NationMaster - Encyclopedia: .38 Special

.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 and some carbines 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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Smith & Wesson NASDAQ: SWHC are the largest manufacturers of handguns in the United States. ... A M4 Carbine just after firing, with an ejected case in mid-air The article titled casing is a disambiguation page. ... The . ... .357 Magnum cartridges, containing bullets A bullet is a solid projectile propelled by a firearm and is normally made from metal (usually lead). ... The percussion cap or primer was the crucial invention that enabled firearms to fire in any weather. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... .357 Magnum rounds. ... Feet per second is a unit of speed; it expressses the number of feet traveled in one second. ... Metre per second (U.S. spelling: meter per second) is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds. ... The foot-pound force (symbol: ftÂ·lbf) is an English unit of work or energy. ... The joule (IPA pronunciation: or ) (symbol: J) is the SI unit of energy. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... An example of FMJ bullets in their usual shapes: pointy (spitzer) for the rifle and round for the pistol. ... Feet per second is a unit of speed; it expressses the number of feet traveled in one second. ... Metre per second (U.S. spelling: meter per second) is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds. ... The foot-pound force (symbol: ftÂ·lbf) is an English unit of work or energy. ... The joule (IPA pronunciation: or ) (symbol: J) is the SI unit of energy. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... A wadcutter is a bullet specially designed for shooting paper targets, usually at close range and with significantly subsonic velocities under 800 ft/s (244 m/s) such as are found in handgun and airgun competitions. ... Feet per second is a unit of speed; it expressses the number of feet traveled in one second. ... Metre per second (U.S. spelling: meter per second) is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds. ... The foot-pound force (symbol: ftÂ·lbf) is an English unit of work or energy. ... The joule (IPA pronunciation: or ) (symbol: J) is the SI unit of energy. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... Feet per second is a unit of speed; it expressses the number of feet traveled in one second. ... Metre per second (U.S. spelling: meter per second) is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds. ... The foot-pound force (symbol: ftÂ·lbf) is an English unit of work or energy. ... The joule (IPA pronunciation: or ) (symbol: J) is the SI unit of energy. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A . ... (Redirected from . ... 38 Special (also written . ... A centerfire cartridge is a cartridge in which the primer is located in the center of the cartridge case head. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Smith & Wesson NASDAQ: SWHC are the largest manufacturers of handguns in the United States. ... rEVOLVEr (2004) is the fourth studio album release by Swedish thrash metal band The Haunted. ... A Semi-automatic (also known as Self-loading) pistol is a type of handheld firearm, a kind of pistol. ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ...

Despite its name, its caliber is actually 0.357-.358 inches (9.0678 mm), with the ".38" referring to the approximate diameter of the loaded brass case. This came about because the original .38-caliber cartridge, the .38 Short Colt, was designed for use in converted .36-caliber cap-and-ball (muzzleloading) revolvers, which had cylindrical firing chambers of about .374 inch diameter, requiring "heel-based" bullets, the exposed portion of which was the same diameter as the cartridge case (see the section on the .38 Long Colt). Except for its length, the .38 Special case is identical to that of the .38 Long Colt, and to 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, lest your pistol explode in your hand). The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... .357 Magnum Colt Python revolver .357 Magnum ammunition. ...

The .38 Special was introduced in 1902 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt cartridge which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power during the Philippines-American War. Athough It was introduced 16 years into the smokeless powder era--France adopted the first smokeless-powder military rifle cartridge, the 8x50mm R Lebel, in 1886-- the .38 Special was originally loaded with black powder, but was offered loaded with smokeless gunpowder within a year of its introduction. The .38 Special is very accurate, in a quality revolver, produces little recoil, and remains the most popular revolver cartridge in the world more than a century after its introduction. It is used for target shooting and formal target competition, for hunting small game, and for self-defense, although in most loadings it is considered somewhat underpowered for that use. The . ... Combatants United States Philippines Commanders William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt Emilio Aguinaldo Strength 126,000 soldiers 80,000 soldiers Casualties 4,324 U.S. soldiers dead, 3,000 wounded 2,000 killed, dead, or wounded suffered by the Philippine Constabulary 16,000 soldiers killed est. ... Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ... Smokeless powder is the name given to any number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce neglegible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced. ... Self defense refers to actions taken by a person to defend onself, ones property or ones home. ...

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. .357 Magnum Colt Python revolver .357 Magnum ammunition. ... The . ... Overpressure ammunition, commonly designated as +P or +P+, is small arms ammunition that has been loaded to a higher internal pressure than is standard for ammunition of its caliber (see internal ballistics), but less than the pressures generated by a proof round. ...

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 .357 Magnum and .38 Special. A lever-action is a type of firearm which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area (often including the trigger guard itself) to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is cranked. The most famous of such lever-action firearms are the Martini...

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. Yugoslavian 9 mm Kratak (9 mm Short) cartridges, FMJ. The . ... Ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds The 9 mm Luger pistol cartridge (9 x 19 mm Parabellum, 9 x 19 mm NATO) was designed by firearms designer Georg Luger. ... A handgun is a firearm small enough to be carried and used in one hand. ...

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

Experience has proven that it is reasonably effective for self-defense purposes, but only a minority of US police departments now issue or authorize use of the .38 Special revolver as a standard duty weapon, most having switched to the higher-capacity and faster-reloading automatic pistols in the more powerful 9mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP cartridges. 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. Ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds are popular handgun ammunition. ... Side-by-side comparison to other cartridges. ... From left to right: .50 Action Express, .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, 9 mm Luger Parabellum, .22 Long Rifle. ... .45 ACP cartridges .45 redirects here. ...

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. Crest of the Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (Chinese: é¦™æ¸¯è¦å¯Ÿ; Pinyin: XiÄng GÇŽng jÇngchÃ¡ since 1997) is the police force of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Smith & Wesson is Americas largest manufacturer of handguns, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. ... The term Colt, when used by itself, can refer to: A firearm produced by Colts Manufacturing Company, founded by Samuel Colt. ... Glock is an Austrian defense contractor (named after the founder Gaston Glock) founded in 1963 in Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna, Austria. ... Ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds The 9 mm Luger pistol cartridge (9 x 19 mm Parabellum, 9 x 19 mm NATO) was designed by firearms designer Georg Luger. ...

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Categories: Pistol and rifle cartridges | Philippine-American War . ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The . ... The . ... The . ... Yugoslavian 9 mm Kratak (9 mm Short) cartridges, FMJ. The . ... . ... The . ... rEVOLVEr (2004) is the fourth studio album release by Swedish thrash metal band The Haunted. ... The Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolver is a . ... Enfield No. ... The Detective Special is a double-action short-barreled revolver, a class of gun known affectionately to gun aficianados as a snubbie. As the name Detective Special suggests, this class of gun was historically popular for use as a concealed weapon by plainclothes police detectives. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... Colt Model 1900 Photo by Adam Guns The Colt Model 1900 was a self-loading semi-automatic . ... Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless is . ... The FN Model 1910 was a blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium. ... The Walther PP series pistols include the Walther PP, PPK, and PPK/S. They are blowback-operated semiautomatic pistols manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen in Germany or under license from Walther in France and the United States [1]. These pistols feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism... There are a bewildering array of weapons, far more than would be useful in list form. ... Common handgun cartridges. ... From left to right: .50 BMG, 300 Win Mag, .308 Winchester, 7. ... Located below is an extended list of small arms, ranging from pistols to machine guns and even to large handheld devices such as grenade launchers and anti-tank rifles. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States Medical staff: Denmark, Australia, Italy, Norway, Sweden Communist states: Democratic Peopleâ€™s Republic of Korea, Peoples Republic of China, Soviet Union Commanders... A side arm is a small personal weapon that is typically worn on the body in a holster in such a way to permit immediate access and use. ... The M1911 is a single-action, semiautomatic handgun chambered for the . ... The M1917 revolver was a US six shot revolver of 45 ACP caliber. ... The Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolver is a . ... It has been suggested that Break action be merged into this article or section. ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ... M1903 M1903 with scant stock M1903A3 M1903A4 with M84 sight The Springfield M1903 (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber . ... The M1941 Rifle was an American short-recoil operated semiautomatic rifle designed by Melvin Johnson prior to World War II. The M1941 competed unsuccessfully with the U.S. M1 Garand. ... The Browning Automatic Rifle (commonly known as the BAR; properly pronounced bee ay are) is a family of automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and other countries during the 20th century. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A lance corporal of the East Surrey Regiment, British Army equipped with a Thompson M1928 submachine gun (drum magazine), 25 November 1940 The Thompson was a family of American submachine guns that became infamous during the Prohibition era. ... The M3 Grease Gun (more formally United States Submachine Gun, Cal. ... The Reising (sometimes called the Buck Rogers Gun) was an American submachine gun patented in 1940 and manufactured by Harrington & Richardson. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with UD 42. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... The Browning Model 1917 Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun used by the United States armed forces in World War I, World War II, Korea, and to a limited amount in Vietnam and by other nations. ... The Browning M1919 was a . ... The M1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun was an American recoil-operated light machine gun designed in the late 1930s by Melvin Johnson. ... This article is about the . ... For other meanings, see Bazooka (disambiguation) The bazooka was a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher made famous during World War II where it was one of the United States Armed Forces primary infantry anti-tank weapons. ... A soldier from the U.S. 33rd Infantry Division uses an M2 flamethrower M2A1-7 is a flamethrower used by the American troops during World War II. It has four controls:- - Back of the rear grip: firing safety catch. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States Medical staff: Denmark, Australia, Italy, Norway, Sweden Communist states: Democratic Peopleâ€™s Republic of Korea, Peoples Republic of China, Soviet Union Commanders... .45 ACP cartridges .45 redirects here. ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... The . ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A . ...

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