The Great 38

Although it might be ballistically outgunned by more modern rounds, the 38 Special remains a heavyweight in the realm of handgun cartridges. In fact, few can rival the resume of this versatile, accurate and manageable round, which is still widely used for recreation, competition, self-defense and even hunting, and remains popular with handloaders. Let’s take a look at where the 38 Special started and where its headed today.

Proven Track Record

From the 1920s through 1990s, the 38 Special was the standard service cartridge for most U.S. police departments. It was also a common sidearm round for military personnel from World War 1 through the Vietnam War.

The 38 Special, a rimmed centerfire round, was designed and first produced in 1898 by Smith & Wesson. The cartridge was created as an improvement from the 38 Long Colt, which reportedly did not penetrate the shields of insurgent Philippine Moro warriors during the Philippine–American War. Initially, the 38 Special was loaded with black powder, but its popularity prompted manufacturers to offer smokeless powder loadings within a year.

The cartridge underwent several modifications and has produced many variants since its inception. Perhaps most notably, during the 1950s and 1960s, law enforcement agencies complained that standard 158-grain 38 Special rounds had insufficient stopping power, so manufacturers experimented with higher-pressure loadings, which came to be known as +P, a designation that indicates the cartridge produces higher pressures. These remain popular today.

Cartridge Specifics

Actually, the 38 Special moniker is misleading, because the cartridge is .357 inch. Thirty-eight refers to the approximate diameter of the loaded brass case. The name originated because the 38 Short Colt, which was the original 38-caliber cartridge, was designed for converted 36-caliber cap-and-ball revolvers, which had untapered cylindrical firing chambers with a .374-inch diameter that required heeled bullets. Other than its case length, the 38 Special is identical to the 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt and 357 Mag. As a result, 38 Special rounds can be safely fired in revolvers chambered for 357 Mag., and many shooters do that during training or recreation sessions, as the 38 Special is more manageable than the 357 Mag. The longer, more powerful 357 Magnum cartridges usually won’t chamber and fire in revolvers rated for 38 Special.

The 38 Special is a low-pressure cartridge, firing a medium-sized bullet at what today are considered relatively low speeds. For example, in target loads, it propels a 149-grain bullet at about 690 fps. The higher-pressure 38 Special +P loads produce about 20 percent more muzzle energy than standard loads. For example, Speer’s Gold Dot Short Barrel Personal Protection 38 Special +P fires a 135-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 860 fps.

Speer also offers several other 38 Special loadings, including Lawman Handgun Training 38 Special +P 158-grain, which produces a muzzle velocity of about 900 fps and allows a feel and point of aim that’s as close as possible to self-defense loads. Additionally, Speer markets the Lawman Handgun Clean-Fire Training 38 Special +P 158-grain round, which also has a muzzle velocity of about 900 fps and uses a primer with no lead, barium or antimony, giving shooters an ideal indoor option.