Main Differences Between 38 and 380 The 38 has a diameter of.357 inches. The 380, on the other hand, has a diameter of.355 inches. With a 38 cartridge, a larger 115-grain bullet may be shot at approximately 1,240 feet per second.
Full Answer
Is a 38 and a 380 the same caliber?
Posts. 1,481. No 38 Auto and 380 are not the same. They are close in diameter and use the same bullet diameter. Probably where you may have got your confusion is that some ammo outlests refer to the 380 as the .380 Auto. The Colt 38 Auto was never referred to as 380 or .380.
What is the difference between .38 caliber and .380?
The .380 ACP cartridge uses bullets measuring .355 inches in diameter while the .38 Special has bullets with a diameter of .357 inches. A .38 Special bullet is also characterized by a longer case and thus, it is longer and heavier than the .380 ACP. This also means more gunpowder can be used on a .38 Special.
What caliber is more powerful 380 or 38?
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 best 38 caliber handgun for beginners?
- Make: Smith and Wesson
- Caliber: 38 Special
- Capacity: 5 Round
- Barrel Length: 1.875”
- Overall Length: 6.31”
- Finish: Matte Silver
What is 38?
The 38 caliber, often known as the 38 Smith & Wesson Special, is a rimmed and straight-walled centerfire cartridge that is frequently employed in revolvers. The 38 calibers were developed by Smith & Wesson and are used in a variety of semi-automatic pistols and carbines.
What is 380?
The 380 is a handgun cartridge with a straight wall casing and no rim. John Moses Browning, an American firearms manufacturer, created the 9x17mm cartridge. It was originally employed in the Colt Model 1908 pocket hammerless handgun, which was a semi-automatic weapon.
Main Differences Between 38 and 380
The 38 has a diameter of.357 inches. The 380, on the other hand, has a diameter of.355 inches.
Conclusion
Finally, the most crucial aspect of a concealed carry handgun is training with your selected firearm. If a danger has enough brain or spinal cord injury to prevent neurologic signals from reaching important regions of the body, or if the person has lost enough blood, accurate strikes of any acceptable caliber will stop them.
What is the difference between a 380 and a 38?
A .38 Special bullet is also characterized by a longer case and thus, it is longer and heavier than the .380 ACP.
Why is a 38 Special the most widely used revolver?
The .38 Special has been around for over a century and is the most widely used revolver cartridge in the world because of its deadly accuracy and manageable recoil. It is the cartridge of choice for self-defense, target shooting, professional target competition, and small game hunting.
What is a 380 ACP?
The .380 ACP (Action Colt Pistol) is a pistol cartridge with a rimless and straight wall case. This 9x17mm cartridge was developed by American firearms maker John Moses Browning. It was first used in the semi-automatic Colt Model 1908 pocket hammerless pistol. The .380 ACP grew in popularity as a self-defense cartridge for many smaller handguns around the world. The .380 ACP is known by other names such as the .380 Auto, 9x17mm, 9mm short, and 9mm Browning to name a few. The .380 ACP is not to be confused with the .38 ACP 9mm Makarov, 9mm Parabelleum, or the 9mm Ultra.
Is 380 ACP a good self defense gun?
Despite these drawbacks, the .380 ACP is still a popular self-defense ammunition. It is preferred by individuals who need a small and lightweight pistol with minimal recoil. Experts attribute this preference to the legalization of concealed carry in addition to the inexpensive and compact pistols that use the .380 ACP.
Can a 38 Special round be used in a 357?
This means a .38 Special round can be safely used in revolvers with a .357 Magnum chamber and .38 Special-chambered .38 Long Colt revolvers. However, a .357 cartridge will not usually fire in handguns specifically made for a .38 Special cartridge.
Who designed the 38 Special?
Designed by Smith & Wesson, the .38 Special is also used in several semi-automatic handguns and carbines. It was the preferred service cartridge of the US police force during the 1920s until the early 1990s. In addition, it was a commonly used sidearm cartridge in World War I.
Is 380 ACP the same as 380 ACP?
The .380 ACP is not to be confused with the .38 ACP 9mm Makarov, 9mm Parabelleum, or the 9mm Ultra. The .380 is lightweight and compact, but has a lower stopping power and shorter range compared to other modern handgun cartridges. Despite these drawbacks, the .380 ACP is still a popular self-defense ammunition.
How big is a 380 caliber?
Caliber designation is not strictly determined by its 'mathematical number.'. A .38 Special bullet is 0.357" in diameter; a .380 is 0.35 5 " in diameter. A .380 bullet is, however, the same diameter as a 9mm Parabellum bullet.
How big is a 380?
Got it so far now a 380 round as it’s dubbed in The United States is 0.355 inch diameter. Still with me there speed. In Europe the 380 round is referred to as 9mm Kurtz meaning short. See the 380 is actually 9mm x 17 mm case length.
How big is a 44 magnum bullet?
Both 44 Special and 44 Magnum use 44 caliber bullets which are about 429 thousandths in diameter. The name is 44 caliber but the size is actually 43 caliber. 9 millimeter bullets are 355 thousandths in diameter (plus or minus a couple of thousandths), a grand total of two thousandths smaller than 38 caliber bullets.
What caliber is 9mm?
All of the cartridges in this picture are, nominally, of the .38 caliber class. Note that 9mm is simply the metric equivalent. All of the bullets in these cartridges are, within a thousandth of an inch or two, the same diameter, but they aren’t the same kinds of bullets or cartridges.
How many thousandths of an inch is 38 caliber?
38 caliber bullets are actually 36 hundred ths of an inch in diameter - “caliber” means “hundredth of an inch” in this application.
What is a 357 magnum?
Continue Reading. Very short answer- in US parlance, a “.38” refers actually to a bullet with a NOMINAL .36 inch ( or “caliber”) diameter.
How big is a 22 magnum?
The most common bullet (not its case), the .22LR caliber, varies in diameter depending on the manufacturer and intended use, between .220 and .224 inches. The case diameter (.242) of the .22 Magnum is significantly larger than its bullet (.224), so much so that the two cannot safely be chambered in the same weapon.
How fast is a 380 ACP?
As illustrated in the chart, .38 Special rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 880 feet per second (fps) while .380 Auto ACP rounds travel at a velocity of 980 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .38 Special bullets travel 1 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .380 Auto ACP bullets travel 1.1 times that same speed.
How much energy does a 38 Special round have?
Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .38 Special round averages out to 240 ft-lb, while a .380 Auto ACP round averages out to about 190 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .38 Special round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 240 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .380 Auto ACP round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 190 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power.#N#Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .38 Special or .380 Auto ACP cartridge you're looking at purchasing.
Why is it better to carry a smaller caliber handgun?
Make the Right Choice. One of the obvious advantages of carrying a smaller caliber handgun is it will better integrate into your daily life ( you can comfortably carry a pistol with the right holster or in your purse).
What is the most common small caliber pistol?
The most common small caliber pistol offerings are the 9mm, .380 Auto and the .38 Special. While sharing virtually the same diameter as the famed 9mm round, the latter two are certainly not equal to it in overall performance and should be considered the bare minimum for self-defense applications.
What is the difference between 9mm and HST?
Federal Premium. The 9mm is the king of the hill when it comes to handgun loads . Supply is generally very good, meaning you can find it for sale — in volume — just about anywhere.
How much does a 9mm round expand?
Generally speaking, shooters should be seeking a round that will expand a minimum 1.5 times its original diameter. That means .60-inch for 9mm, and .50-inch for both .38 Special and .380 Auto.
Which is better, a semi automatic or a revolver?
Semiautomatic pistols are best, because they have higher capacity magazines (which you can’t get with a revolver), decreased felt recoil and muzzle flip, and overall increased shootability. You need to choose the right cartridge, which is where most new shooters can be led astray.
Is 380 auto better than 9mm?
The .380 Auto does nothing that the 9mm can’t do far better, and for far less money. You could argue that felt recoil is less in some platforms, but with a slight reduction in recoil comes a significant reduction in terminal performance, magazine capacity, and in many cases, reliability.
Is a 38 Special good for self defense?
The author doesn’t recommend the .38 Special for self-defense, but if you decide to go with the snub nose revolver, this is the best ammo to shoot. Black Hills. I don’t necessarily dislike the performance of the .38 Special as much as I dislike the platform it is shot from — the five-shot snub nose revolver.