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View Full Version : 38 vs 357 J frame contact gunshot wounds.


sjc3081
08-30-11, 07:42
I dont know if this worth addressing, but with the 38/357 debate, is it worth it to carry a full power 357 load ? I have read in the past that the muzzle blast from magnum rounds causes significant internal damage from a contact gunshot as compared to a standard loading. Does anyone have any credible info in regards ? I wish to exclude the extra recoil and muzzle blast issues from consideration.
Todd.K
08-30-11, 11:03
If you want to know out of curiosity I can understand. If you are selecting a defensive weapon based on the terminal performance difference in contact shots... you may want to reconsider your tactics/environment.
DocGKR
08-30-11, 11:53
The additional damage from a contact wound is due to the expanding gases tearing tissue--.357 Mag definitely produces more gas than a .38 sp load.
sjc3081
08-30-11, 16:19
Todd.K in my employment contact gunshots are more likely that distance engagements.
Jake'sDad
08-30-11, 23:06
Jon Erik Hexum blew a chunk of skull through his own brain with a .44 magnum blank.
tpd223
08-30-11, 23:49
One of the advantages of the Centennial style J frames is that they make such great "get off me" guns. You can make contact shots with no issues of stoppages.

The extra blast damage is a bonus feature.
Jake'sDad
08-31-11, 01:32
One of the advantages of the Centennial style J frames is that they make such great "get off me" guns. You can make contact shots with no issues of stoppages.

The extra blast damage is a bonus feature.

Back in the day, when I carried a 2-1/2" 19 with Super Vel 110's in it, I used to say the crook wouldn't just get shot, they'd be on fire.
KhanRad
08-31-11, 09:56
I had a suicide case a couple of years ago where a guy had pressed the muzzle of a .357mag to his forehead and pulled the trigger. It literally blew his cranium apart and much of the brain flew apart as well. I also had an attempted murder case where a guy shot his girlfriend in the forehead with a .357mag from about 2 feet away. The bullet went in between the two hemispheres of the brain and did minimal damage. She recovered and testified against him.
Augusto
08-31-11, 15:01
Happened here last tuesday:

https://www.m4carbine.net/picture.php?albumid=426&pictureid=2143

This one stay in the forehead. Two others transfixed the jaw e he found one of them:

https://www.m4carbine.net/picture.php?albumid=426&pictureid=2144

It's a 38, I presume.

link in portuguese:
http://g1.globo.com/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2011/08/eletricista-leva-tres-tiros-e-projetil-fica-alojado-na-testa-diz-policia-em-ms.html
DocH
09-03-11, 07:56
Back in the day, when I carried a 2-1/2" 19 with Super Vel 110's in it, I used to say the crook wouldn't just get shot, they'd be on fire. Ahhh,the old Super Vel.I used them too. Also carried the 90 grainer in a Mod.39-2.
We thought we were the wave of the future then.:cool: Maybe we were.;)