.38 Special

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For the rock band of the same name, see 38 Special (band)

.38 Special (pronounced "Thirty-Eight Special") is a rimmed, center-fire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in a revolver, although automatic pistols also exist using 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 0.357 inches (9.0678 mm), with the ".38" actually referring to the approximate diameter of the loaded brass case. Except for its length, the .38 Special case is identical to that of 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 .38 Special was introduced in 1902 as a development of the .38 Long Colt cartridge which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power during the Philippines-American War. It was originally loaded with black powder but as smokeless gunpowders became popular in the early 20th century, the .38 special was adapted to the new propellants. The .38 Special is one of the most successful handgun cartridges. More than a century after its introduction, it remains popular for self-defense, hunting small game, and target shooting.

In the 1930s, heavy framed revolvers oriented toward target shooting, such as the S&W "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 .38 Special.

[edit] Performance

Due to its blackpowder heritage, the .38 Special is a low pressure cartridge, one of the lowest in common use today. By modern standards, the .38 Special fires a medium sized bullet at rather low speeds. The closest comparisons are the .380 ACP, which fires slightly lighter bullets slightly faster than most .38 Special loads, and the 9 mm Luger, which fires a bullet that is generally somewhat lighter but significantly faster. Both of the latter are usually found in automatic pistols.

The higher-pressure .38 Special +P loads offer about 20% more muzzle energy than standard-pressure loads and places between .380 ACP and 9 mm Luger.

For example, a certain .38 Special +P loading fires a 125-grain bullet at 945 ft/s for a muzzle energy of 248 ft·lbf. A standard-pressure .38 Special only makes 850 ft/s for 201 ft·lbf of muzzle energy. A 9 mm Luger, by comparison, will fire a 124-grain bullet at 1140 ft/s for 358 ft·lbf of energy, and a .380 ACP will fire a 95-grain bullet at 955 ft/s for 192 ft·lbf of energy. The .357 Magnum will fire a 125-grain bullet at 1,450 ft/s for a muzzle energy of 583 ft·lbf, or packing nearly three times as much energy as the same bullet in a .38 Special.

Experience has proven that it is reasonably effective for self-defense purposes, but only a minority of US police departments issue or authorize use of the .38 Special as a standard duty weapon, most having switched to the higher-capacity and faster-reloading automatic pistols. It is still common in security use by guards who value the reliability and simplicity of a revolver, and by civilians for concealed-carry and police for secondary pistols because its recoil when fired from very small and lightweight revolvers is considered much more manageable than more powerful cartridges.

The .38 Special +P is currently used by the Hong Kong Police Force as their standard revolver ammunition. It is issued to the vast majority of uniformed and plainclothes officers for use in Smith and Wesson M10 Heavy Barrel and Colt Detective Special revolvers. Officers serving on some specialist units are instead issued with Glock 17 and 19 pistols in 9 mm Luger.