.38 spl snubby

[robtattoo]

Anyone still carry a little .38 for personal protection in the backcountry?
I have a Super Blackhawk .44, but I don't always feel like strapping 3lb of steel to my chest & i'm only in big bear country for maybe 10 days a year. I tried a Glock 20 & 29 & couldn't get along with either of them & frankly don't want to spend the money trying other semis.
However, I have a little 2", RIA M260 that I shoot really well. It's light, compact & points like a colt SAA.

I'm just a wee bit concerned that .38 isn't really that much use against anything other than folk. I have some 180gn hardcast to play with that i'm pretty sure will up my ante a little. I never expect to run into bears, but I do hang around in a lot of hog country & that's my major worry.

Anyone packing a .38 like to offer up opinions?

 

[NDGuy]

It's a tough call. More than likely you won't need it but man I'd hate having a .38 against something big and angry/hungry. Have you looked into the S&W 329 PD? Really light and it's a .44.

Otherwise 9mm or .45 hardcasts you should have some more options.

 

[GPool1842]

When I feel like strapping it to the pack, I carry the Ruger LCRx in .357/38spl. I like the gun.

 

[KChunter71]

I had a S&W airwieght 38+p and it snapped your hand. Not pleasant to shoot at all, so I sold it.

 

[Oldffemt]

38 is better than a stick or rock. I usually just carry my 9 but I don’t go to big bear country. Yet..

 

[Treerat-sniper]

I used a SP-101 for an EDC rig for years. Mine is a 2.2" .357 but I typically ran Fed .38s. Switched to a G26 for about 5 years & now a G30S. I don't live in bear /cat country.

 

[hodgeman]

I tend to take my S&W329 into the backcountry. But around town, where the most likely threats aren't grizzlies, I drop a 642 Airweight in my pocket.

It'd work better than a sharp stick.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

I sometimes take my S&W M&P 340 if the situation doesn’t make me want to take my 329. Being a true pocket gun, there’s almost no reason to carry it.

The recoil thing is individual. You won’t know if it’s a hinderance until you try it yourself. I find with a real firm grip, the entire hand accepts the recoil and not just the center palm. 357 hard cast is manageable so that is what I have loaded.

 

[Fatcamp]

Switched from SP101 to G19 years ago and never looked back.

 

[EastMT]

Dad bought mom one of the little hammerless 38 revolvers. Less chance of touching off a round in a panic moment, no hammer to snag, just a trigger


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

If you can find Buffalo Bore, then run it.

 

[FLAK]

SW 442 here. Love it.

 

[Rich M]

If you can reload - get some 158 gr Swift A-frames. Those bullets are indestructible and will penetrate well. Don't expect a lot of shock & awe from the HP part of them - shot a small buck at 10-15 yards thru the shoulder and he ran...about 75 yards.

XTP bullets also perform very well - 125, 158, 180 gr can be loaded in 38 spcl.

As for factory - maybe buffalo bore.

 

[Rob5589]

Ruger LCR, Gold Dot short barrel +p, in a pocket holster. Don't even know it's there.

 

[Dos Perros]

I took my (literally) Grandma's Charter Arms 38 special into the highest density grizzly bear area in the lower 48. My two hunting partners were carrying Glock 9mm and a .357, and we also all had bear spray, so it seemed a stretch to spend $500 I didn't have at the time for something heavier. I used Underwood 158 gr +P ammo. I knew the pistol wasn't rated for +P, but I did fire a wheel's worth of ammo prior to going, and knew that if a bear was chewing on me or a friend I'd gladly take that risk again. I felt like I shot it well and it didn't get in the way. While quartering my bull it went right in my pants pocket. I justified the incremental risk of carrying something 'too light' by a magazine article this dude wrote wherein he cataloged every grizzly bear interaction he come find, applied some filtering criteria, and determined that if one was able to get a shot off, even if it was a .22 LR, they experienced a 100% survival rate.

 

[Dennis]

I carry light weight S&W J frame with Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman 38 Special 158 grain Hardcast. I have a S&W Model 360 3" and Model 340 2" (maybe 1-7/8") barrel. I carry the 360 in a Double D chest holster most often and the 340 around camp in a waist holster. These revolvers weight 11 or 12 oz. Both guns are 357 magnums but full power 357 loads were just two snappy for more than three rounds. Buffalo Bore designed these loads for just such pistols and note full penetration of bear skulls etc.. I carry 8 rounds for reloading (5 rounds Buffalo Bore loads and three snake loads). However reloading is not very quick.

 

[w squared]

The smallest that I've ever seen as viable backcountry defense was a Ruger LCR in .327 Federal Mag. It pushed 130 grain hardcasts out at somewhere around 1200 FPS.

If you're willing to chance .38 special +P, Buffalo Bore has a tidy little 158 grain hard cast offering. That would be my go-to in something like a K frame that wasn't going to see many rounds. I don't know enough about RIA to offer any useful input on whether or not that's a reasonable proposition in your snubby.

If you want to stick to standard pressure .38 that gets a bit more tricky. I'm a big fan of the old 158 grain SWC hard cast in a .38, and that's what I have always chosen for an older wheelgun that may see duty for serious social purposes. On a potentially larger critter I might be tempted to grab a load where I see a higher probability of reliable penetration, but those 158's aren't bad.

 

[Mackay Sagebrush]

Everyone has a right to make their own choices.

I carried a .38 snubby as a BUG/second gun for years while working on the street/as an investigator.

The .38 Special did not even have a great reputation for instant incapacitation on humans. I just considered it a "get off me" piece. Lots of bad guys got shot with .38s over the years and ended up going to the hospitals/jails, etc.

With that in mind, I would not consider a .38 snubby something I was willing to bet my life on as a reliable bear stopper, especially when there are so many other better choices on the market.

Personally when I am in bear,wolf,lion country, I choose a sidearm depending on the activity. If I am trying to save weight, such as when climbing hills to retrieve game, I will carry a Glock 21 .45 or G30S .45, If I am not going on hike where ounces are a factor, I will carry an N Frame .44 mag, that is loaded with hardcast bullets at a velocity that allows me to shoot quickly and accurately.

 

[Jbehredt]

I’ve got a Glock 20 that gets the nod if it’s going to be crowded at the top of the food chain. In the CO woods it’s more likely to be a Ruger LCR in 38 +P. With the hard cast 158 gr underwoods I think it would dissuade a curious black bear, lion or junky. The Ruger weighs less than my empty diamond d holster for the Glock.

 

[TxxAgg]

Anyone still carry a little .38 for personal protection in the backcountry?
I have a Super Blackhawk .44, but I don't always feel like strapping 3lb of steel to my chest & i'm only in big bear country for maybe 10 days a year. I tried a Glock 20 & 29 & couldn't get along with either of them & frankly don't want to spend the money trying other semis.
However, I have a little 2", RIA M260 that I shoot really well. It's light, compact & points like a colt SAA.

I'm just a wee bit concerned that .38 isn't really that much use against anything other than folk. I have some 180gn hardcast to play with that i'm pretty sure will up my ante a little. I never expect to run into bears, but I do hang around in a lot of hog country & that's my major worry.

Anyone packing a .38 like to offer up opinions?

A big stick is enough for a pig so a 38 would be plenty. I don't have any experience shooting 2 legged animals.