They're still small enough to conceal, but much easier to shoot in just about all respects. The .38 Special won’t break the bank by any stretch of the imagination. Over a long afternoon shooting that adds up. Double-action revolvers are among the easiest and most reliable handguns around — simply aim, pull the trigger and they go bang. Think the polymer-framed Ruger LCR or aluminum-framed Smith & Wesson Model 642. Weight 19.75 oz. Darn difficult to find a 38 Super around here although ammo for it is super plentiful. Will a Glock or similar 9 mm be less loud? Its poor showing against Moro Rebels in the 1900s not only led to the eventual adoption of the .45 ACP and Colt 1911 by the U.S. Military, but also spurred the development of what would become one of the most prolific cartridges of the 20th Century — the .38 Special. Not by a long shot. Wouldn't they be better served with something like a 3 or 4 inch steel revolver, or a medium sized pistol such as a P320 compact? Caribou Media Group earns a commission from qualifying purchases. Spending the money to convert an alloy framed snubby just isn’t worth it to me. I have hearing nerve damage, with tinnitus. Not to mention, the 9mm offered plenty of advantages in the breakthrough system. If it’s a plinker or competition gun, this might not matter a lick. For instance, shooting Hornady’s 125-grain American Gunner ammo it generates a bit more than 7 ft/lbs of recoil energy. Want to buy a handgun for self defense and concealed carry. They are ***** cats to shoot. Best Caliber for Self Defense: 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP? The S&W 340 shooting 38 specials will have less recoil than a 9mm j-frame. Thank you! If you reload, you can also make mild .45 ACP rounds, obviating the need to buy a different caliber firearm. Finally, as a result of ammunition advancements, it will perform in the direst circumstances. Even standard pressure 9MM in a steel framed gun will demonstrate more recoil that 38 +P in the alloy framed gun. Never shot a 9mm 1911 but have a couple super 38 1911s. 2. And with the new 9mm loads available, would recommend the 9. And, depending on the bullet weight (it shoots between 115 and 147 grain), generally the cartridge generated somewhere around 1,000 to 1,300 fps of velocity at the muzzle. The alloy frame .38 Special was not intended for the pressures of 9mm. Have to avoid loud noise. No, it will go the other way. Thank you! With experience and understanding about its capabilities, a handloader can get a lot out of the cartridge. If you reload you can make some mild .38 Supers that would feel like 9mm for her and load up some screamers for you. Shot out of the right gun, they’re accurate and mild recoiling. In the right hands and with the proper round, there’s no reason to believe the tried-and-true revolver cartridge won’t perform admirably in a self-defense situation. There has been an error with your Email Subscription. Heck, only two-thousandths of an inch separate their diameters — .357 in .38 Special and .355 for 9mm. Not exactly the same model but more about recoil is shooting an all steel 5 inch Gov sized in 9mm versus 38 Super. 4 Must-Have Concealed Carry Upgrades (2020). 3.46 inch Barrel. Not as much as a .45, but some. If she still has difficulty with recoil, a heavier .38 revolver may be preferred--a Ruger SP101 or a steel-framed S&W. Nightforce Optics Expands ATACR Line With Second Focal Plane Scope, The .224 Valkyrie Has Soared From The Start, History and performance of the .38 Special, Choosing .38 Special Ammo For Self-Defense, Know Your Cartridge: The Dependable .38 Special, Self-Defense: .357 SIG And .357 Magnum Ammo Considerations. So i'll try to narrow it down. Will there be any improvement in recoil tolerance? Yet, this can become considerably more bearable given the pistol's assets. Over the years, militaries and law enforcement recognized these advantages and have flocked to the 9mm. Early on, the typical defensive load was a 158-grain lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint, though later a 200-grain soft-cast lead round nose “Super Police” load became common, offering officers a bullet that yawed upon impact and created a larger wound canal. The older stainless steel 940 J-frames are not particularly fun to shoot. A forum community dedicated to all 1911 firearm owners and enthusiasts. I have a 642 with the larger CT grips, and the LCR I shot had noticeably less felt recoil for the same .38 rounds. Standard 9mm rounds. There is no doubt modern shooters have embraced the 9mm and for good reason. in 9mm on the right. To be fair, you have to deal with the same physics with micro 9mm pistols. To me it is not a lot. Dogguy, Dec 24, 2010. Nevertheless, the .38 Special is still around for more than just the sake of nostalgia. Given the respectable velocities for its time and the fact it was a kitten to shoot, the .38 Special became the primary service revolver caliber of most American law-enforcement agencies over the decades. It offers the 9mm’s superior ballistics (210 fps more muzzle velocity than the aforenoted .38 load), more capacity (three more rounds) and greater concealment potential. It definitely depends on the loads you're shooting. Furthermore, dominating the gun world as it has, the 9mm just plain has more options when it comes to firearms. There is a little more recoil. I was looking at these two guns, and was wondering which one would be louder, and which would have more recoil. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. I have a 642 and a 940. It is one thing to make the conversion and shoot it yourself, another to hand it to someone else to shoot. The Ruger LC9s generates around 8 ft/lbs of recoil energy spitting out Hornady’s 124-grain Custom ammo. Not to mention the accuracy issues as the chambwring and barrel dimensions aren’t exact between a 9mm and 38. Truth told, the .38 Special and 9mm aren’t a world away. Next to nothing weight-wise, the revolvers not only became a staple for those seeking the utmost convenience, but were light enough they gained popularity as insurance-policy backup guns. As mentioned before, the semi-auto pistol cartridge offers better ballistics, is chambered in larger-capacity guns, of which there is a greater selection and, for the most part, are easier to conceal. While it may not be most people’s first choice any longer, it is no less a valid choice overall. You could also consider a LCR in 38 Spl. The cartridge’s saving grace was the concealed carry movement of the past few decades. That plastic frame plus the rubber grip really help soak up some of the recoil. You’re more likely to find a gun to fit exactly what you need, be it a service-pistol for your nightstand or a single stack for your belt holster. Certainly, semi-auto pistols do require more practice to become competent, given the greater odds of having to solve a malfunction. And, SD ammo looks like lightning bolts out of that little pipe. This sort of dependability appealed to some armed citizen, particularly those who didn’t wish to master a semi-auto’s more complex manual of arms. As mentioned before, the semi-auto pistol cartridge offers better ballistics, is chambered in larger-capacity guns, of which there is a greater selection and, for the most part, are easier to conceal. As close as I can come to apples to apples is I have XSE LW Commanders in .45 (top), 38 Super (middle) and 9mm (bottom). To the former, since it is the parent of the .357 Magnum, it is possible to shoot the .38 in nearly any gun chambered for the larger cartridge. It was accurate and easy to shoot. Hi. They are about the softest recoiling round outside of .22 lr. If the 642 has the same trigger-pull-weight of the 442, you can safely hang laundry on it. I fired a Smith & W Bodyguard 38 spl revolver a few rounds at an indoor range. The 9mm is about like shooting a .22 conversion unit where as with the 38 Super you notice a little recoil. Georg Luger’s upstart flew in the face of most conventional wisdom of the time — the 9mm wasn’t a revolver cartridge and it wasn’t big bore. 9mm and .38 aren't that different, unless you compare extremely light loads in one to heavy loads in the other. In turn, the .38 Special generated greater velocities as well as shot heavier bullets, which added up to greater penetration potential — an asset sorely lacking in the .38 Long Colt. That said, if you sit down and rattle off the .38 Special and 9mm’s virtues, you’ll end up with nearly identical lists. Like so many aspects of the gun world, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as picking one or the other. Six major concealed carry insurance programs are now available to the millions of Americans who carry concealed. Furthermore, almost exclusively a revolver round (yes, there are a few exceptions), the 5- and 6-round guns chambered for it paled in capacity to the double-stack pistols that started to dominate in the last quarter of the century. You’ll get used to the recoil, what you care about reliability. I had always shot outdoors, but then an indoor range opened up last spring. Lively, the cartridge, in most loads, not only meets FBI penetration standards, but it also works well with most jacketed hollow point bullets, ensuring the projectiles reached their maximum expansion diameter. The little ones are effective, but I'd not put them in a "comfortable to shoot" status for more than the recoil reason. A quick survey of LuckyGunner.com gives a good example. Disclosure: These links are affiliate links. Is Louder than I expected. Though, to many, this is a small trade-off. There’s little arguing, the .38 Special is a bit of a throwback to a different era of handgun cartridges, but its usefulness has far from run its course. Overall, it’s difficult to argue that when it comes to concealed carry, for most modern shooters the 9mm edges out the .38 Special. Deals Of The Week: Gun Sales And More (Oct. 22, 2020), 5 Best Steel Targets For Years Of Shooting Fun (2020), Heavy Metal: Sig Custom Works’ P320 AXG Scorpion, 6 On-Target Concealed Carry Insurance Options (2020), 16 Top Picks For Concealed Carry Handguns (2020). I like a decent amount of resistance, but to beginners (again, if it's anything like the 442) I'd go so far to speculate that they would be intimidated by the pull, and discouraged by never having staged a DAO revolver, and the resultant "pop-corn-ish" target results. Thing is,even with the short ~2" barrels, chronographed 9MM ballistics significantly exceeds any 38 +P ammo I've had the opportunity to test. Please try again. So I am considering converting a Smith 642 @ 14.4 oz to 9mm. Of nearly all handgun cartridges on the market today, it is among the most well-rounded and allows even new shooters the ability to become proficient. I'll carry the 9 in a belt holster or IWB. And, perhaps most importantly, it offered the potential firepower once only dreamed about when it came to handguns. In 1901, you would have gotten some funny looks had you claimed this little German cartridge would become among the most consequential ammo advancements of the last 100 years. A single stack subcompact 9mm semi-auto pistol has less recoil than a j-frame. I realize that the barrel length, and the ammo used will affect the loudness, but in a 2 inch or 3 inch self defense gun, what can I do to be less loud? Is there any real difference in recoil between a Colt 1911 in 9 millimeter and 38 Super? Stepping away from defensive applications, the one area the .38 Special perhaps has an edge on the 9mm is versatility, particularly on two fronts: guns and reloading. Not much. At 13.5 ounces, the ultra-light revolver’s recoil can prove quite stout. The biggest difference in shooting the 38 Super and the 9mm is the fireball the 38 Super puts out.