38 Special

.38 Special
.38 Special rounds
Type	Revolver
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Smith & Wesson
Designed	1902
Specifications
Parent case	.38 Long Colt
Case type	Rimmed, straight
Bullet diameter	.358 in (9.09 mm)
Neck diameter	.379 in (9.63 mm)
Base diameter	.379 in (9.63 mm)
Rim diameter	.44 in (11.18 mm)
Rim thickness	.058 in (1.47 mm)
Case length	1.155 in (29.34 mm)
Overall length	1.55 in (39.37 mm)
Primer type	Small pistol
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
110 gr JHP	980 ft/s (~299 m/s)	235 ft·lbf (~320 J)
130 gr FMJ	810 ft/s (~247 m/s)	189 ft·lbf (~257 J)
148 gr LWC	690 ft/s (~210 m/s)	156 ft·lbf (~212 J)
158 gr LRN	770 ft/s (~235 m/s)	208 ft·lbf (~283 J)
Test barrel length: 4 in (vented) Source: Federal Cartridge Co. ballistics page

.38 Special (pronounced "Thirty-eight Special") is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although semi-automatic pistols and some 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.

Despite its name, its caliber is actually .357-.358 inches (9.0678mm), 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, due to the pressure generated from the firing of a .357 Magnum bullet is significantly higher than a .38 round).

The .38 Special was introduced in 1902 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt cartridge which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power during the Philippine-American War. Although it was introduced sixteen years into the smokeless powder era - France adopted the first smokeless powder military rifle cartridge, the 8x50mm R Lebel, in 1886 - the .38 Special was originally loaded with black powder, but was offered loaded with smokeless gunpowder 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, although in most loadings it is considered somewhat underpowered for that use.

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 Magnum revolvers.

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

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