Head-to-Head: 38 vs 357 For Self Defense 

My father was issued a .38 revolver in WWII in the Navy, when he left they gave him the weapon, he taught all us kids how to shoot with that pistol.

Great info Guy. Most all guns have their place, but a good wheelgun in 357 Mag is hard to beat.

I inherited my dad’s S&W model 19 a few years ago. He got it in the early 70’s and it’s had a lot of use but it still shoots like it just came from the factory. It’s one of my favorite guns to handload for. You really can’t beat the classics.

Many Army pilots were issued .38 specials with 4” barrels in Vietnam in the late ‘60’s.

I really enjoyed your article. I started my law enforcement career with the Houston Police Dept in October of 1964. My pistol of choice was a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 4-inch barrel. The cost back then was $97.00. Shortly after that I got into hand loading and casting my own bullets. As you stated in your article, the soft lead factory ammo was a nightmare. I used the Ray Thompson designed semi-wadcutter with a gas check. This bullet and a Lewis Lead remover solved my leading problems. Over the years, I fired thousands of rounds in that gun, and it did develop the problems you described. I didn't have any receiver cutting but my cylinder started allowing the cases to swell and ejection became a problem. The recoil shield where the firing pin comes thru the frame enlarged allowing the primer to crater into it and would lock the gun up. About that time, I was promoted to Detective, so I acquired the 2.5-inch model 19. I had a friend who worked for S&W, and he helped me with returning the other gun to the factor for repairs. This time period was before Smith & Wesson was sold for the first time. The cylinder was replaced at no charge (Metal Fatigue), the recoil Sheild was replaced. and I had them install a six-inch barrel with a gold bead front sight. Things then were a little cheaper, the total cost was $37.00. I still have it. Another fact that became true in your article was Law Enforcment's transition from revolvers to semi-auto's. I learned the reason when I tried to reload my revolver at night running down a railroad track. The next day at work I had a Smith & Wesson Model 5906.

I retired in ‘97 following a 30 year LE career & we’d heard our .38 revolvers were inadequate. I was forced into an on duty shooting w/my issued .38 three times and it did the job. Twice was w/an issued four inch and once w/a Colt DS snub that I had to reload under fire before it was over. In retirement my EDC is a J Frame S&W.

Model 60 ~2" barrel. Practice with generic .38 spl, carry Either Winchester of Harnady +p usually have two speed loaders for a total of 15 rounds.

Worth adding here that in my testing of the Barnes all copper loads that both the 125 grain and the 140 grain loads perform stunningly well.

I carry my j frame 642 every day all day . Grew up shooting revolvers and always liked them better than semi's

38 spl, 125 gr +P....favorite load. Have to try some of the new loads.

With good shot placement, the corpse doesn't know (or care) the difference between 38 Special and 357. In the case of a marginal hit, the 357 has a bit of an advantage due to the typically better bullet expansion at 357 velocity.

Havent carried my SW model 19 for some time. Encouraged by your video I will carry it today. Thank you for your video and greetings from Germany.

What’s great about a revolver is you can load it and put it in a night stand for years and years. There’s no magazine spring under tension. And it’s gonna fire when you need it to. No failures to feed or extract. Obviously you should train with your gun, but you have a more reliable and less fussy option for long term storage.

Thank you for showing the model 19 2.5. I carried it for over ten years and still have it and if the SHTF it will be my back up. One of the best pistols I own as a LEO instructor.

I'm working with an elderly widow friend of the family who does not want to rack a slide or worry about any fiddlebits to disengage so a revolver was her only choice. I really want to have words with the gun store owner who sold her a S&W 642! Nice little 5 shot but as you know snubbies are not exactly recommended for new shooters. Because its a DAO, we had our work cut out for us-it has the crimson-trace grips but she was hauling on that trigger like trying to bring a full bucket up from the well! Because that pistol is so light I started her out with a 110 grain handload and a medium charge of Accurate #5 and taught her to pull the trigger half way through then re-aquire the dot before pulling through. That and the light bullets has helped alot. Her nightstand pistol is a 4 inch 686 her late husband bought on a police trade in and that was simple. Put a 15 pound hammer spring in and she shoots DA pretty well. I cooked up some 158 grain loads using 2400 and she hits well with it. Watermelons make for nice reactive targets!

"I once knew a Guy." haha. Great video. I love my 357, 38 ish.. in several varieties. The belt gets a S&W 642 recently. Blessings to the team. Don't let the boss hide in the office all day.

Love the effort your guys put into your videos! Always time well spent for us 😊

Great video ! Lots of interesting information , I appreciate your time and hard work !

Great video! Thanks for posting it.

Great insights. Thank you for all your research & testing.

Awesome video and thanks for sharing, I enjoy the way you do your videos,

Like the insights, I got a 686 -3 6in,st. I'm running the Hornady xpf125 357m. I bring it out mostly in the wintertime. Where I can cover up with a coat, I live in Southeast Arizona, and when I walk in the mountains.

Love my S&W 686. I mostly use 38 special with 3.6 grains of bullseye behind a Berry’s 158 FMJFP. Makes for nice plinking. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom Guy. Semper Fi brother

I carry a Colt King Cobra with Hornady critical defense. Also carry a SW 432UC, Taurus 327, SW model 30 in 32, 642, and a python for when I’m out in the wilderness.

Model 686-4 had this for about 20 years and love anything 158.

In 1981 I qualified as a police recruit in Atlanta And won the class marksman trophy with a S&W Mod 10 bull barrel .38 spec. 5 years later hired away by Fulton co who issued the S&W mod 65 stainless .357. Still have the Mod 65...love both!

I have a Lyman 4 bullet mold, 75 grain, that I started my youngest daughter with! I loaded it with cci pistol primers and 2 grains of Bullseye. Shooting it in my old S&W Model 19 with a 2 1/2" bbl. That was a good setup for a 7 year old! By the time she was 8 I wouldn't want her shooting at me!! She always enjoyed hunting and fishing!

Excellent video! Thanks...

I’m a police officer and a handloader. I carry a .357 magnum j-frame as a backup loaded with the Hornady 125 grain ftx load. My off-duty carry is a 66-8 combat magnum 2.75”. I load a near-max charge of unique behind a 125 grain XTP. Unique is efficient in the short barrel. It’s very flashy but easy to control. I personally know several police officers who still carry j-frame “5 shooters” as backup guns.

Thank you for showing the 357 J. Frame mod 60 loaded with 38 +p when going fishing .

As a Marine Security Guard on embassy duty back in the mid 1980s, we carried the Rugers and S&W model 10 revolvers in .38 Special. We also carried.357 magnum revolvers when we traveled to and from the embassy. I bet my life to those pistols and have always had a fondness for them through the years. I still carry a S&W 442 for concealed carry now. You are right about getting to the range and practicing with them in order to shoot them well. We did a lot of fam fire while on MSG duty, because it is a perishable skill for sure. I have just recently put together the powder and dies to reload them, so this video is really helpful. I bought a S&W model 10 for nostalgic reasons. Thanks for doing this video with all the reloading data. It has been hard to find any You Tube videos with people willing to share solid data out there and I am glad I found yours. Well done!😊

Great Content Guy!

Really enjoy my 5 shot S&W 638 with CT Laser grip, shooting and reloading 110gr XTP’s and shocked at how accurate that little sucker is when using as single action. Also shooting a Ruger GP100 4” for this I have been getting some super hot loads out of the H110 as well throwing some 158gr XTP’s. Had a 686 distinguished combat model years ago owned at one time by motorcycle cop who crashed and the cylinder was not exactly aligned with barrel and would shave a bit of lead when fired and that little bit of splatter got old, but what a sweet action on a wheel gun. Andy Cannon “Cannons Guns” did the smooth and tune job on that back in his day double action was nice stop then bang!

I have both 38spl+p revolver and a couple 357s. 38 was the first pistol i started shooting at 10yrs old. 110 and 125 xtps for my 38 loads and 140 flex tips my favorite in my 357s also with 140 xtps too. A 38 is what I carried in the military by choice. Have the m17 too. Great video

Still love my wheel guns... model 19-3 6" and Ruger SP-101 with the "tame the beast" package from Wegand. Thanks Guy, fantastic stuff right there 👍

Fantastic video. Been self-debating about hand loading. I think you made your point. Just traded in a 9mm that I loved for a 357 that I also love and carry without any issues. I wanted more power to compensate for less capacity. I got the 2.25 sp101 and very happy with it. Liked and subscribed. 👍

The last revolver my dad carried in a career from 1964 to 1989 was a S&W Model 19-3 with a 4 inch barrel. I remember shooting wade cutters through it in competition in the time frame 1981-83. He has passed away and I have it now. It has a little holster wear and has picked up a few small rust spots. I know a gunsmith who can take those out. Not ever for sale at any price. When I bought my own revolver I got a Rugger GP-100 from the second year of production with a 6 inch barrel. As I got older I found I had issues with recoil from full power loads. So I put a Houge mono-pod grip on and it became fun to shoot again.

Glad to see you mention the .41 Magnum when talking about H110. 👍🏻

Fireballs from self-defense firearms are a big mistake. Having half burned powder with slow or mid burning powders is blinding at night.

I have revolvers for the reasons you sighted sir. I also love the looks.

I hardly believe that any bad guy can remain standing after a good torso hit with a 357 mag full power load ( 125 grain at 1500 fps or 158 grain at 1350 fps) inside 20 yards..... 6 rounds are plenty with you know how to shoot...

I have a S&W Model 60 2". It will handle .38 Spcl +P, but I carry 38 Spcl wadcutters. The 148gr flat nose wadcutter comes out of the muzzle at ~710fps. In ballistic gel, it doesn't expand but it does get 14-16" penetration and the flat nose does a lot more tissue damage along the way than a roundnose or flatnose cone. I haven't found a JHP that reliably expands AND penetrates at least 12". I seem to get expansion or penetration but not both.

Nice to see this presentation for revolvers. But don't sell cast lead projectiles short.

I am old enough to have been trained on model 13s, but then immediately transitioned to semi-autos. After years of carrying semis concealed, I switched back to a revolver because of the S&W 340PD. It's so light, you can carry under ANY clothing, but the recoil is wicked with full magnums. I trust it to function every time, even shoved right into an attacker. In the 38spl+P it is totally manageable. I carry a couple speed loaders in my pocket with no need for pouches.

My favourite home defense gun is the 4" S&W 15 ( K-38 Combat Masterpiece) with wad cutter commercial load. I've trigger honed and light spring installed. It has stainless steel full under lug. The front sight is bright orange, with Hogue pistol grip. When I had CCW permit, I carried Sig Sauer P 225 with extra magazine. I chose this pistol because of its light weight, and flat profile. Personally, I prefer the S&W 15. I had training similar to PPC, but now rely on muaythai training, and urban awareness.

Love my wheelguns. I put over a thousand rounds through two different 357 magnums in the last two weeks. 200 rounds of it was 38spl with the rest being 357 magnum. 80% of the shooting being double action.

The S&W Model 3 was a single action. The double action Smith pictured was a “Frontier” model. I believe they came out in 1881.

I probably handloaded a zillion .38 and .357 rounds over past 5 decades. One .38 round I didn't see mentioned was the .38 +P+. Federal made this ammo for LE use only decades ago. I still have a few and it's in my S&W MP360.

My father was a San Diego City police officer from the late 1940s until the late 1960s. He once relayed a story to me about .38s vs. .357s. Police officers by SDPD regulation had a 38 S&W as their side arms. So, one officer was in the process of talking to a suspect (in the field) and was about to arrest them, when they pulled out a razor and sliced his face and chest, then turned a started to run. The officer pulled out his .38 hard ball loaded revolver and fired and hit the runner. The bullet didn't phase the suspect, nor did the other 3 that hit him. So the officer had to run down the suspect, tackle them and cuff them. After returning to work when he healed, he then carried a S&W 357 . He had at the station loaded his pistol with .38 cal bullets for inspection. Then when in the field the .357s went in. No suspect was going to not feel the hits from then on. He wasn't the only one after that either.

Like Guy, my Ruger GP100 6" is my primary woods walk gun. I'm in black bear country and feel I could get better shot placement with a .357 over a 44 magnum. Carry ammo is Underwood 180 grain lead flat nose at 1400 fps. At the range I shoot hand loaded 158 grain, primarily 38's and occasionally .357 to keep skills sharp.

Great video thank you

Guy I have owned a 357 Ruger Security Six with 6 inch barrel 40 years. I am getting ready to reload 357 and 38 for the first time. I have Winchester 296 Powder from loading 44 Magnums and have been happy with that. Plan on using the same powder for 357. For 38 I was going to use Winchester Auto Comp and Winchester 231 Powders. I use Starline Bras and CCI or Federal Primers. What do you think of that component combination with Hornady bullets? By the way, I really enjoy your revolver videos. Between being a retired LEO and reloader, you really know your stuff when it comes to revolvers. Thank you for the content!

More revolver videos, please

Guy and UR Team, You have been my mentor and a huge source of education as I started my journey reloading a few years ago. I have very little experience in the revolver world. However with the influence of your recent videos I am now the proud owner of a 686-6. My early research continues to talk about “flame cutting” and how it’s more common with hot loads at high velocities. Much like your max charge h110 and 125gr bullet here. I am learning the revolver ropes here, is this a real problem, what’s your take? Is this just another small issue blown out of proportion due to the internet?

I use a home cast 150 grain hollow point sitting on top of a max charge of Blue Dot in my Ruger Blackhawk 357 for deer hunting. The combo works quite nicely and I’ve taken 6 or 7 deer over the years with it. Most shots are 30 yards and in but I have stretched it out to 70 yards a time or two!

This was a very relaxing and educational video. I really would like to get into reloading. Slowly learning and trying to figure out what I need. Would be reloading 5.56, 9mm and .45. I have TONS of what I assume is once fired brass, I know my brass is once fired but I also get all the range brass. Just need the rest of the components.

Really great information, thank you. I shoot a 686-5 with the 7 round cylinder, one of my favorite pistols but the only revolver as of now. Been limited to factory loads but I've also been saving brass for about 3 years now. Really looking forward to hand loading when I can afford the tools. Have you ever messed with .327 Federal Magnum? Would love to see some cost analysis on reloading before I buy into a new caliber, but the 4 or 5 way cartridge compatibility is really interesting. Also 6 rounds in a J frame size gun!

👍👍too cool info

My grandfather would make wax bullets for his revolvers so us kids could practice in the alley behind his house in the north end of Kansas city, many years ago, to this day outta all the auto loaders I own I often more than not carry a model 15-3 combat masterpiece or a 36 chiefs special, I keep his registered magnum in my safe.

What to do with the 38/357? With an eight-inch barrel the .357 is challenging for coyote, gotta get them close. Same for deer. It is also adequate for bear defense when loaded hot. They actually make airguns in this caliber, so there is a chance to throw +P levels of energy without using primers or powder. Targets and coyotes can now drop at 8¢ per shot, and the same cast slugs can run in .38 Special cases for cowboy events and regular range days. Absolutely best, the lever gun can even feed the heavy 170-196gr slugs without worry. That longer barrel lets one develop all the power possible from this versatile family.

I'm using a 357 Magnum 5 1/4 inch barrel Ruger Vaquero super 6 cowboy action the last frame that was a tank before they changed it to the clone Colt frame look alike... And I love concealing it...

For some special applications you don’t want to be ejecting brass with partial prints and DNA. For a beginner, no safety, no complications, just point and shoot.

Never bought .357 Mag, however I shot thousands' of of reloads with range lead cast bullets

I carry a CZ75 (9mm) on a daily basis. But...at home, within reach of where I sit watching TV, is a Taurus 605 loaded with 110 grain 357 magnum loads. It's been sitting in its hiding place for 10+ years. But, I have absolutely no doubt that it will work .

I love to reload 38 special and 357 mag. I can reload 9mm but they aren’t as reliable. I reload 90 grain 38 special for my daughter because she is recoil sensitive and her Lady Smith is super light.

Thank you Sir.

Thanks for that informative video. I have a S&W Bodyguard Airweight in .38 Spec. Problem with this gun is, that due to its light weight, it recoils so hard, that the bullets of standard ammo are pulled out of the case and are blocking the cylinder after 2 or 3 shots. So to avoid this, i have to use handloads, or target ammo with wadcutter bullets, which are completely in the case. Ever heard of such a problem before?

Go to love that Mod 19.

I have several carry options, but more and more I am going with my Ruger SP-101 3” .357 as my main all-purpose EDC. 3” may not be ideal but it makes a big difference over 2”, while still being compact enough for pocket carry. There is the obvious downside of capacity, but with good marksmanship one shouldn’t need very many rounds of .357 Magnum. And yes I get to the range regularly and yes I practice with full-power .357 Magnum ammo; my SP-101 has never fired a .38 Special round. I go with 158 grain Federal HydraShok for home defense and 135 grain Hornady Critical Duty FTX for bopping around town. I like the rock solid reliability of a revolver, and my philosophy is the fewer rounds in the air you need to get the job done, the better. I seem to recall that back in the 70s/80s when a lot of cops and Highway Patrol carried .357 revolvers, you didn’t hear about them having to fire dozens of rounds to stop a bad guy. If the cops had to draw, it was over quickly. That’s the way it should be.

I’ve always been more a a big bore fan, but have gained an appreciation for the .357 magnum. My favorite bullet is the 158-160 grain Lyman 358156. It’s very accurate and 1200-1250 fps from a 6” is a basically a mid-range load. It’s also great in Special brass, crimped in the lower groove for the 1050-1100 fps.38/44 or +P+ loads.

.357 requires a 6 inch barrel to develop the ballistics it is known for. Shooting .357 in a 2 inch barrel spits a lot of powder that is unburned or burning out of the barrel.

686 4" with 38 spl+p Remington green and white box 125 gr.semi jktd hollow point as my go to. When in bear country load with Buffalo bore 180 hard cast heavy outdoorsman

I've loaded everything over the years from cast bullets, shot shells and even sabots at one time but I've pretty much settled to those beautiful Hornady 158g JHPs. I now set up and load 1,000 at a time and that lasts me a while. Just an interesting note: I sat up late loading 1,000 the night before the Trade Center came down so I kind of slept through it. I've always had a .357 of some kind around. The S&W Model 66 was the second revolver I bought but I've always wanted a Lever Action Rifle of some kind. Maybe a Single Action Revolver to go with it and play Cowboy!

I only have budget revolvers, my first being a Taurus 605 Poly Defender .357 magnum. I carry it loaded with Hornady .38 special 110 grain Critical Defense rounds however because the recoil on that air-weight snubbie is very punishing with .357 magnum. The Hornady FTX rounds also perform pretty decently in .38 Special. With any .38 or .38+P the Taurus 605 poly is very pleasant to shoot thanks to its nice rubber grip and it conceals extremely well being a 5 shot revolver. I use an Azula IWB leather holster for it. It also is a very cool looking "sci-fi" futuristic design especially in tan color. So aesthetically I really love that revolver and genuinely enjoy shooting it. Not super accurate, but "accurate enough" for close range center mass hits out to 15 yards. Now....I also have a Taurus 627 Tracker .357 Magnum revolver with a 6.5" ported barrel. THAT revolver is an absolute dream to shoot .357 magnum rounds through. Accuracy is incredible and when using cheaper .38 Special rounds, accuracy is still incredible but it feels like shooting a .22LR revolver with barely any recoil. So fantastic for target shooting. However I also use it for hiking in a chest rig and I use it for home defense sometimes with it loaded with Federal .357 magnum hydrashock (I think 130 grain if I remember correctly). In addition I plan on using it for feral hog hunting in the near future as a companion to my Rossi 92 .357 magnum lever gun. Overall, its fast to get sights on target, has minimal muzzle rise thanks to the ported barrel, and just gives me a sense of confidence with its weight and power. I'm a very good shooter with that in double-action mode thanks to its great trigger that I put on par with many S&W revolver triggers. Oh...and.... it's a SEVEN shot revolver. Aside from those I have a cheapy Rock Island Armory .38 special revolver which I enjoyed for a bit until it started having timing issues. Nice looking, very accurate, and inexpensive revolver based on the old Colt Detective design, but not reliable in my experience. Finally I have a Taurus Judge Poly Defender in .45LC/.410 gauge. People either love it or or hate it. I love mine especially after putting full-sized Pachmeyr grips on mine. With the full size grips, it's very comfortable to shoot 000 buckshot .410 loads. I use Hornady Critical Defense Triple Threat .410 loads and Winchester 000 four pellet buckshot loads typically. The 7 yard spread is not bad on the Hornady rounds (about 4") but with a lot of spread (around 8") on the Winchester rounds which I actually like for a pillow revolver. In that role, if someone kicks down my bedroom door, being half asleep, I want maximum chances of at least one pellet hitting the target. Penetration in ballistics gel on both are adequate. So it's just puts down a lot of lead downrange in an emergency. But it's a niche gun only for very close range defense. It's also too bulky to conceal carry even with the little two finger grip it comes with. But it is tremendously fun to blast at the range and reasonably accurate when using .45LC rounds.

Your charge weights for the 357 were interesting to me. I use more with the 125s and less with the 158s. I quit using 357 in my model 66 no dash when it started to develop some end shake.

I carry a 3 in charter arms pro V, with Barami hip grip and grip adapter I don't recall the name of. carried IWB appendix with a leather sleeve I made with a tether to drop free when drawn for sweat protection and comfort. I can carry it tucked in any outfit I wear with a belt. less than 30 oz as a carry system it's great as an edc. if I don't have to tuck, I stick a safariland comp 2 in a safariland spring clip speedloader holder IWB next to the revolver so there's only one bulge in my belt and it's very hard to detect all that. I always have a pair of zeta6 k-pak's stored nesting with each other in my pocket for a total load out of 18 rounds without the speed loader and 24 with it. I can load 1, 2, or 3 rounds at a time with zeta 6 if I only took a few shots and just want to top up, or dump the cylinder and load 6 more quick if needed with the comp II. I pretty much exclusively use handloaded 125 gr xtp's although I also load cast bullets for plinking and use the lee 200 gr when I'm visiting family in Alaska and we go hiking. only other thing I'll mention about this set up is, this revolver checks all my boxes for carry weight, capacity and barrel length, at half the cost of other options, but it hasn't been the most robust system for me, it's been back to CA once for timing issues (from the factory) and is about to go back again due to a bent transfer bar that sometimes interferes with cylinder opening. CA has good customer service and they will take care of you for no cost. but I don't like how long it takes to wait for my CC gun to come back and I have to find alternatives to carry while my gun is in the shop. just so you know what my 4 main criteria are for selecting a carry revolver are weight between 25 and 30 oz (too light and it's painful to fire, too heavy and it's uncomfortable to carry), 6 shot (I'm carrying it on a belt, so I don't need the thinness of a 5 shot and any more becomes difficult to find good speed loaders for) 3-4 inch barrel to get good velocity out of the heavier loads but not too hard to carry IWB and be in .357 magnum because it's easier to stockpile components for a bunch of guns in .357 than to have to stockpile a bunch of cartridges for a bunch of different chamberings.

38+p+ for the 2" edc and .357mag for the 4" home gun

I use lead free hand loads for hiking, penetrators by Lehigh Defense

Pilots sometimes were issued wheel guns because it is something they can still use with one hand disabled. They can of course carry a 1911 with a round in the chamber. I think the reason the 38 spl were so popular with the police because of the minimal chance of over penetration. But a handicap when you have to shoot through a car. I still think a wheel gun is a relic of the last century, but it is a lot better than no gun. I like the 357 but there are few semi auto options, the 357 SIG is not as popular animal.

My girlfriend wanted to take a defensive pistol course and get her CCL and asked what gun she should get for the course? I sold her a slightly customized Taurus 85 stainless snubby and gave her a few boxes of lightly loaded ammo. When her instructor looked at the gun he smiled and said 'I won't have to worry about you...thanks'! She was a little puzzled but happy that he approved of the gun...then found out what he meant when all the other women had constant malfunctions he had to clear during their range time. Of course they all had Glocks or other semi-auto's and not a single one of them could make it through a range session without having a problem....while my girlfriend just banged away with her snubby making good hits. A 38+P LSWCHP out of a snubby will do the job if you place it in the right place...no need to abuse yourself with anything more violent and if you think you need more 'power' or 'ammo capacity'....you need more range time to be able to make hits that count. Center Mass isn't where you shoot a deer and isn't where you should aim when defending yourself either. Aim for the spine and all will be fine.....words of wisdom. :)

Thanks so much! I still carry my Ruger Speed six .357 magnum! 1985

I am rather fond of Specials whether 38 or 44 and not necessarily the +Blast types.

I load the 125, 140 and 158 XTP's, all with H-110, you just cannot go wrong! I seat to the middle of the cannelure though. I see you seat right where the cannelure starts. Is there a big difference either way? Great video!

Good choice..

I've always been a .45 man, I shoot a 5.5" barreled Blackhawk in .45 Colt, have a std. 1911 GI style, I have a 3" snub .45 Colt 5-shot revolver by Charter Arms, I have a Rossi Brawler most recently in .45 Colt/.410, and a .45 Colt Henry Lever-X and an H&R Buffalo Carbine .45 Colt which I used on deer for several seasons. With the expense increasing though for .45 bulllets and difficulties finding large pistol primers until just recently, I'd decided to get into a small primer case. I recently bought a Taurus 692 .357/9mm convertible Revolver which is a ported 3" barrel and I'm really loving it. I also bought a Rossi Triple Black .357 Magnum lever gun to go with it. Both can obviously shoot .38's and my wife has a .38 special "Pink Lady" Charter Arms which was her first pistol and it's concealed in easy reach where she works and watches TV from home. I do intend to get one more .357 and that's the Rossi RM6 I believe with the 6" barrel. Still up in the air on that though. Nice information. Lil' Gun performs a bit better in some of my loads and Unique and Bullseye are no slouches either on the powder side. Lil' Gun actually beats H110 by about 50-100 fps in some cases and it's not sensitive to low charges. One thing that you have to watch with H110 is putting less than a 90% or so charge as it can have pressure spike issues.

In my 2" revolver... POI and recoil doesn't seem to much difference between, +P 38s and 357 magnums.... both using 125 grain bullets.

Mostly these days, I'm working on finding a subsonic, super cheap load for subsonic .38 Special from my suppressed rifle. I'm running out of Trail Boss and HS-6 just is too dirty for the light loading with a 105 grain cast. Maybe Titegroup can step in

The 38/44 eventually became the 357 magnum.... to prevent the 38/44 from accidentally being fired in a standard 38 Special.

110 GR. SIE JHC maximum loads with Accurate Nitro NF 100 should work for even .357, as well as .38 Special +P

I prefer the Hornady 135 grain critical duty 357 Magnum hollow point. Just a little bigger than the ones you were using😮

THE BEST COMBO out there 38+p Federal HST Micro (Hollow Point Wad Cutter) from a Kimber K6s

Have you tested shorter barrels with faster powders (like Bullseye)?

hard cast 180 grain flat points for the "woods"

the 38/44 High Speed does a lot better then common 38+P. Original Period correct (1930s vintage) ammo in period correct guns with 158 grn LRN will do 1193 out pf a 6/5" Outdoorsman, 1131 out of a 5" Heavy Duty, 1069 out of a 4" Heavy Duty. That is an average of 12 shots from about 5 m using and Oehler 35P. This ammo was probably not kept under perfect conditions but darn close. So the 38/44 High Speed, AKA 38/44 Smith and Wesson Special or 38-44 Special is not the same as a 38 +P round today.

The 38 Special came about because the US military wanted a hotter 38 round over the 38 Colt. During the Philippine American war US Marines were finding out that the 38 Colt revolvers didn't have enough stopping power against Philippine forces fighting them in close quarters guerilla suprise attacks. Even the new Krag rifles were having trouble mostly due to these Philippine guerrillas being high on drugs and able to withstand multiple hits. Back then black powder was used but the 38 Special quickly was loaded with smokeless powder and had a heavy 158 grain lead bullet. Still the US Army wanted more and eventually got the 45 ACP 230 grain FMJ in 1911 pistols.

What can you shoot the best? I love my Combat Magnum but shoot my Combat Masterpiece with handloads the most. Most accurate handgun I own.

I am really starting to like the 140gr XTP. My favorite is the 180gr XTP in my 7 1/2" Redhawk, though it is a tank.

.357 Magnum still remains the number one stopper of all time. The reason I stopped carrying it though is because firing it indoors effectively eliminates one of your senses, that being your hearing. It is louder but far than any other handgun out there.

4” 686 with Jerry’s Miculek wood speed grips. But mag loads tells me I’m not build like Jerry.

Buffalo bore 125 gr. .357 packs a punch. PPU ammo is loaded pretty hot.