.38 Special ammo suggestions

Steely_Gunz

Steely_Gunz

Got the Khukuri fevah
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Well with the passing of my father-in-law I have come into possession of HIS father's old S&W .38 special snub nose model 36. I am in the process of designing a nice leather sheath to replace the crumby nylon one. It won't be pretty, but it will look more fitting.

My plan is to see if my mother-in-law would like to have it with her in her RV...in addition to her tactical mossberg:D I have a feeling she isn't going to want this one back. It is a snubnose, and she couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with it:D...for that matter neither can I:eek:

At any rate, what kind of ammo would you feed this thing for SD application (I know plain ol' .38's would be fine for plinking at the range)? I have no way of dating this thing as my f-i-l didn't know when his dad got this gun other than he assumes it was one he carried back during his IRS days in the 50's and 60's. It still shoots really well as we took it to the range a couple of months ago and made it bark a little fire. Not too bad for a gun that probably sat unused in a closet for close to 40 years (his dad died in the late 90's).

I know that is was made well before the +P days. I have a box of standard .38 special rounds as well as some silver tip hollow points. Any idea as to what kind of ammo will successfully offer maximum stopping power out of an old sub-2 inch barrel?

Any idea as to how to date this gun's year of manufacture? I am curious as to whether it was one Archie (his dad) carried for work or just bought for home defense. I don't think my f-i-l knew about the gun until he found it after his dad's death.
 
Steely, very sorry to read of your father-in-laws passing. Your last post there was too perfect for me to add a comment to it.

Since your mother-in-law is going (hopefully) never going to need it but just to be on the safe side, I'd go for a lighter faster hollow point as is currently available due to less less recoil and more chance of keeping the gun on target.

But all things considered, really I agree with the suggestion of putting it aside as a family heirloom instead of as a user.
 
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I recall that you can email S&W directly and they will tell you when it was made. They have some kind of historian or some such on staff who looks it up for you.

All I can find now is this, but it costs $50. I do think they will tell you the born-on date for free, though.


I carry a S&W .38 442 on a daily basis, as its the "biggest" gun that rides comfortably in my pocket. It feeds on Golden Sabres, but I would be just as happy with Gold Dots or any contemporary hollow points. It honestly makes no difference to me, as there are so many variables that come into play in a self-defense scenario and cartridge brand (for me) is pretty low on the list. JMO.
 
Steely, my $0.02 would be to try a few different standard velocity loads to find which one shoots closest to the sights & go with that.
Uplander
 
I'm seconding the 158 grain +P load. I've always been taught to use all lead loads, but the key points are 158 grains, +P and hollowpoint.
It had been related to me that modern .38 special loadings and our +P are more akin to original factory loadings. Either way, the few hundred rounds of +P you'll put through it for testing and familiarization won't hurt anything.
As for the age, can you post a picture? The most obvious indicator of age is if the barrel is pinned (followed probably by a flat latch).
I'd urge you, though, to get some cheap ammo (or a .22) and practice using it at 7 yards. Those guns really aren't meant to be used past 7 feet (even though they're ridiculously accurate for a pocket rocket), so if you can shoot a hand sized group at 7 yards you'll be prepared to use that pistol for anything it can do.
I see much dry firing in your future.
 
Chief's Special...model 36, 2 inch...

love hp, wad cutters....at least mine does.

My only centerfire handgun, for what it is worth.
 
Thanks for the replies, gentlefolk:)

I'll do a little poking around on some of the provided links to see if I can figure out how old it is exactly. Doing a super quick search before i left work last night, I found a thread on another forum where a guy with a 76XXXX serial number was asking the age of his Model 36. I was just skimming, but it looked to be from the mid-late sixties.

This one has a 742XXX number. I'm assuming that makes it older.
The good news is that my leather sheath turned out nicely. It has a bad case of the uglies like all my work, however it holds it like kydex and the leather even molded to the trigger enough to make thumbing back the hammer while holstered impossible.:thumbup:
 
Recoil may be a big factor in what she can shoot effectively out of it. Make sure the grips fit her hand well and try her with a few loads. I personally shoot Gold Dot 135 JHP +P ammo in most of mine newer guns. Hunt for a box of Federal 124 Nyclad standard velocity hollow points. They expand nicely out of a 2 inch gun and won't beat it or her up too bad. Avoid the Hornady XTP standard velocity loads because they offer basically no expansion at that sort of velocity.

Many folks recommend target wadcutters for low recoil and blast, and they do cut clean holes (Jim Cirrillo killed a number of badguys with them), but are rather hard to load into the gun in a hurry. If she proves to be recoil sensitive, you might load the gun with wadcutters and keep a few speed loaders of some manner of hollowpoints or semi-wadcutters for reloads.
 
Jake, I'm a sidearm novice myself, so I don't feel I'm qualified to make any recommendations. I did, however, just order a case of .38 sp. FMJ rounds from ammoman at what seemed to be a good price. Let me know if you want a link.

Eric
 
Well for my mother-in-law I think any ol' round is going to be fine. To be honest, unless the guy is right up on her, she's going to have trouble hitting him. She is as novice of a shooter as you can be.

The ammo question is mainly for my own knowledge. Both she and my brother-in-law are a bit intimidated by the recoil, although I didn't didn't find it to be too bad. I can always work on my aim, if I end up keeping the gun and not giving it back to mom or bro...for whatever reason they might want it. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't put anything through it that might damage the gun.

Next question, thoughts on rebluing? This revolver has probably 94% good-excellent factory bluing. However, you can see where the steel has become a bit pitted from hand sweat at one point in time. Is it worth redoing it? The only thing I have ever blued is a khuk:eek:
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Next question, thoughts on rebluing? This revolver has probably 94% good-excellent factory bluing. However, you can see where the steel has become a bit pitted from hand sweat at one point in time. Is it worth redoing it? The only thing I have ever blued is a khuk:eek:
Click to expand...

Jake my Ruger .357 Mag Security Six had some holster wear when I bought it umpteen years ago and it still has it because I figured it wasn't that bad for what I was gonna use it for.
If I was gonna have it out to the range very often or carry it CCW then I would touch it up.
But keeping it oiled and wiped down after handling it like I have it hasn't changed in almost thirty years. :thumbup: YMMV....
 
I carry 135 grain Speer Gold Dot +P hollowpoints in mine, along with a Bianchi speed strip.
 
Yvsa said:
Jake my Ruger .357 Mag Security Six had some holster wear when I bought it umpteen years ago and it still has it because I figured it wasn't that bad for what I was gonna use it for.
If I was gonna have it out to the range very often or carry it CCW then I would touch it up.
But keeping it oiled and wiped down after handling it like I have it hasn't changed in almost thirty years. :thumbup: YMMV....
Click to expand...

what he said.:thumbup:
 
Yvsa is right about care. The best thing is just to always wipe down it whenever you touch it. Or look it. Or think about. In fact, my thinking about it is probably justification for wiping it down.
Well, that might be pushing it. But always wiping it down after you handle it is a great idea, and probably as much as it needs if it's going to be a "nightstand" pistol.
I almost always recommend against re-bluing for the sake of historical value. I used to have a 36 from the mid-50, but it wasn't worth as much as it might be since it was re-blued. Since you're not concerned about the collector value, though, I'd say it doesn't likely matter either way if you care for it.
I'd definitely recommend some practice for mom if she plans on keeping it for self-defense. I firmly believe that a gun in untrained hands is, at best, a danger to them. Little range time and some dry fire, if nothing else, so she can confidently fire a 5 shot group the size of her hand at 7 feet.
My thoughts, anyway. Anyone in agreement/disagreement?
 
I don't know if they are still available, but the federal Nyclad HPs were excellent. They are non +p

take care,

Tom
 
What Tom said. Nyclad are supposed to be available again, and offer a really good, nonpunishing (for the shooter!) round in non +p. Excellent choice.

I'm sorry for your loss, Jake. :(
 
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