.38 Smith & Wesson Special (colloquial .38 Special , .38 Spl or .38 Spc ) is a central ignition cartridge with a cylindrical sleeve having a protruding rim. Designed by the American company Smith & Wesson as a further development of the .38 Long Colt . It is widely used in revolvers ; in addition, it is sometimes used in self - loading pistols and carbines . It was the standard ammunition of the U.S. police from the 1920s to the 1990s. Also commonly known as 9 × 29 mm R and 9.1x29 mm R. For more than a century of its history, it has been widely used for sports target shooting, hunting and for personal self-defense.
| .38 Special | |
|---|---|
 .38 Special | |
| Cartridge type | revolving |
| The country of manufacture |  USA |
| Production history | |
| Constructor | Smith & Wesson |
| Time of creation | 1898 |
| Characteristics | |
| Cartridge Length, mm | 39 |
| Real bullet caliber , mm | 9.1 |
| Bullet weight, g | 7 |
| The length of the test barrel, mm | 4 inches |
| Liner parameters | |
| Sleeve length mm | 29.3 |
| The diameter of the neck sleeve, mm | 9.6 |
| The diameter of the base of the sleeve, mm | 9.6 |
| Diameter of sleeve flange , mm | 11.0 |
Design
Despite the name, the actual bullet caliber is .357 – .358 inches (or 9.0678 mm). The .38 Special cartridge bullet is similar to the .38 Short Colt , .38 Long Colt and .357 Magnum bullets , the differences are in the length of the cartridge case and the weight of the powder charge.
Notes
Links
- Description and specification of ammunition .38 Special
- https://web.archive.org/web/20081121005647/http://www.federalcartridge.com/ballistics/
- Specific SAAMI Specific Pressure Rating *
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140220202935/http://www.leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm*
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140115122935/http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp*