.38 Special

.38 Special
.38 Special rounds
Type	Revolver
Country of Origin	USA
Specifications
Parent Case	.38 Long Colt
Case Type	Rimmed, straight
Bullet Ø	.358 in (9.1 mm)
Neck Ø	.379 in (9.6 mm)
Shoulder Ø	n/a
Base Ø	.379 in (9.6 mm)
Rim Ø	.44 in (11 mm)
Rim Thickness	.058 in (1.5 mm)
Case Length	1.155 in (29.3 mm)
Full Length	1.55 in (39 mm)
Primer	Small pistol
Production & Service
Designer	Smith & Wesson
Design Date	1902
Manufacturer	everybody
Production Dates	1903-present
Ballistic Performance Sampling
Bullet Wt./type Velocity Energy 110 gr (7.1 g) JHP 980 ft/s (300 m/s) 235 ft·lbf (319 J) 130 gr (8.4 g) FMJ 810 ft/s (250 m/s) 189 ft·lbf (256 J) 148 gr (9.6 g) LWC 690 ft/s (210 m/s) 156 ft·lbf (212 J) 158 gr (10.2 g) LRN 770 ft/s (230 m/s) 208 ft·lbf (282 J) Test barrel length: 4 in (vented) Sources:

Left to right: .38 Special, .17 HMR and .22 LR compared.

The .38 Smith & Wesson Special (commonly .38 Special or .38 Spl, pronounced "Thirty-eight Special") is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines 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 1980s. In other parts of the world, particularly Europe, it is known by its metric designation 9x29mmR.

History

Despite its name, its caliber 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 .374 inch diameter, requiring "heel-based" bullets, the exposed portion of which was the same diameter as the cartridge case (see the section on the .38 Long Colt). Except for its length, the .38 Special case is identical to that of the .38 Long Colt, and to the .357 Magnum which was developed from the earlier cartridge in 1935. This allows the .38 Special round to be used in revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum (but not the reverse, the longer length prevents potential accidents from the significantly higher pressure generated by the .357 Magnum cartridge).

Letter from Roy Jinks, Smith and Wesson Historian. Provenance of first model M&P revolver in 38 Special

First model M&P revolver designed in 1899 for the 38 Special Cartridge. This revolver left the factory in 1900

The .38 Special was introduced in 1899 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power against the wooden shields of charging Moros during the Philippine-American War. Most handloading manuals and other references date the cartridge to 1902 and the Smith & Wesson Military and Police revolver variation of that year. The letter pictured provides the true history of the cartridge. Although it was introduced thirteen years into the smokeless powder era, the .38 Special was originally loaded with black powder, but was offered with smokeless loads within a year of its introduction. The .38 Special is very accurate in a quality revolver, produces little recoil, and remains the most popular revolver cartridge in the world more than a century after its introduction. It is used for target shooting and formal target competition, for hunting small game, and for self-defense.

In the 1930s, heavy framed revolvers oriented toward target shooting, such as the Smith & Wesson 38/44 Heavy Duty, allowed development of a higher pressure (and therefore higher power) version called the .38 Special Hi-Speed and eventually, the .357 Magnum. These .38 revolvers, built on a larger frame originally designed for the .44 Special, survived for about three decades before the .357 revolvers outdid them in sales. Today, versions of this cartridge loaded to slightly higher pressure are available, called .38 Special +P; these are usable in .38 revolvers rated +P and in .357 revolvers.

There is also a rarely seen high velocity load made by manufacturers such as Federal and Winchester, usually labeled (For Law Enforcement Only) and designated .38 Special +P+.. This ammunition is meant to be only used in .357 revolvers and can cause significant damage to firearms rated for only .38 Special or .38 Special +P.

Because the .38 Special also works in .357 revolvers, it is popular with users of the .357 for the reduced recoil, lower noise, and lower cost. A number of lever action rifles are also chambered in .357 Magnum and .38 Special.

Performance

Due to its blackpowder heritage, the .38 Special is a low pressure cartridge, one of the lowest in common use today at 17,000 PSI. 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 generally 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.

.38 Comparisons

Cartridge	Bullet weight	Muzzle velocity	Muzzle energy	Max pressure
.38 Short Colt	135 gr (8.7 g)	777 ft/s (237 m/s)	181 ft•lbf (245 J)	7,500 CUP
.38 Long Colt	150 gr (9.7 g)	777 ft/s (237 m/s)	201 ft•lbf (273 J)	12,000 CUP
.38 S&W	158 gr (10.2 g)	767 ft/s (234 m/s)	206 ft•lbf (279 J)	14,500 PSI
.38 S&W Special	158 gr (10.2 g)	940 ft/s (290 m/s)	310 ft•lbf (420 J)	17,000 PSI
.38 Special +P	158 gr (10.2 g)	1,000 ft/s (300 m/s)	351 ft•lbf (476 J)	20,000 PSI
.38 Special +P+	147 gr (9.5 g)	1,150 ft/s (350 m/s)	450 ft•lbf (610 J)	25,000 PSI
.380 ACP	100 gr (6.5 g)	895 ft/s (273 m/s)	178 ft•lbf (241 J)	21,500 PSI
9 mm Parabellum	100 gr (6.5 g)	1,253 ft/s (382 m/s)	349 ft•lbf (473 J)	35,000 PSI
.38 Super	130 grains (8.4 g)	1,275 ft/s (389 m/s)	468 ft•lbf (634 J)
.357 Magnum	158 grains (10.2 g)	1,349 ft/s (411 m/s)	639 ft•lbf (866 J)	35,000 PSI

Only a minority of 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 faster-reloading semi-automatic pistols in 9mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. It is still common in security use by guards who value the reliability and simplicity of a revolver, and by private citizens for concealed carry and police for secondary/backup handguns because its recoil when fired from very small and lightweight revolvers is considered much more manageable than more powerful cartridges; its low recoil is more easily controlled and acclimated to.

Synonyms

• .38
• .38 Smith & Wesson Special
• .38 Special
• 9x29mmR (European designation, unusual)

See also

Diagram showing dimensions of the .38 special cartridge

• List of handgun cartridges
• 9 mm caliber

External links

• The Snubnose Files
• .38 Special Videos