Yeah, I know

I knew .38 +P was inadequate if I really wanted the fancy self defense bullet to do what a fancy self defense bullet is supposed to do (and does do more out of longer barrels) out of snubnosed J-Frames.

I guess a part of me was in denial, hoping for a suspension of the laws of physics, and a bullet would be invented, near term, that would expand reliably after poking through the first front bit of a bad guy, and still poke through to near the back part of a bad guy.   Physics wasn't suspended.

Part of it is laziness (I don't WANNA change), part of it is inertia (I already have a .38/.357, why change horses in mid stream), part of it was path of least resistance (.38s are thick on the ground, I can pick what I want, and the ammo is also readily available still).  I kidded myself that I could always load magnums in my 640s, knowing that that is punishing, slower-shooting, and unlikely. 

But those are excuses.  Only half-thought-out reasons. 

Now keep in mind, I don't think the .32 bigguns self-defense rounds expand any more reliably, either, out of a snubbie.  They might.  But that's not really the point if they are roughly the same is it?  It's 'small gun still shoots 6' that appeals more.    But Lucky Gunner promises to get that data out to us in the future.  They already did .38s a while back.

And I was aware of the hotter .32 revolvers YEARS ago as a reader of Tam's.  I groked her reasoning, even then, as an uber-noob.   Persuaded to its wisdom.  This was BEFORE I had owned my first snub nosed revolver. 

There is no good reason to be stuck in a .38 rut.  Yet I am.

It's not so bad.  .38 isn't a nerf dart.   It's just not ideal.  And I carry that more than 90% of my time when I can carry in public.

So all that to say "It's not ideal, yet I am not changing."

I'm trying hard to think what COULD make me change?  House fire that takes all my guns?  Start from scratch?  Would I even get any revolver if I started from scratch?  Yes, I would get a revolver.  And maybe that would be the push to .32 biggun.  I wouldn't relish stocking up the ammo for it...