Need Help! .38 revolver at the Range.

[Mrserenity]

Hi, I was interested in buying a .38 snub nose revolver.  So I went to the range to test one out.  I was told that 148 grain wadcutters are good in .38 snub nose revolvers.  However, the range in my area only uses 158 grain target ammo in their guns.  Their reason was that the wadcutters leave to much gunk in their guns.  I experienced a lot of tip up at the barrell which made my shooting experience a little disappoiting.  Would the 148 grain wadcutters make a major difference in the barrel tipping up?  I was told the recoil is very low in the wadcutters.  In the past I've gone to the range with .22 and .32 semi-autos and I was able to hit the target with good accuracy with no tip up.  However, I found that the semi's jam almost constantly, so I would spend half of my time clearing the jams.  Is there a middle ground?  I'm looking for a gun I can enjoy at the range and one that can also be used in a defense situation.  Should I buy one gun for the range and another for the home?  Or should I look into a 22lr, 22mag or 32 mag revolver?  Or would the wadcutters used in the 38 clear up the tip up problem?  In the past I shot a 9 mm with an instructor and the recoil moved my hands to the right.  I'm 5'2, 130lbs with small hands, does that make a difference?  I have a 20 gauge single shot Topper Jr. that I do Trap shooting with, but the recoil of that is taken on my shoulder so I have no problem shooting it.  What are you suggestions?  Thanks.

[Savage]

Recoil with wadcutters and target loads are indeed mild recoiling.  With proper coaching and pratice you can learn to control the recoil of just about any defensive caliber handgun. Still I'd get a good 22 target pistol, like the Ruger, or Browning for fun at the range. The 2" snubbie is a good defensive handgun that takes pratice to get comfortable with. Find an instructor that has good certifications to instruct you on your grip and form. YOU can master the 38!
Savage

[Tacoma]

A small snubbie is a special purpose gun. It's size makes it concealble but magnifies recoil. What it sounds like you want is a general purpose gun. If you only intend to use the gun for the range and the home, then perhaps you should look at a slightly larger and heavier .38. A K or L framed (mid sized) .38 with a 4" barrel.  A revolver of this nature will be more accurate and deliver ALLOT less felt recoil.  If you insist on a Snubbie then limit yourself to a larger frame or at least one of the newer heavier J magnum S&W frames ( mod 60, 640, 649) or ruger SP 101. You'll find that a 25 oz gun recoils noticably less than a 20 oz gun.  ( Ditto for a 30 oz vs 25 oz)

p.s . A 38 revolver is VERY reliable and will deliver light /acceptable recoil. It is a good choice for a do all and or "learning" handgun. they are still my all time favorites. .

[ed1921]

When you say tip up do you mean you are shooting high or that the muzzle rises when shooting.
The muzzle will rise in any gun that has enough power to be a good self defense gun. You just have to deal w/ it.
I think you should practice a lot w/ the gun you would use for self defense, not that it has to be the only gun you shoot.
I think snub nose guns are one the hardest to shoot well.(Well not as hard as a small .25 auto) A 4" revolver is a bit easier. More weight & less muzzle flip. A good choice as a house gun.
BTW- If all the semi-auto's you are using jam constantly, you need to find other guns. I have many semi-auto's that seldom to never jam. It can be ammo specific, the way you hold the gun, need cleaning, worn out springs or just a crappy gun.
Yes, the wadcutters should have less muzzle flip, but isn't a round to defend youself with.
Just for kicks try .357 in a 2" gun. Then you'll really know the meaning of flip & blast :wink:
Just because the 9mm moves around a bit, that doesn't mean you couldn't master it. Same for any other round.
Starting w/ .22 & working your way up to a good self defense round is a good way to do it.

[jgalar]

All women like the snub nosed guns because they are cute. They are also hard to shoot. Look at 3" barrelled guns, they are almost as cute but shoot a lot easier. 32Magnum or 38 special would both be good choices for home defense and shooting fun. 38 wadcutters are mild compared to regular loaded 38 special loads. You can also shoot 32 S&W longs in the 32magnum - that would be a very light recoiling round. You can also shoot  38S&W longs in the 38 special (or 357) and these will also be pussycats to shoot.

Here is a link to the Ruger SP101 5 shot guns - not necessarily a recommendation but something to look at:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdResults?function=famid&famid=9

[Catfish]

Several years ago I had a friend that joined the Ohio State Patrol. Shortly there after he showed up at my house with a 2 in. barreled S&W chambered in .38 SP with fixed sights. After I got done laughting at it we took it out to shoot it. At that time we used to fire a tin cans on a hill side, shots from 60 to 80 yrds. With my loads, 158 gn. semi-wadcutters over 3 gns. of Bullseye, I was totally shocked to see that I could hold a 6 in. group at 60 yrds. off hand. I hit a can with 2 out of the first 5 shots and got 3 hits from the second 5, on a tin can. This gun was alittle small for my hands, but with lite loads was a pleasure to shoot and more accurate than I would have ever believed.
   When my daughter got her CCW permit I bought her a 3 in. barreled .357 mag. It`s heaver, but she has no trouble shooting it with .357 mag. It has a bobed hammer and is double action only but would also make you a good gun. If you can`t take the .357`s you could still use .38 +p ammo and have pretty good stopping power.

[willysjeep134]

Snip..........

You can also shoot  38S&W longs in the 38 special (or 357) and these will also be pussycats to shoot.

.........snip.

I think you might have two cartriges mixed up there jgalar. The 38S&W has a little bigger diameter bullet and case than the .38 special. I don't know if one would chamber in a .38 special or not.

 The .38 special wasn't dveloped like the .32 H&R magnum, it didn't start out as the .38S&W. The .38 special came from the 38 long colt cartrige. S&W developed it just after the big touble the US army had in the phillipines with 38 long colt revolvers. The .38S&W I don't think ever came in a long and short version like the .32 S&W did.

If you got some .38 long or short colt cartriges you could shoot them in a .38 special. The chambers would get a little dirty from the shorter cases, and the slightly bigger bullets would squeeze through the smaller bore, but it would be a mild load. It might get a little pricey though.

[jgalar]

Thanks for the correction WJ134, I kind of grouped the 38S&W and 38Colt cartridges all in to one.  :oops: