Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
Page 5 of 7 FirstFirst 1234567 LastLast
Results 41 to 50 of 67
  1. #41
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
    Posts
    2,745
    Rep Power
    20784

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by thanker92 View Post
    Sorry to yank your chain but I try to inject "humor" where I can.
    There are a lot of variables in "knockdown" power and a lot of people have tried to quantify it over the years.
    I knew what ya meant. I was getting at the fact that speed, energy, color, and whether or not your box says "tactical body slaying bullets with nuclear tips" doesnt matter... How the thing reacts with the target does. The reaction to impact is not as dependent on "energy" as people want to think. Energy is useless as a variable.
    Jeff Cooper was a huge supporter of gun games, when he was winning them at least...

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    West Shore!, Pennsylvania
    (Cumberland County)
    Posts
    4,589
    Rep Power
    354214

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by PA Traveler View Post
    Do I like my 9mm? Yes. But if I were going to carry a wheelgun (and my wife probably will) I would not feel undergunned with .38 +P s.

    Bottom line - carry the largest caliber you can shoot effectively, in a delivery system that meets your needs for accessibility and/or concealment.
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    This.

    9mm and .38 are almost always my carry guns. That being said I do not feel under-gunned with a 5 shot revolver. It took me a little while to come to this conclusion, mostly because it takes practice to be profecient with the snubbie. Not saying you don't have to practice with a 9mm handgun, only that accuracy and speed come much easier with a full sized gun with good sights and a long(ish) barrel. A small revolver strips away all these advantages and makes you practice fundamentals.

    I can't (and don't want to) always carry a full size pistol. 16+1 is very comforting, don't get me wrong, but sometimes comfort (physical) and concealment are important too. This is why I carry .38.

    I'll tell you one thing, I was shooting rows of water filled milk jugs last week and the .38 special +P rounds I'm carrying make a mess. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of one, even if 9mm is a better round.

    That's another question... Maybe I'll make a new thread; Light and fast .38 hollow points, or 158 gr LSWCHP?
    Selling off a a sizeable Spyderco collection here

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Perry Co., Pennsylvania
    Posts
    2,831
    Rep Power
    21474853

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by orionz06 View Post
    The reaction to impact is not as dependent on "energy" as people want to think. Energy is useless as a variable.
    In other words: You won't be able to tell any appreciable difference if you get hit by a truck going 50mph or one going 70mph.
    "It's hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong."
    Thomas Sowell

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Sparks, Nevada
    Age
    66
    Posts
    2,689
    Rep Power
    425301

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by bripro View Post
    Im not into ballistic comparisons so Ill just ask you experts. Is a good 38+P hollow point as effective/more effective than 9 mm HPs for a defensive round?
    without all the off topic Bullshit

    a .38 +P is perfectly acceptable for a defensive situation
    Honesta Mors Turpi Vita Potior ~ 3%

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
    Posts
    2,745
    Rep Power
    20784

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by IronButt View Post
    In other words: You won't be able to tell any appreciable difference if you get hit by a truck going 50mph or one going 70mph.
    The truck example doesnt work. Comparing two different JHP's that will expand differently is the issue, not how fast they are going. That is why most people measure the end result, penetration and reliable expansion.
    Jeff Cooper was a huge supporter of gun games, when he was winning them at least...

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    North East PA, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    3,437
    Rep Power
    21474857

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Here are the ballistics for a 124 gr Gold dot 9mm:

    Velocity Energy
    Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards
    1150 1039 963 364 297 255

    125 gr Gold Dot .38 +P:

    Velocity Energy
    Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards
    945 891 845 248 220 198


    Looks pretty close to me.
    Any vote for a third party is a vote for a Democrat. You are the enemy.

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Perry Co., Pennsylvania
    Posts
    2,831
    Rep Power
    21474853

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by orionz06 View Post
    The truck example doesnt work. Comparing two different JHP's that will expand differently is the issue, not how fast they are going. That is why most people measure the end result, penetration and reliable expansion.
    No, what I was getting at is, if it knocks you on your ass & you don't get up, that's all that's necessary.
    "It's hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong."
    Thomas Sowell

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Finleyville, Pennsylvania
    (Washington County)
    Posts
    2,204
    Rep Power
    36500

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    digging past all of all the e-penis waving, I would like to chime in that the .38+P is a great defensive round, but has 2 drawbacks.

    1. The delivery system generally has more muzzle flip and felt recoil (revolver).
    2. Weapon capacity is generally much smaller (revolver).

    IMHO, carry what you can afford to practice with, what you can feel comfortable carrying (some guys don't like the weight of a full 1911 and opt for a Commander) and get training when you can.

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Not sure yet, North Carolina
    Posts
    208
    Rep Power
    249

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    Quote Originally Posted by IronButt View Post
    No, what I was getting at is, if it knocks you on your ass & you don't get up, that's all that's necessary.
    You are not knocked on your ass by the impact of the bullet, you fall on your ass because of the pain felt, but not all, or even most of the BGs fall down immediately cause of the way aggressive personalities feel pain, the body tends to shut down the pain receptors when they are stimulated too much.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaS_2l8nGdg

    Quote Originally Posted by Yoder View Post
    Here are the ballistics for a 124 gr Gold dot 9mm:

    Velocity Energy
    Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards
    1150 1039 963 364 297 255

    125 gr Gold Dot .38 +P:

    Velocity Energy
    Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards Muzzle 50 yards 100 yards
    945 891 845 248 220 198


    Looks pretty close to me.
    Not really, Well at further distances yeah, but at the ranges you will be engaging someone in defense of yourself not close at all. But energy imparted and velocity are not nearly as important as folk make it out to be. Bullet diameter of the .38 9.1mm. Now a bullet designed for use in .38 +p could expand to the same as if not greater diameter as a different one in 9mm, and penetrate to the same depth.
    Last edited by Former_Marine99; August 15th, 2010 at 11:19 AM.
    "Kicking the darkness until it bleeds light."

  10. #50
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    (Delaware County)
    Posts
    235
    Rep Power
    475953

    Default Re: Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

    All things being equal........the 9mm does have an edge on the .38+p round but, there are good loads with the .38 that come close,its a very accurate round and if you want to use a revolver its a better choice then the 9mm.
    Tim

Page 5 of 7 FirstFirst 1234567 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Can my guns handle 9mil +P+
    By bripro in forum Pistols
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: June 26th, 2010, 10:06 PM
  2. Best 9mm defensive round.
    By Brown-Bear in forum Pistols
    Replies: 55
    Last Post: February 24th, 2010, 08:31 PM
  3. Defensive Plan/Defensive Mindset at home?
    By TheF00L in forum General
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: May 16th, 2009, 03:53 AM
  4. good 380 defensive round
    By Shawn.L in forum General
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: March 21st, 2009, 12:58 PM
  5. .380 Defensive Round Question
    By Virtualmatt in forum General
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: December 29th, 2008, 11:26 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •