Heavier is my choice in a 38 also - the "FBI" load mentioned is a good choice.
The 38 got a bad rep because so many were used by police, who are in general not good shots, and they missed a lot. The 38 is as good as the 9mm and better than the 380.
I have lots of choices and I still carry a 38 more often than any other pistol.
And most of the bad rep for stopping power was when just about all cops carried round nosed bullets at standard velocity. These actually worked OK prior to the "war on drugs." Since (and likely due to) the "war on drugs," however, the use of exotic drugs by criminals has increased such that cops were frequently having to shoot assailants all hopped up on them, thus requiring more traumatic wounds (than those typically inflicted by round nosed bullets from .38 Specials) to be stopped.
