rdrancher

+1 to falcon1's suggestion.

I carry BB 20C/20's in all of my .38's. Recoil is more of a push than a snap. If they don't expand they shed their petals and drive deep like a semi wadcutter.

Good stuff.

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rd

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LoneRanger

I love .38 almost as much as my EDC (.40). It's a great BUG round for me and sounds like just the round for you.

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crzy4guns

I would use the standard .38 wadcutter rounds for practice with a cylinder full of .38 +Ps mixed in the range session. I would then carry the Speer Short Barrel 135 grain +P load for self defense. Have you considered having the barrel ported on your carry gun? It can be expensive, but well worth it, and beats getting rid of your gun or just leaving it at home. I tried the model 60 in .357 when they first came out and right then and there after shooting it, I decided that .38 +Ps were good enough to forgo magnums in such a small gun. Actually I abandoned the small revolvers altogether and went with a Glock 26 9mm instead because of the recoil and the increased firepower of 11 shots versus 5.

blue1023

I use a Ruger SP101 loaded with standard Federal 110 hydrashocks in the low recoil version ..I am not at all recoil sensitive however I can easily control this weapon for subsequent follow up shots if need be.
I do not feel undergunned or out gunned at anytime. I use to carry a Glock 23 .. but I like revolvers better (call me old fashioned if you will) I never feel under gunned from caliber or round capacity.

redrick

I agree with Rocky that's what I do.

Marvin Knox

This is not meant to slam .380 auto carriers. But there are a whole lot of guys trusting the new top of the line .380 loads to do the job. Many feel that the .380 is up to the task it is meant to fulfil.

A snub nose 38 with standard pressure loads and wise bullit selection is superior to any 380 (IMO).

If recoil is a problem - I wouldn't shy away from the 38 standard pressure loads with state of the art bullits. I'd do that long before I'd switch to any 380 -which is your next step down.

My 2 cents worth!

MARV

Six Dollar Dave

While I do carry +P ammo in my M36, I would have no problem carrying standard pressure .38 special ammo if the +P bothered me, nor would I feel under armed.

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Ten_Ring

Maybe I look at things a little different but, a round to the chest from a +p or a standard will yield the same effect. If you train then center mass is where you place your round. Shoot what you can control best. In the event you need to fire 2 or 3 rapid shots you want a round that you can place on target as fast as possible. All the +s in the world aren't worth squat if you can't hit the target.

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Breakdaddy

I dont own a .38 spl but I know plenty of folks that swear by em and don't see a problem with that. For what it's worth, I carry a Kahr PM9 because I like the extra capacity of the kahr and power of the full 9mm cartridge. I wouldnt feel terribly undergunned either way, but then again, I almost always have my XD45ACP as my primary anyway.

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Rob99VMI04

I prefer the .38 over the .357 loads in a small snubbie because I'm not sure of the huge advantage the .357 has in such a package like that.

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