Casual shooters, who are NOT handgun enthusiasts, frequently ask what ONE handgun they should buy for home defense and sport. They would never use a handgun for big game hunting, but would carry it on fishing, camping or hunting trips, use it for informal target shooting, and depend on it, if ever needed, for home defense. They don't want a “collection,” but ONE handgun to serve multiple needs in a family where shooting is not a hobby activity.
The requirements are safety, reliability, durability, accuracy, and modest cost of gun and ammunition. Also important is suitability for use by the “female significant other.” These parameters haven't changed since Smith & Wesson first introduced its famed Military and Police Model in 1903.
Julian S. Hatcher said, in the Textbook of Pistols and Revolvers (1935), “Were it necessary for the average shooter to own and use but one revolver, it should be a .38 Special.” This is still true today. The late Elmer Keith, who favored large guns and powerful loads, said in his book Sixguns (1955), of the .38 Special, when loaded with the semi-wadcutter bullet he made famous, as “the best to be had for hunting small game with the sixgun,” high praise indeed from Keith.
The .38 Special still makes sense, because, todays load options make it better than ever. Sound used .38 Special revolvers are reasonably priced compared to modern combat autopistols. Ammunition is still common, relatively inexpensive and available everywhere. The .38 Special is the most accurate revolver cartridge ever developed. Ten-shot groups fired from test barrels or 5-shot ones from quality target revolvers are frequently 1-1/2” or less at 50 yards. The best service-grade revolvers produce groups of this order at 25 yards.
Factory .38 Special loads provide greater variety than for any other handgun cartridge. Hand loading provides even more flexibility for those who do. The .38 Special is generally deemed the minimum revolver cartridge suitable for personal protection.
While the .38 Special is no longer the duty gun of choice for police or military use, it enjoys great popularity in states where civilian concealed carry is permitted. While it is true that small, pocket revolvers are now available chambered for the .357 Magnum, using .38 Special ammunition in them makes more sense for a variety of reasons.
While a .22 rim-fire is most often chosen as the outdoorsman's kit gun, the owner of “one handgun”¿ can use the .38 Special for this purpose, and find it more effective than a rimfire. When outdoor trips are short, few rounds are needed. I usually carry a Speer shotload (for snakes) first-up, with the rest of the rounds in the cylinder being +P semi-wadcutter hollowpoints, such as the Winchester X39SPD, Federal 38G or Remington R38S12, aka Ayoob's favorite “The FBI load.” Two Bianchi speed strips and six loose rounds fit into a Brigade Quartermasters “Can Keeper”¿ without rattling on your belt, in your coat pocket or day pack. If I plan any serious plinking, I'll pack an extra box of wadcutters.
The non-enthusiast seeking “one handgun” and who does not plan to carry concealed should select a “police-service-type,”¿ double-action .38 Special with a 3” or 4” barrel. In states where concealed carry is legal a 4”¿ gun will be cheaper than a 2”¿ snubbie of similar model. For field use a gun having adjustable sights is a plus. A 4”¿ barrel is easier to shoot accurate and is still easily concealed in a proper holster. For most purposes you will want an inside-waistband type with reinforced opening which permits one-handed re-holstering.
“Snubbies”¿ are most popular today as carry guns. I carry one myself, but they lose some ballistic performance and are more difficult to learn to shoot well. Do not buy a snubby unless you are willing to practice with it A LOT. A .357 Magnum revolver of these general specifications is also OK, because a .357 can use any .38 Special ammunition. Revolvers designed for magnum ammunition are more durably constructed, and won't loosen up with frequent use of .38 Special +P loads.
If you will carry the revolver for personal protection, you should buy one with fixed sights and either a 3” or 4”¿ barrel. The snubbies have advantages in the close-quarter backup role, but require frequent practice to maintain proficiency. Remember that for our scenario here we are talking about ONE gun for the non-hobby shooter...
Wadcutters are ideal for most general use including field shooting. They are accurate, give a good knockdown blow on small game, and don't destroy much meat.. They are a safe choice for defense in “airweight” or alloy-frame guns which cannot handle +P ammunition. Novices should use wadcutters until able to six shots DA at ten yards into a 6 inch group reliably. After developing some skill, experiment with heavier +P loads, in guns suitable for them, to become accustomed to their additional recoil. +P ammo is not for casual shooting, but for serious defense carry against two or four-legged varmints when more power is needed.
The .38 Special +P is adequate for personal defense, with proper ammunition. The 158-gr. all-lead hollowpoints provide stopping power equal to .45 ACP hardball. This represents the upper limit of power the average person can handle. It should be used only in steel frames, never in the light alloy ones.
In light alloy frames the most effective non+P load is the Winchester 110-gr. Silvertip HP. It is the only load which I have found to expand reliably from a 2” barrel. Recoil is mild, like shooting a wadcutter, so this lload is easily managed by the female significant other who is recoil-shy. The 125-gr. jacketed HP loads require a 4” barrel for normal performance, but the major-brand name, Federal, Winchester and Remington factory +P “personal protection loads,” such as Hydrashok, Silvertip and Golden Sabre do excell from those.
Ten years ago the market was flooded with police turn-in .38 Specials in good condition which you could get for under $200. These days you will have to shop around to find a used revolver which isn't worn out and you can expect to pay $300 for a used S&W Model 10 and $550 for a new Ruger SP101. If you don't know revolvers take someone with you to shop who is. You do not want to buy into a “gunsmithing project,” because you can easily invest more in fixing up a used gun than it is worth.
In new guns look at the Ruger GP100 or SP101. In used guns the S&W Model 36 or Model 60 Chief's Special, with 3” heavy barrel, and the older K-frame Model 10 and 13 heavy barrel, in 3” round butt, or 4” square butt configuration are good choices, if you can find one.
Simplify your ammunition supply. If you have a light alloy frame gun use mid-range target wadcutters for practice. In steel frame guns practice with cast lead flatnose “Cowboy” loads or semi-wadcutter field loads. For actual defense carry use only factory loaded +P lead hollowpoint or JHP “personal protection loads.” You may also want to keep a few Speer shotshells around if you live in snake country. These loads handle all uses for a .38 revolver.
The muzzle of a revolver should always be elevated when ejecting fired cases, so that any unburned powder particles fall out with the empties, rather than under the extractor, or between the crane and frame, which could tie up the gun. Smart revolver shooters always carry a toothbrush in their kit for cleaning residue out from under the extractor. If you haven't shot a revolver before, my advice is to make friends with an old retired cop who carried one for at least 20 years and ask him to show you how to properly clean and maintain it. I would also get a copy of Ed Lovett's book, The Snubby Revolver.
If you don't currently own a handgun, but have been thinking about it, you can't go wrong with a sturdy 4” .38 Special.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
