A Smith & Wesson Model 642, .38-Special

Production History

The .38 Special was introduced in 1898 as a military service cartridge as .38 Long Colt had insufficient stopping power against the wooden shields of Moros during the Philippine-American War. The .38 Special rounds can be fired from revolvers chambered for .357 Magnum or the .38 Long Colt as only the case length of .38 Special is different. But a .357 Magnum is more powerful and cannot be fired in a revolver chambered for .38 Special. The 9mm Luger was designed by George Luger from his earlier 7.65X21mm Parabellum. In 1902 he presented it to British Small Arms Committee. In 1903 he presented 3 prototypes to the US Navy. It was adopted by the German Navy in 1905 and the German Army in 1906.

Side-by-side comparison of many common pistol rounds. L-R: (1) 3 in 12 ga magnum shotgun shell (for comparison), (2) size "AA" battery (for comparison), (3) .454 Casull, (4) .45 Winchester Magnum, (5) .44 Remington Magnum, (6) .357 Magnum, (7) .38 Special, (8) .45 ACP, (9) .38 Super, (10) 9 mm Luger, (11) .32 ACP, (12) .22 LR

Evolution

Initially, .38 Special was introduced as powder cartridge and then was manufactured as smokeless powder loadings as a result of its popularity. Initially the 9mm Luger was lead core. But during WWII to conserve lead, it was made using iron core jackets. By 1944, normal copper core cartridges were produced.

Usage

.38 Special were popular among the US police and was used by the US Air force, Navy and the Marines. But their popularity has declined due to the higher capacity and quicker reloading of semi-automatic pistols in the 9mm Parabellum, the .357 SIG, the .40 S&W, the .45 ACP, or the .45 GAP versions. .38 Special is used for target shooting, formal target competition, personal defense, and for hunting small game.

9mm Luger has become the popular caliber for US law enforcement agencies due to the availability of compact pistols with large magazine round capacity using this caliber. It is also a popular self-defense cartridge for civilians where permitted.

Cost

Ammunition in 9mm is available in bulk and has many variations than the ammunition for .38 Special. It is also cheaper.

Magazine Capacity

A .38 Special can hold 5 to 6 rounds while a 9mm Luger can hold up to 18 rounds.

Velocity

A .38 Special fires bullets with velocity between 679-980 feet per second. The velocity varies according to barrel length and type of gun.

A comparison of velocity of .38 Special bullets with different weight and type:

Bullet weight/type	Velocity
158 Grain LRN	770 FPS
148 Grain LWC	690 FPS
130 Grain FMJ	810 FPS
110 Grain	980 FPS

A 9mm fires bullets with velocity ranging between 1200 and 1430 feet per second depending on the model. A comparison of velocity of 9mm bullets with different weight and type:

Bullet weight/type	Velocity
115 Grain FMJ	1120 FPS
124 Grain FMJ	1200 FPS
9mm NATO +P 124 Grain JHP	1220 FPS
147 Grain JHP	1000 FPS

Accuracy

Accuracy of shooting is dependent more on the skill of the shooter than the cartridge or gun. But still .38 Special is renowned for its accuracy.

Penetration

The energy delivered by most 9mm pistols have high penetration and expansion with premium JHP bullets. The 115gr JHP +p or +P+ is the best of this lot for self-defense.

Recoil

.38mm Special offers low recoil when compared to the 9mm Luger. Bothe these cartridges have lesser recoil as compared to other cartridges like .40 S&W.

This video compares the recoil of common handguns including the 22LR, .380 ACP, 9mm parabellum, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum and 38SPC.

References

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