Is a .38 special caliber handgun good for personal protection?
There are many different opinions about .38 (special) or anything else gun related for that matter. One person will say that a .38 is worthless and the next person will say that a .38 is fine. If ask find 5 “experts” you’ll get 5 different answers. The is, with the right ammo, fired from a handgun with a reasonable barrel length, .38 special can be a reasonable choice, but a .38 generally has less velocity and less energy than some other cartridges, so there are better choices. And, just as a side note, many people will say, “Well, *I* wouldn’t want to get shot with one.” Whether or not you would “want to get shot” by a certain bullet is not an indicator of how effective it is.