I know it's going to hurt my hand to shoot it and it's basically going to suck.  Seven feet and minute of garbage can.  But, his comment made me think.  I'm going to have to practice with this thing if I plan on defending myself with it.

Any suggestions on a light .38 load for a derringer?  Or, should I just learn to shoot the batch of full strength wadcutters I already have?

I feel like practicing with a leather glove on, but what if I don't have a leather glove on at the time I need it?  Am I going to flinch at the recoil and shoot a hole in the floor?

Is it a steel framed derringer, like the American Derringer Model 1?   Is so, I can't imagine the recoil will be all that bad with .38SP +P.  The gun weights 15 oz, 3 oz more than my S&W 360Sc in .357.  That gun is painful to fire with full power .357 and bearable with mid power .357 Golden Sabers, but is really not a problem with .38+P.  I would just get Speer +P Short barrel  Gold Dots for it and practice with what you would actually use if SHTF.

Quoted: I know it's going to hurt my hand to shoot it and it's basically going to suck.  Seven feet and minute of garbage can.  But, his comment made me think.  I'm going to have to practice with this thing if I plan on defending myself with it. Any suggestions on a light .38 load for a derringer?  Or, should I just learn to shoot the batch of full strength wadcutters I already have? I feel like practicing with a leather glove on, but what if I don't have a leather glove on at the time I need it?  Am I going to flinch at the recoil and shoot a hole in the floor?

Any of the commercial LRN's should about do it.  If you need weaker still, I believe (but would seriously double check) that .38S&W ammo can be fired in a pistol chambered for .38spl.  It's rather pricey compared to .38spl, but shouldn't beat you up at all.  

Practice with a derringer?  Ouch.

When I hear derringer, I think of a gun of absolutely last resort.  The guy is standing over me, and I have it in my palm.

He is 2' away.  BANG.

Practice?  I'd pass.

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.38 S&W won't chamber in .38 special. At least the old remington ammo I have sitting here won't.