Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns And before the 9mm there was the 38 Special

I’d ask to see the game warden’s chronograph.

I can reach 350fp with a 173gr Keith in the 38 Special, but I like Thekid's reply better.

Virginia is a ridiculous patch work of local ordnances that control what you can use to hunt with. One county is no rifles for big game. The next county over may be no rifles for deer hunting. The next may be no rifles unless you are in a tree stand. The next no rifles based on where you are in the county while the rest rifles are allowed. It's absurd.

In years past, most people did not have anywhere near the amount of disposable income that so many people today have (which does not include me...). Even "gun people" didn't usually shoot nearly as much as many people do today. They simply couldn't. Ammo was not cheap. This is why there were often .22lr versions of full size belt pistols... because practicing with .38spl, .45acp, or anything else was pretty dang expensive. People usually simply weren't able to work up to the point where they thought that .357 Magnum was a pussycat, like so many do (or think they do) today. Everyone today has Magnumitis. This was not so in the past.

And I’m the opposite in that I have the time, the money, the place, the reloading stuff, and the guns to shoot all the time all year. And I do. But I hate the blast, noise, and recoil of hotrod magnums unless they’re absolutely necessary for the task at hand.

Same, and if the specials aren’t being shot the 357s/44s are usually dialed back anyways. The 38 special is one of my absolutely fav. cartridges.