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GunCritic

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special) VS .38 Super

Head to Head Comparison

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

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.38 Super

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MSRP:

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Gun Specifications

Specifications

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

.38 Super

Height

1.16

0.00

Average FPS

876

Average Grain

138

Average Energy

235

Recoil

0.53

0.00

Ballistic Coefficient

140.71

Gun Stats

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Gun Descriptions

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

Designed by Smith & Wesson, 38 Special ammo is a centerfire rimmed cartridge commonly used in handguns. It is also compatible with a few semi-automatic carbines and pistols. Also known as 38 S&W, .38 Smith & Wesson Special, or 38 Spl, this handgun cartridge is popular for its accuracy and manageable recoil. It was used as the main service cartridge for most US Police departments between the 1920s and the 1990s. 38 Special Specifications: Cartridge Case: .38 Long Colt Cartridge Case type: Rimmed, straight Diameter of Bullet: 9.1 mm (.357 in) Base diameter: 9.6 mm (.379 in) Neck diameter: 9.6 mm (.379 in) Rim thickness: 1.5 mm (.058 in) Rim diameter: .44 in (11 mm) Length of Case: 1.155 in (29.3 mm) Overall length: 1.550 in (39.4 mm) Case capacity: 1.52 cm3 (23.4 gr H2O) Max pressure: 17,500 psi (121 MPa) Smith & Wesson is the manufacturer of 38 Special Ammo. But now, several other companies are also manufacturing 38 Special Ammo. 38 Special Ammo is good for hand loaders. 38 Special Ammo is almost similar to 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, and 357 Magnum, except for the difference in case length. As the construction is identical, 38 Special Ammo can be used in handguns chambered for 357 Magnum. 38 Short Colt and 38 Long Colt can be fired safely from handguns chambered for 38 Special. The straight walls of the cartridge, rim’s head spacing, accessibility of earlier fired cases, and the compatibility with 357 Magnum firearms made it much popular.

.38 Super

The .38 Super has traveled a rather rocky road during its 121-year history. Due to its ballistic performance, accuracy in modern guns, wide selection of components and ease with which top-notch handloads can be assembled, it has become popular for action pistol competition, defense and field use. The addition of the “Automatic +P” designation in 1974 helped differentiate it from the old .38 Automatic Colt. The history of the .38 Super starts around 1897 with the development of the .38 Automatic Colt cartridge (.38 Rimless Smokeless) designed for the Colt Model 1900 Automatic Pistol. Early advertising listed a 130-grain FMJ bullet at around 1,040 fps, which was later increased to 1,070 fps. This cartridge was designed at least five years prior to the 9mm Luger. During the 1920s there was growing demand for handgun cartridges that could better penetrate car bodies, so in 1928 Colt responded with the .38 Super Automatic in its Model 1911. Essentially, the Super was dimensionally the same as the .38 Automatic Colt, including bullet weight and profile. However, being chambered in the notably stronger Model 1911 pistol, it could be loaded to much greater pressures, with velocities pushing 130-grain bullets to 1,300 fps by 1933. Pressures were increased from 23,000 CUP to 33,000 CUP. For clarification, the .38 Super should never be fired in comparatively weak Model 1900 pistols, which can be disastrous. The Super had another significant problem: It produced poor to mediocre accuracy at best. There were several contributing factors that included a bullet diameter specified at .356 inch while barrel groove diameters were known to measure .355, .356 and .357 inch. Period Colt Government Model pistols were not built with proper tolerances to achieve top accuracy. However, the largest single obstacle was Colt’s chamber specifications that resulted in poor headspace control. The .38 Super originally fired a 130-grain bullet at 1,215 fps, but by 1933 velocity was bumped to 1,300 fps before it was eventually standardized at 1,280 fps. Remington and Winchester list 130-grain FMJ loads at the original 1,215 fps while Federal offers the same bullet weight at 1,200 fps. Several smaller companies such as Buffalo Bore offer loads containing 115-grain and 124-grain JHP bullets at 1,415 fps and 1,350 fps, respectively.

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