buying a .38 special for self defense is probably gonna load it with +p ammo in the highest grain available. You should use that in a real world test against 9mm highest grain available for penetration
Come on now, at least do 124 9mm to 125 38 Special or 130 9mm to 135 38 Special. I get not using same length barrel as what u used is most common, but get closer grain weights on the bullets !!!
For me a .38 special will be perfect for about 10-30 yards but a glock will be better for anything from 30-50 yards . A .38 is to just get the job done quick a glock can be used for anything
The penetration equals the stopping power you will need in critical moments when an 6'6" man on PcPs is rushing you, only then you will wish your 38spl Pentwater seven boards. Now you know why the cops abandoned 38spl for the manstopper round 9mm. Trix is for kids
I carry both everyday everywhere . S&W 642 air weight with 38+P Sig Elite V-Crown defense JHP and my Glock 26 with Sig Elite V-Crown defense JHP . This is an excellent defense round with stellar reviews! I use it in all my CCW rotation guns. I pocket carry the air weight snub in a Remora pocket holster and it doubles as a quick get to console gun while driving car ( car jacking is real shit! ) when I’m seated I put the gun with its pocket holster between drive seat and e- brake handle and it sits perfectly while my Glock 26 rides IWB at the 4 o’clock position. When carrying concealed like this it can be difficult and really slow to access that gun if in an emergency so I like having the snub at the ready should I ever need that quick instant defense, and bad guys aren’t as hard as 3.5 boards of plywood 😝💥🇺🇸✌️
Try Buffalo Bore 38 SPL +P 158 gr Outdoorsman. You will find that it will out-penetrate ANY 9mm load in existence, even from a 2" revolver. The 38 SPL is by far the better round over 9mm, because 38 SPL loadings can go from mild to wild, with any bullet shape from full wadcutter to FMJ. The 148 gr 38 Wadcutter can be as low as 600 fps from a 2" revolver to 1000+ fps in +P loadings. The 158 gr 38 SPL can be as low as 650 fps from a 4" revolver to nearly 1200 fps from a 4" revolver in +P loadings. In other words, the 38 SPL can weaker than a 9mm, or much more powerful than even a 9mm+P+, depending on which ammo you choose. If my 38 Revolver was built in 1920, than I'll stick with mild standard pressure loadings; If my modern 38 Revolver is built on a 357 Magnum frame, then my 38 Spl handloads can totally blow away ANY 9mm +P+ loading in existence. In max power loadings, the 9mm can never equal the 38 SPL at max, because the 38 SPL has nearly twice the case capacity under the same weight bullet!
So, one could argue that 38 special would be better for self-defense since no one walks around wearing three layers of plywood when they leave the house, and you can spend less time worrying about overpenetration. All kidding aside, carry what makes you comfortable and shot placement over caliber is probably more important. Thanks for making this video.
9mm case capacity is far less than 38special case capacity. It's clear the industry loads 38special to a pretty moderate or low potential in the vast majority of what exists. Doing hand-loads, you can run up to touching the bottom of low 357magnum stuff, which is how Elmer Keith and others got the 357mag on the market in the first place. The 38special is far more versatile overall than 9mm, been around for over 100 years, used by law enforcement for about 70 years, has a mountain of guns around the world chambered for it, runs a wider array of bullet weights than 9mm. To each their own. In other videos: 158gr Underwood Hardcast SWC 38special+p Penetrates 6-1/4 inches stacked pine boards 4" test barrel.
Your bullet weights are unequal. At least Paul Harrell tries to find the same bullet Weights when doing a comparison. Ever try the 110 grain loading in 38? Also fmj will always overpenetrate. Was the 38 a bonded bullet?
make sure you do a bullet test both won't you be the same kind of rounds 38 special full metal jacket and a 9mm Full Metal Jacket why would you use a hollow point 38 Special against the Full Metal Jacket 9mm
I have a compact 9mm and an 856 snub. I am equally comfortable with either when I am out and about. They will both do the trick when your facing a deadly attack. I really like that you used thick plywood as compared to gel because seeing a bullet slam through thick boards tells you it will definitely do the job. Good video!
Dude 38 special with bonded bullets are devastating, and with +p or +p+ variety even more so. Most who carry a 5 shot revolver as I do in :357 magnum know how to reload them smooth and fast if needed. As a back up there is nothing better in a pinch than a 357 revolver so you can shoot both 357 & 38 special.
You shouldn't be giving advice on firearms when you use a bias test to show your preconceived bias notion. I've seen very different results on a fair test on a soft tissue Target
The 9 mm may be more powerful and a semi-auto may carry more rounds...but those aren't the really issues. Is 38 Special powerful enough to kill an attacker? Are 5 rounds enough? The answer to both is a resounding YES!
The barrel length of the Glock is 3.4 inches. The barrel of the revolver looks to be less than 2 inches. Considering over penetration is a liability in a home defense situation think I'll go with the 38 special. Going though walls and hitting an innocent party being family member or neighbor is a consideration. A good 4 inch barrel six shooter is more reliable, easier to maintain, and safer for those with limited training not to mention having a stoppage will put the semi out of the fight, with the revolver one just has to pull the trigger again.In the end it's all about shot placement and mindset and training, lots of training!
You proved that a heavier bullet, fired from a longer barrel, will give you better results. However, I will note something that MANY of these videos ignore: most civilian firearms incidents end after 1 or 2 shots. Most, if not all. Even when 8-10 shots are fired, it's usually just a panicking shooter who continues to fire after the assailant/victims are already running away, or down. "But what about multiple attackers?" How many of you are going to get into sustained firefights, with attackers who won't immediately run at the first sign of lethal resistance? Buy what you want, carry what you want - but stop the fantasizing please. It's all marketing aimed at your insecurities. And (based on gun and ammo sales) IT IS WORKING.
M. Riggs I don't know what's the deal with all of these test with guns if you get shot with any round you're going down or be killed... I just don't get it!
Considering that the human skull isn’t as thick as plywood, nor are the organs...38spec still does the job. 357 also does the job. I carry 45 cal 1911 or 357 revolver. I trained with glock in law Enforcement ...the gun is trash. Trying to shoot at 25 yards with glock ain’t happening..1911 or 357? No problem. 9mm is good ammunition, no doubt. Glock is just a automatic disqualification. Not bad video. Just no real info.
This is a great demonstration because there's very little getting around what's staring you right in the face. Many times I'm having to explain to newbs that they never want to use FMJ in their home as a primary defense round. Basically, they're not gun people and they figured they've forked out the money for the gun already and so why pay exorbitant prices for ammo? They're all bullets, so what's the difference? And most times we're talking 9mm. and so I'm really trying to impart to them the over penetrating nature of 9mm. Sometimes I reach them, sometimes I don't. Sometimes, they flat don't believe me about 9mm. FMJ and what it's capable of either. Something else I notice many times is this train of thought held by many that somehow (and I don't know exactly where people get this notion) .38 Special and 9mm. are ballistically similar. Of course the reality is that they can't be by virtue of the fact that .38 runs between 17,000 PSI and 20,000 PSI on the high side with +P loadings whereas 9mm. Luger is working at a baseline of 35,000 PSI up to 38,500 PSI with the +P loads.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! I understood that 9mm was more powerful than .38 Special but I did this penetration test simply to give myself a real world example of the difference between .38 Special and 9mm.
You'll have to forgive. My commentary wasn't pointed at you specifically. It was meant to be general in its observation. I should have said something on the order of, "what's staring observers right in the face."
The FBI. According to them you need a round to expand as well as penetrate 14-16 inches in FBI ballistic gelatin. True, ballistic gelatin can't replicate the human body perfectly, but some kind of standard is necessary and it's the best we have. Now granted, essentially 100% of the gelatin tests on youtube aren't to FBI spec, but even in the imperfect tests an expanded 9mm will perform better than an expanded 38 in most cases. Plus you've got 2 to 3 times more 9 in comparable guns than 38. I'm sure you've heard some of this before. But why do I think energy transfer is BS? www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/6199620-Why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job/ This story is one of the reasons. Surely .45 has more energy than 38?
Classic response for fanatics of weak pistol ammo. It's as feeble as the caliber. It's the same old worn out and tired excuse that gets regurgitated every time the subject gets brought up. The amount of muzzle energy imparted on target is a HUGE deal. If you don't understand that then please stop spreading misinformation that favors the use of weak pistol ammunition.
The 9mm ball round is one of the finest anti-personell rounds out there. You say it’s dangerous, I say it’s supposed to be. You have to hide behind something pretty solid to be safe from a good old fashioned parabellum pistol.
Unfortunately you compared a 9mm out of a 3.4” barrel to a .38spc out of a 1.8” barrel. So if everything else was equal, naturally you would have more velocity and power out of the longer G26 barrel(almost twice as long as the 442).
Got to get your barrel lengths lined up because 9mm isn’t more powerful than a 38+p and the velocities stated on the box for 38 are out of a snubi not a 4 inch which is best.
This is what happens when the basics are not even suspected, let alone known. 'He' or 'they' need to find out the difference between momentum and kinetic energy.
This is a good demonstration of barrel length increasing velocity...which increases penetration. You would have to shoot the 38 out of the same length barrel to compare the rounds.
TheGearTester it is a very cool video. I like it But if i shot the same 9mm round out of a 4 inch barrel and a 9mm 2 inch barrel, the 4 inch would penetrate farther. Because the longer barrel produces greater velocity. I know 9mm has more pressure, but it isn't as far off as this video may suggest
Most 9x19mm loads will deliver more energy out of a 3" barrel than .38Spl +P loads will deliver out of a 2" barrel. That said, there are .38 Spl +P loadings that will close that gap vs the ones you used. Against people, the old 158gr LRN which clocks very slow out of the 2" barrel can still pass through.
Why is this? I can't understand why a 9mm is more powerful when they are essentially the same size (.355 vs .357) and the .38 special has a larger casing (presumably for more gundpowder?). The main difference here was the weight of the slug and the barrel length of each pistol. A lot of factors go into this at a greater factor than the diameter difference of .002 inches.
I have a 9mm and a 38 special. I prefer the 158 semi-wad cutter hollow point +p (Dallas, New York load). The semi-wad cutter bullet does a lot more internal damage than the 9mm.
This is a flawed and unequal comparison First you are shortchanging th the 38 with a sub 2 inch barrel, while the Glock gets a 3 incher. Where the 38 puts the penetration to the Max is a 158 gr lhp plus p . That gives you the best combinations of size weight and stopping power. Want to really make the 38 shine? Use lhp plus pBuffalo Bore which chrongraphs out of a 2 inch barrel at 1025-1030 and a three inch barrel at just under 1100 fps. Game changer.
What the test doesn’t show is the shooters competency or the reliability of the firearm. An other point is the majority of confrontations end with just showing the weapon and when shots fired on,y a small minority result in more than 3 shots fired by both parties combined. It is far more important to use a gun your comfortable with and are proficient in its use.
Great comparison, but anyone with firearms knowledge knows the differences. G26 vs a .38 snubby of all makes. Both are great personal carry weapons, but one will outperform the other. My mantra is carry what you like. Your end result “gawd forbid” will be equivalent in the end.
Aw, come on. Didn't everybody know that pistols hold more ammo than revolvers. And nobody knew the 9mm Parabellum is an over penetrating son of a gun? With all that YOutube money shoot some gelatin blocks and show the wound channels I love my Glocks in .45 ACP, only own one 9mm in a civi P38 and 3 different Walther PP and PPK variants. Give me my J frame and 5 rounds through the little titanium frame with .125 gr. +P loads and I love it. Shoots right where I want it, every time!
The 9 mm full metal jacket will penetrate much more than most people even realize and yes it will go through plywood like butter ! It very well can over penetrate a human body in case of a self defense senario where you absolutely had to shoot a bad guy to stop him from attacking you ! That's why you use hollow points for self defense in your 9 mm handgun ! Silvertip or expanding hollow points and use 124 grain bullet weight when you do ! The standard 9 mm is faster than the standard 38 in any case such as Glock versus a 4 inch barrel 38 revolver much less a 2 inch barrel ! For those that don't know the +p 9mm holds it's own against the 357 magnum !! Yes that is correct look up the ballistics yourself ! +P 9mm versus standard pressure 357 magnum , and even though the 357 is a magnum the velocity difference between the+p 9mm is not much at all ! True that the revolver won't jam or stove pipe but if you have shot your automatic enough to break it in and keep it lubed then the chances of having a jam or stove pipe is slim to none!
What this guy failed to mention is that the 38 special hollow point didn't penetrate as far because it mushroomed alot better than the 9mm hollow point did just like hollow points are supposed to do . You can clearly see that in the video !
To make this test fair your 9mm should be a snubbie. Snubbies lose a lot of velocity with those short barrels. Use a 4in Barrel revolver against the 9mm and you'll see a difference.
Your comparison is not equal. The barrels, bullets weights, and powder charges are all different. As both bullets are the same diameter, and of equal weight, when shot from the same length barrels they should have very similar results. For decades .38 spec. was always the more powerful round until 9mm was adopted by Police and more powerful 9mm rounds came next. It’s true advantage was the semi autos capacity was larger. If you really want them more powerful 38 rounds are still available from many manufacturers. As the 38 has a much larger powder capacity it can easily out power the 9mm when hand loaded. One of the reasons it’s been downloaded over the years is the popularity of light weight aluminum frame revolvers, which have more recoil than a steel frame and are uncomfortable to shoot with heavier loads. The fact is that the same j frame revolver can be had in a steel frame mod. 60 that actually shoots .357 mag.
Sure a semi auto has more rounds and is more powerful than a revolver... When the revolver is chambered in 38 special. Lol. If it was a 357, you would have different results I think.
After over 50 years of experience, it is my experience that You will not be shooting plywood. How much penetration do you need? Put it in the right place and move on. Period. Oh will I guess some people shoot so bad that they need more than 5 or six rounds. Put a bullet, whatever, in the right place and move on. It is not equipment inadequacy that is at issue.
.38 makes a bigger hole 🕳 😳 than 9mm. 9mm makes a smaller hole at higher pressure which makes it penetration better. The trade off. It's just poking holes at a terminal hit on target.
