357 Magnum Vs. 38 Special In Snub Nose Revolvers
BY Herschel Smith
4 years ago
I knew most of this already. The main points are that you never get something for nothing. A long barrel causes the .357 magnum to shine. That round beats the .38 Spl by a non-trivial margin. It does so in both the short barrel wheelgun and the long barrel (although more so with the longer barrel).
However, splits to followup shots, ability to control recoil, gun weight, concealability, etc., are all factors in making a decision on what to carry, and when.
On December 11, 2020 at 4:33 pm, =TW= said:
A few observations based on personal experience with my S&W revolvers:
*M36 (boot grips) and M60 (factory synthetic grips) 2″ J Frame .38 SPL- Blast and recoil are easily manageable. Boot grips offer little purchase but are more concealable than 3-finger grips. I consider .38 SPL barely adequate for protection.
These are retired now in favor of the M640.
* M65 K Frame 3″ Heavy barrel (wood grips)- Blast and recoil of both .38 SPL and .357 Mag noticeably less than J Frame guns due to increased weight and slightly longer barrel. A step up in capacity, and a good compromise in size and weight.
This I stoke w/ .357 always.
* M640 J Frame 2 1/8″ barrel (Pachmayr Compac grips)- Still blasty w/ .357 ammo, but recoil is significantly less than the M65. This I attribute to the closed backstrap of the grips. This is my favorite J frame, always stoked w/ .357.
* M686 L Frame 4″ full underlug barrel (Pachmayr Gripper grips)- A large revolver, it is a pussycat w/.38 when plinking. Usually stoked w/ full-boat .357s as used in my Trapper carbine.
*Airweight snubbies- Expensive compared to steel frame revolvers of similar size, but much harder to master. Somewhere between unpleasant and punishing to shoot. Choice of grips can make a big improvement.
*J Frame in .22 Mag. Someday…