I have read that The 9mm packs A bit more punch than the 38 spl. As Far As I know the 9mm is a high pressure round. But the 38 holds more powder. Can the higher pressures of the 9mm make it pack more punch than the 38 Special?
I have read that The 9mm packs A bit more punch than the 38 spl. As Far As I know the 9mm is a high pressure round. But the 38 holds more powder. Can the higher pressures of the 9mm make it pack more punch than the 38 Special?
A Poacher Is A Thief... And We Are The Victim.
I think it just boils down to the increased velocity with the 9MM over the slower but a little heaver 38 spl
It's amazing the amount of hate that can be held in a small mind.
I have heard it either way. There are formulas for it but just because it's a formula, don't make it right. I think they are close enough that it really doesn't matter. I call them even. Same argument with the 40 vs. 45acp.
Aim small, miss small!
Powder capacity has nothing to do with a cartridges performance. Look at the old huge black powder cartridges. The 38 spl began life as a black powder ctg. That's why it has such a needlessly large case. The 9mm on the other hand was designed for smokeless from the beginning and as it works at higher pressures it is more powerful.
Marty-hiding out in the hills.
Either cartridge will do the job with a good bullet and a good hit. Neither will do the job with a bad hit or no hit.
Bullet choice can be important (my choice is the .38 Special FBI load - 158 gr H.P. Plus P). A good expanding bullet (not all are good) in the 9mm should do about as well.
Good and regular practice will do a lot for your personal piece of mind...
Dale53
I don't like anything about the 9mm except it is cheap to shoot.
For targets, and plinking, I really like the .38 special. It is very accurate.
As far as "Packs a Punch". Neither of them really "packs a punch".
My first experience with the .38 special was when I was a teenager. Two guys in my town got in a really bad disagreement. One of them had a .38 special, the other a Barlow.
The guy with the Barlow attacked the guy with the .38. The guy with the .38 shot him six times in the chest. The guy with the .38 died on the scene. The guy with the Barlow lived for many years. ( got off on self-defence)
I if you want "packs a punch" nothing smaller than the .357 Magnum will do that.
Better yet get something that starts with a 4.
.
.
First reload: .22 Hornet. 1956.
Where is John Galt?
(If you don't know, you owe it to yourself to find out. )
.
>>>Better yet get something that starts with a 4.<<<
The problem with that is the size of the package. My S&W 642 is carried almost daily. It is considerably more than nothing. I have a Kimber CDP Ultra II (.45 ACP) with a 3" barrel. It is the nearest thing to "starts with a .4 that is anywhere near "portable". Everything is a trade off.
When I consider portability as well as near adequate, that is how I end up with a .38 Special Plus P...
Dale53
Target shooting:
3.7 grains of Bullseye in a 9mm will run the Lee 358RNFP125 grainer out around 950-1000 fps.
3.7 grains of Bullseye in a .38 special will run the Lee 358RNFP125 grainer out around 800 fps.
Most days, I prefer the .38, because I don't have to bend over to pick up my brass.
I carry a 45acp in a compact 3" that holds ten rounds plus one up the pipe. It packs very nicely in an IWB holster from crossbreed holsters. My shirt tucks over it and it is truly concealed unless I need it for some purpose. I carry it loaded with 185gr Barnes hollow point "flyin' ashtrays" over seven grains of Unique. There's a reason the military dumped the .38 cal pistols a hundred years ago. Too bad the new military is a bunch of conformists going with the 9mm so the Europeans don't feel out gunned by us.
Marty-hiding out in the hills.
its all about after muzzle balistics if your asking about punch. bullet weight/nose shape/velocity/range has everything to do with punch.Originally Posted by Jason30-30
the pressure is a delivery agent to get the bullet out of the barrel. small casing sharp necks and lots of powder create pressure. like the 308 to 30-06 comp. one loaded to shoot the same velocity and same bullet wieght one takes more powder but in the end they prob will have the same """""punch"""""
punch has nothing to do with chamber pressure except to the guy holding the gun
Either one will get the job done if you put the rounds where they need to go. To do that it takes practice practice practice. I carry a Kahr CM9 and my wife carries a S&W 642. We both use Speer Gold Dot +P ammo and like I said either one will get the job done if you do your part.
Honestly, now............you wanna get shot six times with a .38 in the chest and bet on the outcome?
Anecdotal tales that are difficult to verify aside, I'm not going to bet on the well being of someone pasted six times in the chest with a .38.
No matter what "number" you think your pistol should start with. The triple digit calibers and the "4's" don't offer the increase in stopping power some would claim, either. Not to the tune of six rounds of .38 being "wimpier" than a couple of shots of something "bigger."
Six .38's offer a cumulative damage that is hard to contest. Your "favored" rounds aren't going to outdo that with a single shot, or even maybe two or three.
What does it matter, then? If this somewhat questionable tale were indeed true, look at it as more of the world's unluckiest guy doing the best he could and still failing. Not as a "caliber" thing. If the spine had been broken or skull penetrated, there would be little to say. And no guarantee something bigger would have worked, either, if placement "in the chest" was really hits around the edges.
Back during my military days, the SEALs and (British) SAS could carry any caliber they wanted.
They chose 9mm. And it wasn't because of "increased capacity." Remember--these guys had to pack in anything and everything they were going to use, so efficiency was key. They never "sprayed and prayed" and instead made every shot count.
For years they both seemed satisfied with the MP5 as well as the British and their High Power 9mm handguns.
Back in Vietnam, the Air Force pararescuemen (PJs) went down the penetrator with a .38 S&W strapped to their side.
The FBI and their 158SWCHP took care of a lot of business for a lot of years.
Fire discipline and shot placement and weapon proficiency count for far more than does diameter of projectile.
Always has. Always will.
Above Reproach A novel in which a series of mass-shootings coordinated by anti-American officials inside the U.S. government threatens not only the Second Amendment, but the entire Bill of Rights until one armed citizen finds himself with his back against the wall and fights back.
Here are some number from manufactors that sell defence ammo. My numbers came from Remington, Hornady, Speer, Bufflo Bore and Winchester all ammo was hollow points.
38sp ammo was all +p.
110gr. - 1090fps- 290ft.lbs.
125gr. - 1017fps - 287ft.lbs
130gr. - 950fps - 260ft.lbs.
135gr. - 860fps - 222ft.lbs.
158gr. - 945fps - 248ft.lbs.
9mm ammo is standard unless other wise noted as +p or +p+.
115gr. - 1140fps - 332ft.lbs.
124gr. - 1220fps - 410ft.lbs.
135gr. - 1010fps - 306ft.lbs.
135gr. - 1110fps - 369ft.lbs. +P
147gr. - 975fps - 310ft.lbs.
147gr. - 1175fps - 451ft.lbs +P+
As you can see in factory defence ammo the 9mm has more punch, but there is more to the equation than just speed and energy.
What delievery system do you want to use?
If your going with 38spl. you will be stuck with a revolver as your delivery system.
With the 9mm you use either semi auto or revolver as your delivery system.
Ill regaurdless of what you choose both will be fun to shoot and will do a good job in defending you if that is needed.
Last edited by warf73; 12-09-2011 at 03:02 AM. Reason: I was wrong about 9mm being semi auto only
"Life isn't like a box of chocolates...It's more like
a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn
your *** tomorrow."
This is real simple. If you like revolvers, get a 38.Simiauto, get a 9mm.
There are a few snub nose revolvers around that are chambered in 9mm.
You could get a Ruger SP 101 chambered in 9mm.
I have a Smith and Wesson 940 J-frame that's chambered in 9mm myself.
In informal tests I have done vs newspaper, and 1 gallon milk jugs the 9mm packed a bit more of a wallop than the .38 Special did out of a snub nose revolver.
If I am ever attacked by wet newspaper, or angry milk cartons, I know exactly where I stand now!
The 9mm was more prone to splash you with milk jug water, than the .38 Special (not counting light high velocity frangible ammunition, that I would never trust for penetration while hunting, or for self defense use) all things being somewhat equal using similar bullet weights, I also got more penetration and velocity out of the 9mm. The 9mm was actually a pretty good performer out of a short barreled revolver, and not unpleasant to shoot either.
You can load 9mm to higher pressure than .38 Special, and case capacity doesn't really become an issue unless you are using very heavy boolits, which aren't fun to shoot in a snub nose anyways. If you are really worried about power, step up to the .357 Magnum instead.
As others have said shot placement is more important than anything else. A miss with the biggest baddest caliber is never going to be as good as a solid hit with a good old .38 special.
I find .357 Magnum loud, recoil sharp, and generally unpleasant to shoot informally in a snub nose revolver. My follow up shots are also a bit slower. The really sharp recoil will eventually give me a case of the flinches as well.
I have a really nice, accurate, DAO snub nose Ruger SP 101 in .357 Magnum that is downright miserable to shoot with heavy full power 357 Mag loads. It's fun and pleasant to shoot 38 special loads and its pretty accurate with the .38's too. The SP101 spends more time in the safe than you would expect.
All that being said, the gun often found on my belt, or in my pocket... is a Smith and Wesson J-frame Air Weight in... (gasp) .38 Special. It sports a pair of De Santis Clip-Grips and it is the gun that doesn't get left behind when I walk around the ranch, go feed the horses, shut on/off the well, etc.
Sometimes it's just more comfortable than a bigger heavier gun, or even wearing a holster. It is often the gun brought along with me the most for the little day to day stuff. I would rather have my little .38 Special with me, than my 44 Magnum sitting in the safe because I didn't want to pack it with me all day in the heat, or the rain, or just because it was uncomfortable to wear for extended periods.
Sure the 9mm packs a bit more punch, than the .38 Special does, and the .357 Mag even more so, but the .38 is light, and downright pleasant to shoot and carry. Because of that it gets shot and practiced with often, carried often still, and it doesn't get left behind when the others do.
It's still a popular and viable caliber, until someone manages to build a better mousetrap.
- Bullwolf
The 38 is under loaded, it's capable of a lot more than the 9mm. Simple as that. Since when did handloaders give a hoot about factory ballistics?
Yes, I am cynical, contrary, opinionated and cranky. So what? Nobody much liked John Adams or Howard Hughes either.
We need to quit waiting for someone else to protect our rights. NRA isn't going to do it for us. If you aren't emailing, calling, writing and visiting your reps, if you aren't pro-active in this fight, if you just sit in front of the TV complaining about things then you're just as guilty as the anti gun crowd. If that makes you uncomfortable GOOD! Now do something about it, get active! MAKE A STAND NOW!!! "
LEO'S put a bunch of BAD GUYS in the ground with those old 38 Special Revolvers. Practice, Practice, Practice if you carry a "Snubbie 38", that's essential, yet few do practice a lot with it.
Those of the "Spray and Pray" crowd likes to shoot, not practice accuracy. Both of the rounds will do the job, if you do yours.
agreed moonman
Lots of good info here:
http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_De..._FAQ/index.htm
But in the end, shot placement is king.
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