.38spl vs 9mm revolver

[NAA]

Ruger SP101 3" barrel in 9mm..... who's shooting one?

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NAA.

 

[latenight]

I had the Alpha Proj 9mm. Most of my other handguns are in 9mm, so I liked the idea of a 9mm revolver. Moon clips were easy to find for a while, but not sure about now. At $5-$10 they were cheaper than buying magazines. Still, I didn't like the feel and the recoil of the Alfa vs my S&W Model 10. Felt like the recoil was a lot sharper vs a 9mm semi auto. The S&W (an older, pre-lock model) was also a much smoother trigger and shooter.

In short, sold the Alfa and kept the S&W. If I could somehow find a restricted S&W 547 I'd be willing to compare those two!

 

[TheTooner]

I advise you to explain the options to your wife and ask her if .38Special matters more than the 9mm's low ammo cost and convenient commonality with your pistol.

 

[vagrantviking]

Been married 28 years. Get her what she asked for, and reload. As mentioned, the .38 has a different felt recoil, all my daughters prefer shooting it to any of my 9mm.

And I would suggest keeping your eye on the EE for a Model 14 K38 Masterpiece, saw one last week at a very reasonable price considering what you are getting. It is quite possibly my favorite revolver to shoot, or at least dead even with my Python. Love that model 14....a bit more money than the 9mm you mentioned, but your wife will know how much you love her (and yourself too)!

Best advice on this thread for sure.

If you're worried about the cost difference start reloading and the cost of all your shooting will drop.
How much will she be shooting? How long will it take for the difference in ammo cost to offset the $200 difference in the price between the two guns?

 

[canoe2]

++ for the .38, repeat of what many have stated. Easy recoil, easy to load up or down, tons of load data available. Moon clips are a hassle, takes away the ease of use inherent in a revolver, especially for newbies.

This will go one of two directions for you. She will try it and really like the sport, in which case you need to reload or spend more on different guns, or probably both. Or, b), she tries it, doesn't like it much, and you're out the cost of a couple boxes of ammo. Which is a low enough volume ammo cost won't matter much, and the .38 is now easier to sell (I'd like a 9mm revolver...said almost no one, ever) and you paid less for it upfront, so you're out less overall.

Happy shooting!