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From: baechler@disuns2.epfl.ch ((Emmanuel Baechler))
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Where did all the .38 spl go?
Message-ID: <35962@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 25 Jun 91 16:01:27 GMT
Sender: magnum@mimsy.umd.edu
Lines: 36
Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu

In article <35950@mimsy.umd.edu>, joeha@microsoft.COM writes:
 
# What she wants is a new 4 inch, medium-framed, stainless  
# steel, 6 round revolver with adjustable sights that can  
# handle +p rounds. 

....

#  
# So now I turn to this group to ask: What happened?  Isn't  
# anyone making them any more?  What I have described is  
# I thought was a standard service revolver of not too many  
# years ago.  Did they just stop making them one day?   
#  

  As you noticed, .38 spal. are more and more rare. This is because the
.357 Magums do the same job, and can use almost any type of ammunition that
you want from the .38 spal Wadcutter to the strongest .357, without any
security problem. I guess that most of the american police services which
were previously using revolvers, were, in fact, using .357. In addition,
very few people would buy a .38 , for the same reason.

  I am not sure that it really fits your needs, but my revolver is a S&W
686. It has an excellent trigger, is very accurate and reliable. Finally,
its intermediate frame (L) betrween the light K and the heavy N frame makes
it quite light: I don't have any problem to fire it with a single hand. Mine 
is a 6 inches (so, you can guess that I am not using it for self defense),
but S&W has 4 and 2.5 inches barrels for this revolver. So, I hope that this
can help you.

Emmanuel Baechler
baechler@liasun4.epfl.ch
AI Lab.
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
MA - Ecublens
1015 Lausanne	Switzerland