Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .38 Special

We've been on a .38 kick around here as well. Earlier this year I bought one of my dream guns, a S&W 60-4 here. Then I gave the 13 year old a SP101 .357 for his birthday. Since then there's been alot of loading and shooting. We're on the verge of trying some mid-range .357s. It takes me back to when I was a kid. I'd load 100 .38 plinkers and shoot them up before lunch, eat, then repeat. Great stuff!

That's good shooting with that J-frame. Not to take away from it at all but one reason I really like the .38 is that groups like that are not uncommon.

That 60-4 is a personal grail of mine as well. Just missed one in excellent shape in a local classifieds this week, one guy called before I did and snagged it. You can find them on gunbroker occasionally but folks want an arm and two legs for them. Smith makes the new ones in .357 but for that frame size I like the original .38 Special chambering.



Speaking of multiple appendage prices, here's one you don't see too often - a Model 36 in the same configuration. I've read that Smith only made a bit over 600 of these. Seller wants $1599 or Take a Shot for this one. Would love to get it but he didn't accept my $400 Take a Shot offer...



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I love the narrow sights on the old 36 I have. I shoot it much better than I can my 2” M10. I’ve been wanting to get a 3” for a while now, maybe I’ll happen upon one someday.

M36 with 5gr Unique under a 358156HP. Kinda hard on the Beav

In the waybackwhens, I used to buy the Speer swaged 158 SWCs for next to nothing at a jobber's place just outside Ft. Bragg, and I'd load them over 4.0 231, it was scary how well they shot. I don't have any idea about velocity, but it was a mild load even out of a buddy's M36. I was shooting them out of a M28, so there was about as little recoil as you could imagine. Since the dealer was an RCBS/Speer jobber, he kept prices pretty low. I shot a LOT of those 146 HP half-jackets, too, just upping the charge of 231 or sometimes Blue Dot, if he had any.
I could make that M28 sing............................

Model 442 in the pocket as we speak. My 140 grain JHP hand loads.

Great stuff.. I don;t own a .38 but that is all I shot in my .357's.. Great round and does most of what I need done..

Chief's Special S & W.



Ruger Security-Six

Like the flat latch. I only have one such, it's an I-frame 38 S&W. About as much power as you can get in such a little frame.

I had one of those back in the 1990s. I stupidly sold it in the late 1990s or early 2000s.

JefeMojado, what is the make and model of that red dot sight on your gun? It seems very compact. Nice revolver too BTW.

Looks like a Vortex Venom. Vortex for sure.

Thanks.

The half jacket in 146 and 160 were good bullets. I was working in a gun shop in the early 70’s and got a deal on a Lyman All American turret pistol press, one of those red ones. I loved that thing and kept it for years.

The Speer #8 manual was the book for me, l learned years later that many of the .38 Special loads (especially those using SR4756) were way too high pressure wise.

That is correct, Vortex Venom. The Alchin mount is the real secret, much lower and trimmer than typical rail/Weaver type mount used on many revolver top straps.

4" 15's and 14's are the perfect walkabout 38's. That one definitely fits the bill!

What is this long barreled 14 you speak of?

That's it. I know it would suck for lugging around, but they just have to be a sweet shooting SOB.

I often pack a short barreled 15 on my walkabouts. One of my favorites and has accounted for two rattlesnakes and one wild pig so far this year.

The best carry revolver ever made was short-barreled Model 12 with round butt. They were made for many years yet very few come up for sale on used gun market. At one time these were issued to military intelligence and Air Marshal Service.

It looks like 3 inch barrel. I have seen one on virtual version of Cabela's Gun Library listed for $650, if I recall correctly. Based on the box it was in the gun was made in 1950s or early 60s.

From what I can gather on the net a S&W distributor had some pre-Model 36 Chief's Special revolvers made up with adjustable sights, those had 2" barrels and were made starting in 1955. There may have been other variations but I can't find a lot of info on those. The Model 36-6 with the 3" full underlug barrel and adjustable sights was a limited run of 615 pieces made in 1989.



S&W made a bunch of Model 36's in a 3" fixed sight configuration and those are fairly common.