.38 Special: What I’ve Learned After Over 20,000 Rounds

I make a habit of counting the number of reloads I make by keeping a tally of primer and bullet boxes. I’m not a hoarder and I don’t keep them, but I am detailed in my process. I reached an interesting number the other day. I realized that I had hit a very special count … Read more

Ruger Follows Up the Marlin Dark Series with the Re-Release of the Marlin Classic Model 1894 Chambered in .357 Magnum

Hot on the heels of the re-release of the Marlin Dark Series, Ruger has just announced the re-release of one of Marlin’s all-time classics, the Model 1894 lever action chambered in .357 Magnum. Unlike the Dark Series guns, the 1894 Classic is, well, a classic. It has blued steel and an American Black Walnut stock … Read more

Wheelgun Wednesday: My 3 Favorite Smith & Wesson Revolvers

We all have our favorite guns, and I’m no different. Something about the design and cosmetics of certain arms speak to me, but I’m not exclusive to any single brand. In the safe right now are semi-auto handguns from Colt, FN, GLOCK, Ruger, and SIG Sauer, and rifles from Remington, Savage, Beretta, Daniel Defense, F-1, … Read more

Gun Review: Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 637 Revolver

My dad came to me looking for a concealed carry gun. He wanted a small revolver, and he had a number of requirements. First, he wanted at least a .38 Special +P. Second, he wanted an exposed hammer, and third, he specifically did not want what he called a’ dinky’ little grip. I translated those … Read more

A Tale of a Revolver’s Decline and the Rebirth from the Prancing Pony

Colt is a name that’s synonymous with the .38 Special six-shot snub nose wheel gun. Going all the way back to 1927, with the introduction of their D-Framed Detective Special, Colt made a series of variations of this gun as it went through four generations during the twentieth century. After attempting to recover from a … Read more

Six-Shooting Diamonds In The Rough: Colt Police Positive and Smith & Wesson Model 10 Revolvers

As a collector, I usually walk by heavily used and abused guns, the ones that have been ridden hard and put away wet. But that isn’t the case all the time. A normal run-of-the-mill guns like a common GLOCK 17 Gen3 would have to be in expectational condition and at a great price to catch … Read more

Smith & Wesson’s K-Frame .38 Special Masterpieces

The Smith & Wesson Model 14 Target Masterpiece and Model 15 Combat Masterpiece are by far some of Big Blue’s best old school blued steel K-Frame .38 Special goodness. These guns were from a bygone era, back when gasoline was leaded, television was the Big Three Networks, and spare ammo on a cop’s duty belt … Read more

What’s So Special About .38 Special?

David Tong writes [via ammoland.com] The “thirty-eight-special,” was a simple lengthening of the .38 Long Colt round that had proved so inadequate against the Moro warriors of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. Developed in 1898, it was first chambered in the original “Military and Police” K-frame revolvers of S&W, the most produced revolver line in history. … Read more

Sheetrock Penetration Testing, Take 1

There are a lot of strong opinions out there when it comes to home defense firearms. Nick’s Self Defense Tip; Don’t Use a Rifle caused some of the best discussion I’ve seen on the subject in a while, and it got me thinking on the subject as well. It seems to me that the biggest hang-up for any person, no matter what their view point is, is the issue of penetration. If I shoot someone in my house and miss, how many walls is it going to go through? Will it hit my neighbor’s house or go into the adjacent apartment? Is a rifle or shotgun round going to penetrate more walls than my pistol? These are valid concerns and ones that any responsible gun owner should consider. So I decided to get some supplies and see what would happen if I shot at and missed an intruder with the firearms I have in my household.

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