.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special) Handgun Cartridges
Learn more about .38 Special (.38 Smith and Wesson Special) Handgun Cartridges
Looking to find out more about firearms before you apply for your SAPS firearm licence? Learn all there is to know about .38 Special (.38 Smith and Wesson Special) Handgun Cartridges right here.
Developed by Smith & Wesson and introduced along with its Military & Police Model revolver in 1902, this was originally a military cartridge intended to replace the unsatisfactory .38 Long Colt then in use by the Army. Colt brought out its own version of the .38 Special in 1909, which differs from the original only in bullet shape, being a flat-point style. The .38 Special is considered one of the best-balanced, all-round handgun cartridges ever designed. It is also one of the most accurate and very widely used for match shooting.
.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special) Handgun Cartridges |
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| Cartridge Specifications | |||
| Case Type: | Rimmed, straight | ||
| Introduced: | 1902 | Made For: | Revolver |
| Cart Len: | 1.550-in | Case Len: | 1.155-in |
| Case Dia: | 0.379-in | Bul Dia: | 0.358-in |
| Ballistics measured with: |
| 4-inch revolver barrel |
| Cartridge Variants: | |||
| Weight | Velocity | Energy | |
| From: | 90 gr | 1200 ft/sec | 288 ft-lbs |
| To: | 158 gr | 925 ft/sec | 300 ft-lbs |
| Cartridge Used in Database | ||
| Weight | Velocity | Energy |
| 158 gr | 755 ft/sec | 200 ft-lbs |
| Rankings for Cartridge Used in Database | |||
| PF: | 119290 | TKO: | 6.101 |
**See below for further reference regarding the power rankings listed in the tables above:
MV-Muzzle Velocity
Muzzle velocity when fired from a typical handgun. Measured in feet-per-second.
ME-Muzzle Energy
Muzzle energy when fired from a typical handgun. Measured in foot-pounds.
PF-Power Factor
In shooting competition the Power Factor is used to determine the competitive division in which a particular handgun/cartridge can be used. A simple calculation of the bullet's mass times its muzzle velocity.
PF = bull. mass x muzzle vel.
TKO-Taylor Knock Out Formula
Developed by big-game hunter John Howard Taylor in the 1940's. Calculates the relative effectiveness of bullets for hunting game.
TKO = (bull. mass x muzzle vel. x bull. dia.)/7000
Link back to the main table listing of handgun and rifle cartridges HERE.
