There were many law enforcement agencies that were restricted to .38 special only. Given such a restriction, I would reach for a S&W M-15 Combat Masterpiece; the greatest .38 special IMO.
a family member joined the FBI in the old days. He loved his Model 13 Smith. The Department issued the .38 Special 158 grain LSWCHP. He still says that was an effective load. It sure did the job for him when the chips were down on a few occasions.
I like the K frame smiths, Model 10, Model 15, and Model 19 myself.
