.38 Special
Encyclopedia
The .38 Smith & Wesson Special (commonly .38 Special, .38 Spl, or .38 Spc, pronounced "thirty-eight special") is a rimmed
, centerfire
cartridge
designed by Smith & Wesson
. It is most commonly used in revolver
s, although some semi-automatic pistols
and carbine
s also use this round. The .38 Special was the standard service cartridge of most police departments in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1990s, and was also a common sidearm cartridge used by soldiers in World War I
. In other parts of the world, it is known by its metric
designation of 9×29.5mmR or 9.1x29mmR.
Noted for its fine accuracy and manageable recoil, it remains the most popular revolver cartridge in the world more than a century after its introduction. It is used for target shooting, formal target competition, personal defense, and for hunting small game.
is actually .357–.358 inches (9.0678 mm), with the ".38" referring to the approximate diameter of the loaded brass case. This came about because the original .38-caliber cartridge, the .38 Short Colt
, was designed for use in converted .36-caliber cap-and-ball (muzzleloading) Navy revolvers
, which had cylindrical firing chambers of approximately 0.374 inches (9.5 mm) diameter, requiring heeled bullet
s, the exposed portion of which was the same diameter as the cartridge case (see the section on the .38 Long Colt
).
Except for case length, the .38 Special is identical to that of the .38 Long Colt, and the .357 Magnum
. This allows the .38 Special round to be safely fired in revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum, and the .38 Long Colt to be fired in revolvers chambered for .38 Special, increasing the versatility of this cartridge. However, the longer and more powerful .357 Magnum cartridge will not chamber and fire in weapons rated specifically for 38 Special (e.g. all versions of the Smith & Wesson Model 10), which are not designed for the greatly increased pressure of the magnum rounds.
against the wooden shields of charging Moros during the Philippine-American War
.
Upon its introduction, the .38 Special was originally loaded with black powder, but the cartridge's popularity caused manufacturers to offer smokeless powder
loadings within a year of its introduction.
During the late 1920s, a new standard-charge loading for the .38 Special was developed by Western Cartridge Company
using a 200-grain (13g) round-nosed lead 'Lubaloy' bullet, the .38 Super Police. Remington-Peters
also introduced a similar loading. Testing revealed that the longer, heavier 200-grain .38-calibre bullet fired at low velocity tended to 'keyhole' or tumble upon impact, providing more shock effect against unprotected personnel. At the same time, authorities in Great Britain were also testing the same 200-grain bullet in the smaller .38 S&W cartridge, which became known as the .38 S&W Super Police or the .38/200. Britain would later adopt the .38/200 as its standard military handgun cartridge.
In 1930, Smith & Wesson introduced a large frame .38 Special revolver with a 5-inch (125mm) barrel and fixed sights intended for police use, the Smith & Wesson .38/44 Heavy Duty. The following year, a new high-power loading called the .38 Special Hi-Speed with a 158-grain metal-tip bullet was developed for these revolvers in response to requests from law enforcement agencies for a handgun bullet that could penetrate auto bodies and body armor. That same year, Colt Firearms announced that their Colt Official Police
would also handle 'high-speed' .38 Special loadings. The .38/44 high-speed cartridge came in three bullet weights: 158, 150, and 110-grain, with either coated lead or steel jacket, metal-piercing bullets. The media attention gathered by the .38/44 and its ammunition eventually led Smith & Wesson to develop a completely new cartridge with a longer case length in 1934 - the .357 Magnum.
During World War II
, some U.S. aircrew (primarily Navy and Marine Corps) were issued .38 Special S&W Victory revolvers as sidearms in the event of a forced landing. In May 1943, a new .38 Special cartridge with a 158-grain, full steel jacketed, copper flash-coated bullet meeting the requirements of the rules of land warfare was developed at Springfield Armory
and adopted for the Smith & Wesson revolvers. The new military .38 Special loading propelled its 158-grain bullet at a standard 850 ft/s (259.1 m/s) from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) revolver barrel. During the war, many U.S. naval and marine aircrew were also issued red-tipped .38 Special tracer
rounds using either a 120-grain or 158-grain bullet for emergency signaling purposes.
In 1956, the U.S. Air Force adopted the Cartridge, Caliber .38, Ball M41, a military variant of the .38 Special cartridge designed to conform to the rules of land warfare. The original .38 M41 ball cartridge used a 130-grain full metal jacketed bullet, and was loaded to an average pressure of only 13,000 psi, giving a muzzle velocity of approximately 725 ft/s (221 m/s) from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) barrel. This ammunition was intended to prolong the life of S&W M12 and Colt Aircrewman revolvers equipped with aluminum cylinders and frames, which were prone to stress fractures when fired with standard .38 ammunition. By 1961, a slightly revised M41 .38 cartridge specification known as the Cartridge, Caliber .38 Ball, Special, M41 had been adopted for U.S. armed forces using .38 Special caliber handguns. The new M41 Special cartridge used a 130-grain FMJ bullet loaded to a maximum allowable pressure of 16,000 psi for a velocity of approximately 950 ft/s (289.6 m/s) in a solid 6 inches (152.4 mm) test barrel, and about 750 ft/s (228.6 m/s) from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) revolver barrel. The M41 ball cartridge was first used in .38 revolvers carried by USAF aircrew and Strategic Air Command security police, and by 1961 was in use by the U.S. Army for security police, dog handlers, and other personnel equipped with .38 Special caliber revolvers. A variant of the standard M41 cartridge with a semi-pointed, unjacketed lead bullet was later adopted for CONUS (Continental United States) police and security personnel.
At the same time, .38 tracer cartridges were reintroduced by the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force to provide a means of emergency signaling by downed aircrew. Tracer cartridges in .38 Special caliber of different colors were issued, generally as part of a standard aircrew survival vest kit.
A request for more powerful .38 Special ammunition for use by Air Police and security personnel resulted in the Caliber .38 Special, Ball, PGU-12/B High Velocity cartridge. Issued only by the U.S. Air Force, the PGU-12/B had a greatly increased maxiumum allowable pressure rating of 20,000 psi, sufficient to propel a 130-grain FMJ bullet at 1125 ft/s (342.9 m/s) from a solid 6 inches (152.4 mm) test barrel, and about 950-980 ft/s from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) revolver barrel. The PGU-12/B High Velocity cartridge differs from M41 Special ammunition in two important respects - the PGU-12/B is a much higher-pressure cartridge, with a bullet deeply set and crimped into the cartridge case.
During the 1970s, new high-pressure (18,500 CUP) loadings of the .38 Special were introduced, known as .38 Special +P
. This ammunition is usable in .38 revolvers designed for such ammunition, as well as in .357 Magnum revolvers. Another high-velocity load made by manufacturers such as Federal
and Winchester
, is sometimes labeled "For Law Enforcement Only" and designated .38 Special +P+. This ammunition is meant to be only used in .38 Special revolvers specially proofed for this load and can cause significant damage to firearms rated for only .38 Special or .38 Special +P. As with other .38 Special rounds, the +P+ loadings can also be fired safely in .357 revolvers, since the pressure developed by .38 Special +P+ loadings are typically around 22,000 psi, while .357 Magnum loadings typically achieve up to 35,000 psi. Because the .38 Special cartridge can be fired in .357 Magnum firearms, the former is a popular option due to its reduced recoil, lower noise, and lower cost.
. By modern standards, the .38 Special fires a medium-sized bullet at rather low speeds. The closest comparisons are the .380 ACP
, which fires much lighter bullets slightly faster than most .38 Special loads; the 9x19mm Parabellum, which fires a somewhat lighter bullet significantly faster; and the .38 Colt Super
, which fires a comparable bullet significantly faster. All three of these are usually found in semi-automatic pistols.
The higher-pressure .38 +P loads at 20,000 PSI offer about 20% more muzzle energy than standard-pressure loads and places between .380 ACP and 9 mm Parabellum, similar to that of 9x18mm Makarov.
It is important to recognize that SAAMI
changed the specifications for the 38 Special in 1972. Prior to that time the standard .38 Special was very close to today's "+P" cartridges. The thought that "+P" is somehow a high pressure round has many mistakenly believing that it is "high performance" rather than the low pressure round that it is.
All of the above specifications for .38 loadings, and the .357 Magnum, are applicable when fired from a 6 inches (152.4 mm) barreled revolver. The velocity is reduced when using the more standard 4 inches (101.6 mm) barreled guns. Power (Muzzle energy) will, of course, decrease accordingly.
Very few US police departments now issue or authorize use of the .38 Special revolver as a standard duty weapon, most having switched to the higher capacity and quicker to reload semi-automatic pistols in 9mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W
, .45 ACP
or .45 GAP
.
. The cartridge's straight walls, headspacing on the rim, ready availability of previously-fired cases, and ability to be fired in .357 Magnum firearms, all contribute to this popularity. Additionally, the .38 Special's heritage as a black powder cartridge gives it a case size capable of accommodating many types of powders, from slower-burning (e. g. Hodgdon
H-110 or Hercules 2400) to fast-burning (e. g. Alliant Bullseye, the traditional smokeless powder for this cartridge). This flexibility in powders translates directly to versatility in muzzle energy that a handloader can achieve. Thus, with proper care and adherence to safe handloading practices, the .38 Special can easily accommodate loads ranging from near-recoilless to that almost equaling the .357 Magnum.
Rim (firearms)
A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. The rim may serve a number of purposes, the most common being as the place for the extractor to engage...
, centerfire
Centerfire ammunition
A centerfire cartridge is a cartridge with a primer located in the center of the cartridge case head. Unlike rimfire cartridges, the primer is a separate and replaceable component....
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
designed by Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
. It is most commonly used in revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s, although some semi-automatic pistols
Semi-automatic self-loading pistol
A semi-automatic pistol is a type of handgun which uses a single chamber and barrel, with a mechanism powered by the previous shot to load a fresh cartridge into the chamber...
and carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s also use this round. The .38 Special was the standard service cartridge of most police departments in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1990s, and was also a common sidearm cartridge used by soldiers in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In other parts of the world, it is known by its metric
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
designation of 9×29.5mmR or 9.1x29mmR.
Noted for its fine accuracy and manageable recoil, it remains the most popular revolver cartridge in the world more than a century after its introduction. It is used for target shooting, formal target competition, personal defense, and for hunting small game.
Characteristics
Despite its name, the .38 Special caliberCaliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
is actually .357–.358 inches (9.0678 mm), with the ".38" referring to the approximate diameter of the loaded brass case. This came about because the original .38-caliber cartridge, the .38 Short Colt
.38 Short Colt
The .38 short colt was originally a heeled bullet cartridge intended for cartridge conversions of the .36 cal cap & ball revolvers from the American Civil War-era.Later, this cartridge was fitted with an inside-lubricated bullet in the 125–135 grains range....
, was designed for use in converted .36-caliber cap-and-ball (muzzleloading) Navy revolvers
Colt 1851 Navy Revolver
The Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber , later known as the Colt 1851 Navy or Navy Revolver, is a cap and ball revolver. It was designed by Samuel Colt between 1847 and 1850. It remained in production until 1873, when revolvers using fixed metallic cartridges came into widespread use...
, which had cylindrical firing chambers of approximately 0.374 inches (9.5 mm) diameter, requiring heeled bullet
Heeled bullet
A heeled bullet is an archaic design of bullet where the internal diameter of the barrel is the same diameter as the cartridge case, and the bullet has a step at the rear to allow it to fit inside the case...
s, the exposed portion of which was the same diameter as the cartridge case (see the section on the .38 Long Colt
.38 Long Colt
The .38 Long Colt is a cartridge introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1875, and was adopted as a standard military pistol cartridge by the United States Army in 1892 for the Colt New Army M1892 Revolver. It is slightly more powerful than the .38 Short Colt, or .38 SC. The .38 Long Colt...
).
Except for case length, the .38 Special is identical to that of the .38 Long Colt, and the .357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
. This allows the .38 Special round to be safely fired in revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum, and the .38 Long Colt to be fired in revolvers chambered for .38 Special, increasing the versatility of this cartridge. However, the longer and more powerful .357 Magnum cartridge will not chamber and fire in weapons rated specifically for 38 Special (e.g. all versions of the Smith & Wesson Model 10), which are not designed for the greatly increased pressure of the magnum rounds.
History
The .38 Special was introduced in 1898 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping powerStopping power
Stopping power is a colloquial term used to describe the ability of a firearm or other weapon to cause a penetrating ballistic injury to a target, human or animal, sufficient to incapacitate the target where it stands....
against the wooden shields of charging Moros during the Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
.
Upon its introduction, the .38 Special was originally loaded with black powder, but the cartridge's popularity caused manufacturers to offer smokeless powder
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
loadings within a year of its introduction.
During the late 1920s, a new standard-charge loading for the .38 Special was developed by Western Cartridge Company
Western Cartridge Company
The Western Cartridge Company manufactures small arms and ammunitions. Founded in 1898, it was the forerunner of the Olin Corporation, formed in 1944, of which Western is still a subsidiary, and is based in East Alton, Illinois, USA...
using a 200-grain (13g) round-nosed lead 'Lubaloy' bullet, the .38 Super Police. Remington-Peters
Peters Cartridge Company
The Peters Cartridge Company was a company in Kings Mills, Ohio that specialized in gunpowder and ammunition production. Its historic buildings, built in 1916 at 1915 Grandin Road, were added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 1985....
also introduced a similar loading. Testing revealed that the longer, heavier 200-grain .38-calibre bullet fired at low velocity tended to 'keyhole' or tumble upon impact, providing more shock effect against unprotected personnel. At the same time, authorities in Great Britain were also testing the same 200-grain bullet in the smaller .38 S&W cartridge, which became known as the .38 S&W Super Police or the .38/200. Britain would later adopt the .38/200 as its standard military handgun cartridge.
In 1930, Smith & Wesson introduced a large frame .38 Special revolver with a 5-inch (125mm) barrel and fixed sights intended for police use, the Smith & Wesson .38/44 Heavy Duty. The following year, a new high-power loading called the .38 Special Hi-Speed with a 158-grain metal-tip bullet was developed for these revolvers in response to requests from law enforcement agencies for a handgun bullet that could penetrate auto bodies and body armor. That same year, Colt Firearms announced that their Colt Official Police
Colt Official Police
Introduced to the firearms market in 1927, The Colt Official Police is a medium frame, six-shot, double-action revolver with a six round cylinder, primarily chambered for the .38 Special cartridge, and manufactured by the Colt's Manufacturing Company...
would also handle 'high-speed' .38 Special loadings. The .38/44 high-speed cartridge came in three bullet weights: 158, 150, and 110-grain, with either coated lead or steel jacket, metal-piercing bullets. The media attention gathered by the .38/44 and its ammunition eventually led Smith & Wesson to develop a completely new cartridge with a longer case length in 1934 - the .357 Magnum.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, some U.S. aircrew (primarily Navy and Marine Corps) were issued .38 Special S&W Victory revolvers as sidearms in the event of a forced landing. In May 1943, a new .38 Special cartridge with a 158-grain, full steel jacketed, copper flash-coated bullet meeting the requirements of the rules of land warfare was developed at Springfield Armory
Springfield Armory
The Springfield Armory, located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts - from 1777 until its closing in 1968 - was the primary center for the manufacture of U.S. military firearms. After its controversial closing during the Vietnam War, the Springfield Armory was declared Western Massachusetts'...
and adopted for the Smith & Wesson revolvers. The new military .38 Special loading propelled its 158-grain bullet at a standard 850 ft/s (259.1 m/s) from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) revolver barrel. During the war, many U.S. naval and marine aircrew were also issued red-tipped .38 Special tracer
Tracer ammunition
Tracer ammunition are bullets that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. Ignited by the burning powder, the phosphorus tail burns very brightly, making the projectile visible to the naked eye...
rounds using either a 120-grain or 158-grain bullet for emergency signaling purposes.
In 1956, the U.S. Air Force adopted the Cartridge, Caliber .38, Ball M41, a military variant of the .38 Special cartridge designed to conform to the rules of land warfare. The original .38 M41 ball cartridge used a 130-grain full metal jacketed bullet, and was loaded to an average pressure of only 13,000 psi, giving a muzzle velocity of approximately 725 ft/s (221 m/s) from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) barrel. This ammunition was intended to prolong the life of S&W M12 and Colt Aircrewman revolvers equipped with aluminum cylinders and frames, which were prone to stress fractures when fired with standard .38 ammunition. By 1961, a slightly revised M41 .38 cartridge specification known as the Cartridge, Caliber .38 Ball, Special, M41 had been adopted for U.S. armed forces using .38 Special caliber handguns. The new M41 Special cartridge used a 130-grain FMJ bullet loaded to a maximum allowable pressure of 16,000 psi for a velocity of approximately 950 ft/s (289.6 m/s) in a solid 6 inches (152.4 mm) test barrel, and about 750 ft/s (228.6 m/s) from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) revolver barrel. The M41 ball cartridge was first used in .38 revolvers carried by USAF aircrew and Strategic Air Command security police, and by 1961 was in use by the U.S. Army for security police, dog handlers, and other personnel equipped with .38 Special caliber revolvers. A variant of the standard M41 cartridge with a semi-pointed, unjacketed lead bullet was later adopted for CONUS (Continental United States) police and security personnel.
At the same time, .38 tracer cartridges were reintroduced by the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force to provide a means of emergency signaling by downed aircrew. Tracer cartridges in .38 Special caliber of different colors were issued, generally as part of a standard aircrew survival vest kit.
A request for more powerful .38 Special ammunition for use by Air Police and security personnel resulted in the Caliber .38 Special, Ball, PGU-12/B High Velocity cartridge. Issued only by the U.S. Air Force, the PGU-12/B had a greatly increased maxiumum allowable pressure rating of 20,000 psi, sufficient to propel a 130-grain FMJ bullet at 1125 ft/s (342.9 m/s) from a solid 6 inches (152.4 mm) test barrel, and about 950-980 ft/s from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) revolver barrel. The PGU-12/B High Velocity cartridge differs from M41 Special ammunition in two important respects - the PGU-12/B is a much higher-pressure cartridge, with a bullet deeply set and crimped into the cartridge case.
During the 1970s, new high-pressure (18,500 CUP) loadings of the .38 Special were introduced, known as .38 Special +P
Overpressure ammunition
Overpressure ammunition, commonly designated as +P or +P+, is small arms ammunition that has been loaded to a higher internal pressure than is standard for ammunition of its caliber , but less than the pressures generated by a proof round...
. This ammunition is usable in .38 revolvers designed for such ammunition, as well as in .357 Magnum revolvers. Another high-velocity load made by manufacturers such as Federal
Federal Cartridge
Federal Cartridge is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Techsystems, located in Edina, Minnesota. With a work force of nearly 1,000 in Anoka, Minnesota, Federal manufactures a complete line of shotshell, centerfire, and rimfire ammunition and components....
and Winchester
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
, is sometimes labeled "For Law Enforcement Only" and designated .38 Special +P+. This ammunition is meant to be only used in .38 Special revolvers specially proofed for this load and can cause significant damage to firearms rated for only .38 Special or .38 Special +P. As with other .38 Special rounds, the +P+ loadings can also be fired safely in .357 revolvers, since the pressure developed by .38 Special +P+ loadings are typically around 22,000 psi, while .357 Magnum loadings typically achieve up to 35,000 psi. Because the .38 Special cartridge can be fired in .357 Magnum firearms, the former is a popular option due to its reduced recoil, lower noise, and lower cost.
Performance
Due to its black powder heritage, the .38 Special is a low pressure cartridge, one of the lowest in common use today at 17,000 PSIPounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
. By modern standards, the .38 Special fires a medium-sized bullet at rather low speeds. The closest comparisons are the .380 ACP
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since...
, which fires much lighter bullets slightly faster than most .38 Special loads; the 9x19mm Parabellum, which fires a somewhat lighter bullet significantly faster; and the .38 Colt Super
.38 Super
The .38 Super or .38 Super Automatic is a pistol cartridge that fires a diameter bullet. The Super was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP or .38 Auto. The old .38 ACP propelled a bullet at . The improved .38 Super Auto pushed the same bullet at...
, which fires a comparable bullet significantly faster. All three of these are usually found in semi-automatic pistols.
The higher-pressure .38 +P loads at 20,000 PSI offer about 20% more muzzle energy than standard-pressure loads and places between .380 ACP and 9 mm Parabellum, similar to that of 9x18mm Makarov.
It is important to recognize that SAAMI
Saami
Saami or SAAMI can stand for:*Sami people*Sami languages*Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute...
changed the specifications for the 38 Special in 1972. Prior to that time the standard .38 Special was very close to today's "+P" cartridges. The thought that "+P" is somehow a high pressure round has many mistakenly believing that it is "high performance" rather than the low pressure round that it is.
| Cartridge | Bullet weight | Muzzle velocity | Muzzle energy | Max pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .38 Short Colt .38 Short Colt The .38 short colt was originally a heeled bullet cartridge intended for cartridge conversions of the .36 cal cap & ball revolvers from the American Civil War-era.Later, this cartridge was fitted with an inside-lubricated bullet in the 125–135 grains range.... |
135 gr | 777 ft/s (236.8 m/s) | 181 ft·lbf (245 J) | 7,500 CUP Copper units of pressure Copper units of pressure or CUP, and the related lead units of pressure or LUP, are terms applied to pressure measurements used in the field of internal ballistics for the estimation of chamber pressures in firearms. These terms were adopted by convention to indicate that the pressure values were... |
| .38 Long Colt .38 Long Colt The .38 Long Colt is a cartridge introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1875, and was adopted as a standard military pistol cartridge by the United States Army in 1892 for the Colt New Army M1892 Revolver. It is slightly more powerful than the .38 Short Colt, or .38 SC. The .38 Long Colt... |
150 gr | 777 ft/s (236.8 m/s) | 201 ft·lbf (273 J) | 12,000 CUP |
| .38 S&W .38 S&W The .38 S&W is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1877. Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Smith and Wesson Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger bullet diameter.... |
158 gr | 767 ft/s (233.8 m/s) | 206 ft·lbf (279 J) | 14,500 PSI |
| .38 S&W Special | 158 gr | 940 ft/s (286.5 m/s) | 310 ft·lbf (420 J) | 17,000 PSI |
| .38 Special +P | 158 gr | 1000 ft/s (304.8 m/s) | 351 ft·lbf (476 J) | 20,000 PSI |
| .38 Special +P+ | 110 gr | 1100 ft/s (335.3 m/s) | 295 ft·lbf (400 J) | >20,000 PSI |
| .380 ACP .380 ACP The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since... |
100 gr | 895 ft/s (272.8 m/s) | 178 ft·lbf (241 J) | 21,500 PSI |
| 9x19mm Parabellum | 115 gr | 1300 ft/s (396.2 m/s) | 420 ft·lbf (570 J) | 39,200 PSI |
| 9x19mm Parabellum | 124 gr | 1180 ft/s (359.7 m/s) | 383 ft·lbf (520 J) | 39,200 PSI |
| 9x18mm Makarov | 95 gr | 1050 ft/s (320 m/s) | 231 ft·lbf (313 J) | 23,206 PSI |
| .38 Super .38 Super The .38 Super or .38 Super Automatic is a pistol cartridge that fires a diameter bullet. The Super was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP or .38 Auto. The old .38 ACP propelled a bullet at . The improved .38 Super Auto pushed the same bullet at... |
130 gr | 1275 ft/s (388.6 m/s) | 468 ft·lbf (634 J) | 36,500 PSI |
| .357 Magnum .357 Magnum The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in... |
158 gr | 1349 ft/s (411.2 m/s) | 639 ft·lbf (866 J) | 35,000 PSI |
| .357 SIG .357 SIG The .357 SIG pistol cartridge is the product of Swiss-German firearms manufacturer SIG-Sauer, in cooperation with the American ammunition manufacturer Federal Cartridge. While it is based on a .40 S&W case necked down to accept bullets, the .357 SIG brass is slightly longer... |
125 gr | 1350 ft/s (411.5 m/s) | 506 ft·lbf (686 J) | 40,000 PSI |
All of the above specifications for .38 loadings, and the .357 Magnum, are applicable when fired from a 6 inches (152.4 mm) barreled revolver. The velocity is reduced when using the more standard 4 inches (101.6 mm) barreled guns. Power (Muzzle energy) will, of course, decrease accordingly.
Very few US police departments now issue or authorize use of the .38 Special revolver as a standard duty weapon, most having switched to the higher capacity and quicker to reload semi-automatic pistols in 9mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
, .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
or .45 GAP
.45 GAP
The .45 G.A.P. pistol cartridge was designed by Ernest Durham, an engineer with CCI/Speer, at the request of firearms manufacturer Glock to provide a cartridge that would equal the power of the .45 ACP but was shorter to fit in a more compact handgun, and with a stronger case head to reduce the...
.
Handloading
The .38 Special is particularly popular among handloadersHandloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
. The cartridge's straight walls, headspacing on the rim, ready availability of previously-fired cases, and ability to be fired in .357 Magnum firearms, all contribute to this popularity. Additionally, the .38 Special's heritage as a black powder cartridge gives it a case size capable of accommodating many types of powders, from slower-burning (e. g. Hodgdon
Hodgdon Powder Company
The Hodgdon Powder Company began in 1952 as B.E. Hodgdon, Inc., and has become a major distributor of smokeless powder for the ammunition industry, as well as for individuals who load their own ammunition by hand...
H-110 or Hercules 2400) to fast-burning (e. g. Alliant Bullseye, the traditional smokeless powder for this cartridge). This flexibility in powders translates directly to versatility in muzzle energy that a handloader can achieve. Thus, with proper care and adherence to safe handloading practices, the .38 Special can easily accommodate loads ranging from near-recoilless to that almost equaling the .357 Magnum.