What is the effective range of a 38 Special?
“Effective” range is actually a mix of variables that can include factors individual to the shooter. But on strictly technical grounds; a .38 special cartridge travels at nominally 900 feet per second. Setting aside factors such as drag, that bullet would drop about 5 feet after the first 100 yards.
What is difference between 38 and 38 Special ammunition?
What’s the Difference Between .357 Magnum and .38 Special?
- Rich History. To start, learning the legacy behind each of these rounds and why it was developed can shed a little bit of light on the difference between .357 and ...
- .38 Special. ...
- .357 Magnum. ...
- The Difference. ...
What is bigger 38 Special or 380 ACP?
Yet the 380 typically offers the advantage of higher capacity ( even if by only 1 or 2 rounds) plus the ability to reload quicker. The tradeoff is that most self defense ammunition offered in 38 Special will yield 25% to 45% more power than the 380 ACP.
What is the price of a 38 Special Gun?
Smith & Wesson Model 442 Airweight, Revolver, .38 Special, 150544, 22188137545, 1.875" Barrel Buyer's Club $455.99 Non-Member $479.99 4.6 out of 5 star rating (5 reviews )
Can a 357 Magnum shoot 38 long colt?
And of course any . 38 Special or . 357 Magnum revolver can safely fire . 38 Long Colt.
Can 38 Special be shot from a 38 revolver?
No; . 357 Magnum was specifically designed so it cannot be fired from handguns chambered in . 38 Special, but you can shoot . 38 Special in a gun chambered in .
What is a 38 Special equivalent to?
9x19mm Parabellum round38 Special can accommodate ammunition ranging from light-recoiling target loads to +P+ self-defense rounds. The 38 Special, handloaded with premium to regular lead bullets can be loaded safely to equal the now popular 9x19mm Parabellum round.
Will 38 Long Colt work in a 38 Special?
38 LC differ in case length, bullet diameter, weight, and design and are not interchangeable; however, modern production . 38 SC ammunition is now loaded with a smaller, internally-lubricated bullet which can be fired from firearms chambered in . 38 LC or . 38 Special.
What is the difference between .38 and .38 Special?
There's no difference between a . 38 and a 38 special. The former refers to a caliber with a . 357 inch bullet diameter, while the latter is a cartridge variant under the .
Why is 38 Special so weak?
38 Special is weak because of black powder per se. We are only including these historical tidbits to attempt to explain how the 9mm, despite having a smaller case, can handle higher pressures than the . 38 Special.
Why is 9mm stronger than 38 Special?
The standard pressure for the . 38 Special is roughly 17,000 pounds-per-square-inch (psi). However, the 9mm Luger has internal pressures of 35,000 psi. It's this higher internal pressure, the result of expansive propellant design and testing, that makes the smaller 9mm more powerful.
Are .38 and .380 the same?
38, . 357, . 380 auto and 9mm ammunition are all the same caliber. (Caliber is the size of the projectile, or bullet.)
What is a 38 long colt?
The .38 Long Colt was from 1875. The .38 Short Colt is just a shortened version used in the Army and Navy models of Colt revolvers. Both will fit and fire in a .38 spl revolver as they are both shortened version of that case. The .38 spl is too powerful to shoot in the older revolvers even though the cartridge may fit the chamber. The Long Colt has been obsolete for many decades, but as the Short Colt was used for military handguns you can still find ammo (Remington).The .38SW has a different case (larger diameter) than the .38 spl and generally won't fit in the .38 spl chamber while the .38 spl case would be too long for the .38SW chamber. The Colt .38 NP (New Police) is the same dimensionally as the .38SW and can be used as such.
What caliber is a 38?
The explanation for the .38 caliber bullet's diameter also applies the the .44 caliber. It too was a heeled bullet that evolved into a inside the case lubricated bullet with a .429" diameter.#N#The heeled bullet design still lives today in the .22 rimfire except for the .22 magnum which uses a modern inside lubed bullet.
What cartridges did S&W use to steal Colt's thunder?
Since back then, S&W and Colt were in direct competition and always trying to out-do each other, S&W decided to steal Colt's "thunder" by introducing a more-powerful cartridge (.38 Special) that was still compatible with the .38 Colt cartridges (which were standard military issue at the time).
Is a 38SW a long or short colt?
The Long Colt has been obsolete for many decades, but as the Short Colt was used for military handguns you can still find ammo (Remington).The .38SW has a different case (larger diameter) than the .38 spl and generally won't fit in the .38 spl chamber while the .38 spl case would be too long for the .38SW chamber.
Can you use a 38 Super with a 38 Special?
Most well-known is the . 38 Special for the revolver. However, there are some semi-autos that chamber .38 Special. One thing .38 Special is not is interchangeable with .38 Super. If your pistol takes .38 Super, don’t try firing .38 Special through it and vice versa. It sounds like common sense, but it’s still a question many folks new to the gun/ammo community ask.
Is a 38 Super a revolver?
.38 Super, unlike .38 Special, wasn’t made for revolvers; it was made for ACP. .38 Super isn’t quite as old as Special, born about 25 years later in the 1920s, it’s a lightweight, accurate round with high energy, and it’s great for reducing recoil between its weight and compensator.
Is a 38 super good for self defense?
If you didn’t know it, the velocity, which helps with performance, can be greater in a .38 Super than some 9mm defense loads. And because of its performance, .38 super is often used in competition shoots, such as with the IPSC, and makes for a great self-defense round.
What is the velocity of a 38 long colt?
The .38 Long Colt originally had a hollow based bullet that would expand to grab the rifling. The 148 grain bullet had a velocity of about 800 fps. The only good thing that ever came from the .38 Long Colt was that it was the springboard for the .38 Special.
What is the worst handgun cartridge?
The offspring of the .38 Short Colt was the .38 Long Colt, which holds the honor of being considered the worst handgun cartridge in U.S. Military history.
Can a 38 S&W be shot in a 38 S&W?
The .38 Short Colt cannot be shot in a .38 S&W even though they look very much alike; their cases are slightly different as is the bullet diameter. I know many people who have done this before, but that is their choice to risk their firearm and safety. I won’t, given the fussy nature of some guns out there.
Can a 38 long colt be fired in a 38 special?
The .38 Long Colt can be fired in a .38 Special, as can the newer loadings of the .38 Short Colt with a standard lubricated pistol bullet. Next up is the .38 S&W, which has often been confused with the .38 Special.
38 S&W vs 38 Special
The .38 Special and the .38 Smith and Wesson are not interchangeable. The .38 Smith and Wesson is larger in diameter than the .38 Special. That makes it physically impossible to chamber a .38 Smith and Wesson in a .38 Special gun in most cases.
What does .38 Mean?
When it comes to bullet naming, there’s not a great deal of consistency, and just because both of these are .38s, does not mean that they have many similarities.
Wrap Up
In this piece, we’ve covered two kinds of .38 ammunition, the Special and Smith and Wesson variants.
What type of revolver can I use for a 38 Special?
can be fired in any revolver chambered for the .38 Special (2nd from right) and .357 Magnum (far right). Without a doubt the most denigrated American military handgun cartridge ever is the .38 Colt (aka .38 Long Colt). It is said to have been the cause of death for many an American soldier during the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902).
How many grains of black powder were in a 1877 Colt Lightning?
Case length was 0.88" and heel-type bullet weights were 130–150 grains over about 18 grains of black powder.
What bullets to use for Starline 38?
Then what you will want to buy is the Starline .38 short colt cases. I use 158gr/160gr round nose bullets using VV N320 powder. Makes very soft shooting loads and still meets power factor. To gain some additional speed, you will also want to use Hearthco moon clips from TK Custom. If you use the standard moon clips from Smith & Wesson you lose time as the cartridges will be a little loose and you will end up having to jiggle the cases to get them to slide in.
Why cut a long colt to 900?
I cut the long colts down to .900 because they are shorter than special so they are easier to cut. I tried the short colts but they just lead up and really expand at the base. You know how much I shoot and the cases just don't hold up.
38 vs. 38 Special – at A Glance
What Is A .38 Special?
- The .38 Special is one of the most popular ammunition for revolvers, but it’s also used in carbines and semi-automatic pistols. It’s a rimmed centerfire cartridge that was introduced by Smith &Wesson in 1898. It was also the standard round in the US police departments between the 1920s and 1990s. And it was also used in the sidearm handguns by the US Military in WW1, WW2, Vietn…
Performance and Accuracy
- The .38 Special was originally packaged with black powder. This explains the relatively low pressures and slower muzzle velocities. For instance, a 158 gr bullet travels at 940 fps. It doesn’t expand like most smoke-less powder cartridges, but it’s still effective. It’s also very popular for its impressive accuracy and manageable recoil. Some gun users experienced more expansion and …
Final Thoughts
- People mean the .38 Special when talking about the .38. As we’ve seen, there are several other .38 Cartridges. They have dominated a whole century in both law enforcement and personal use. The accuracy, manageable recoil, and the ability to fire it in a .357 Magnum designated gun are some of the reasons the .38 Special is still popular. It’s always a viable round for self-defense, but the .…
The History of The .38 Special
- It was developed as an improved round over the .38 Long Colt, which was ineffective against the shields of Philippine Moro warriors during the Insurrection of 1898. Another factor in the poor performance of the .38 Long Colt was that these tribesmen were often amped up on a natural form of PCP. The .38 Long Colt was found to lack stopping power as ...
The .38 Special and Its Cousins
- Technically speaking, the .38 is closer to the .36 caliber than it is to the .38 caliber, as most cartridges in the group have an actual caliber of .357 inches. The only exceptions are the .38S&W, which has a caliber of .361 inches, and the .38 Super, which has a caliber of .358 inches. The term .38 refers to the case diameter, and while some cartridges like the .357 Magnum are longer tha…
Can You Shoot .38 Calibers in Any .38 Gun
- While all the rounds are essentially the same, vast differences in velocity, muzzle energy, and chamber pressure need to be considered seriously before attempting to use rounds in a gun not chambered explicitly for that round. This is also why the .357 Magnum cartridge is about 1/8th” longer than a standard .38 round so that it won’t fit into the cylinder of the .38 special and so can…
Is The .38 Special A Good Self-Defense Weapon
- When looking at a self-defense carry gun, you need to consider a few things before deciding. For example, what size gun will suit you based on your size? If you are 5’1″ and 80 lbs, a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle is probably not ideal. You need to consider elements like capacity, stopping power, concealability, and weight of the gun when fully loaded so you can comfortably move around wit…
Conclusion
- The .38 Special has been around now for more than a century and has a colorful history, having evolved from the .38 Long Colt and Smith and Wesson M10 into the modern +P and FBI loads with a snub nose and heavy barrel guns of today. It has earned its place in history as one of the most popular and prolific calibers of all time, and with the right load and the proper gun, it is a force t…