There are many companies that manufacture .38 Special ammunition. 5.56mm NATO has a slightly chamber design (meaning the chamber of the gun) and is loaded to higher pressure, but the case, projectile and all exterior dimensions are the same. This is also how a great many rifle cartridges were invented, such as 7mm-08, which is a .308 necked down to 7mm, as well as 7mm Remington Magnum, a 375 H&H Magnum likewise necked down to 7mm. So...with that in mind...how can you use multi-caliber firearms safely? Ayoob, Massad, "Why are We Still Using the .38 – It's Still A Good Cartridge", Typically, the FBI Load utilized a very soft lead alloy of 5.5–6 as measured on the, "What are the most popular calibers in the US? Performance and Accuracy It is used for target shooting, formal target competition, personal defense, and for hunting small game. Accuracy will be almost nonexistent and that's pretty much it. The .357 Magnum/.38 Special issue is a common conundrum when it comes to certain guns and certain calibers, as certain chamberings lend themselves to multi-caliber use. .45 ACP can be fired in any .45 Colt gun with moon clips and a cylinder that works with them. This left plenty of steel in the cylinder to contain the increased pressure. Rifle and pistol cartridges are sometimes used to create a new caliber and cartridge. The closest comparisons are the .380 ACP, which fires much lighter bullets slightly faster than most .38 Special loads; the 9×19mm Parabellum, which fires a somewhat lighter bullet significantly faster; and the .38 Colt Super, which fires a comparable bull… [19] The new M41 Special cartridge used a 130-grain FMJ bullet loaded to a maximum allowable pressure of 16,000 psi (110,000 kPa) for a velocity of approximately 950 ft/s (290 m/s) in a solid 6-inch (150 mm) test barrel, and about 750 ft/s (230 m/s) from a 4-inch (100 mm) revolver barrel. Revolvers headspace on the rim - the rim of the cartridge is flush with the cylinder - and semi-auto pistol cartridges headspace on the case mouth, the lip of the case that the projectile (the bullet) is seated into. use practically the same diameter bullets which punch holes that are pretty much the same size For instance, 12-gauge shotguns are typically made with 3- or 3-½" chamber lengths. Now, what does that mean? Like the .38 Spl., the .44 Spl. guns marked as safe to use this ammo. But I noticed the other day on the Hodgdon reloading site that the .38 Long Colt with 125 gr bullet uses the same exact Titegroup load data as the .38 Short Colt with a 135 gr bullet. Shotgun bores, as a class, typically will have more than one available chamber length. However, other guns are not. A revolver chambered for the 357 Magnum cartridge will also chamber and fire the shorter 38 Special cartridge. But why does this matter when it comes to .38 Special and .357 Magnum? [28] Power (muzzle energy) will, of course, decrease accordingly. How a cartridge headspaces depends on the gun and the cartridge design. However, the longer and more powerful .357 Magnum cartridge will usually not chamber and fire in weapons rated specifically for .38 Special (e.g. The .357 Magnum, however, has a longer case. This .38 Special variant incorporated a 200 grains (13 g) round-nosed lead 'Lubaloy' bullet, the .38 Super Police. One of the easiest errors that will chamber every time is using +P or +P+ ammo in a gun rated for standard ammunition. all versions of the Smith & Wesson Model 10), which are not designed for the greatly increased pressure of the magnum rounds. [21] A variant of the standard M41 cartridge with a semi-pointed, unjacketed lead bullet was later adopted for CONUS (Continental United States) police and security personnel. All the same ideas and guidelines regarding .357 and .44 Magnum apply here. Depending on your make and model of pistol, +P ammunition may be recommended only in limited servings, may be completely fine, or the manufacturer may strenuously advise that it never be used. The .38 Special held a minimum of 21 grains of black powder, which was 3 grains more than the current .38 Long Colt, and it was 100 to 150 feet per second faster with a 158 grain bullet. The .38 +P+ ammo is/was loaded to .357 Mag velocities and pressures. WIth only average performance, it remains suitable for short-range combat." Shooters generally want more energy from a bullet when trying to neutralize a threat so the +P load makes sense. So, what are some common examples? Revolvers universally headspace on the rim, and the .38 Special and .357 Magnum have the same rim diameter, case diameter and projectile diameter. A faster bullet also maintains a flatter trajectory in flight. [27] The closest comparisons are the .380 ACP, which fires much lighter bullets slightly faster than most .38 Special loads; the 9×19mm Parabellum, which fires a somewhat lighter bullet significantly faster; and the .38 Super, which fires a comparable bullet considerably faster. However, you should be cautious about doing so until you understand more about multi-caliber weapons. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. The .38 Smith & Wesson Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special, .38 Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. But changes needed to be made and the powder charge was increased from 18 grains to 21.5 grains of black powder.The bullet weight also needed to be 150 to 158 grains.. The .38 Special was introduced and produced in 1898 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power against the charges of Filipino Muslim warriors during the Philippine–American War. The round is still as viable today as a self-defense round as it was back in 1898. This flexibility in powders translates directly to versatility in muzzle energy that a handloader can achieve. (They're a thing.) Cartridge & Chamber Names and Abbreviations Velocity & Pressure Data and Measurement Primers and Primer Pockets Cartridge & Chamber Drawings. The cartridge keeps its properties under different climatic and weather conditions regardless of the season and at temperatures from -20 to +50°С. So, if you're a total newbie, and you're a little confused about what some people say about .357 and .38 Special, or about 5.56mm and .223 or what have you, let's dive in and learn a little more. Not fully understanding what guns and what calibers can be used in the same gun has led to accidents, which can lead to injury, which makes this a gun safety issue. In other parts of the world, it is known by its metric designation of 9×29.5mmR[6] or 9.1×29mmR.[7]. Although only a few US police departments now issue or authorize use of the .38 Special revolver as a standard-duty weapon, the caliber remains popular with some police officers for use in short-barreled revolvers carried when off duty or for undercover-police investigations. +P+ ammunition is intended for heavier-duty .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers, as the increased pressure levels can result in accelerated wear and significant damage to firearms rated for lower-pressure .38 Special loadings (as with all .38 Special loadings, the .38 Special +P+ can also be fired safely in .357 Magnum revolvers).[26]. [22], The .38 Special is particularly popular among handloaders. You will have to compensate … The .38-44 HV round, while no longer available, was in most cases the equal of the later .357 Magnum, which works at more than double the pressure of standard .38 Special. When the cartridge is discharged, the propellant (powder) in the bullet creates pressure behind the bullet, pushing it out of the barrel. That said, .357 Magnum also has double the chamber pressure of .38 Special. Firing .357 Magnum in a .38 Special firearm can easily (and almost certainly will) result in a catastrophic malfunction. [11] At the same time, authorities in Great Britain, who had decided to adopt the .38 caliber revolver as a replacement for their existing .455 service cartridge, also tested the same 200 grains (13.0 g) bullet in the smaller .38 S&W cartridge. A certain number of people every year get their .300 Blackout mixed with 5.56mm, rupturing the chamber and requiring purchase of a new upper. Some firearms are made and marketed as being multi-caliber, such as some revolvers. About Leverguns. You can use the bigger gun to fire the smaller bullet, but not the reverse at every level. There may be some uncommon ones, but we can leave them for another time. Again, in some cases - such as .38/.357 - it's true, but in others it's just not. [22][24] The FBI Load was later adopted by the Chicago Police Department and numerous other law enforcement agencies. The .357 Magnum cartridge is designed to fit handguns capable of handling high chamber pressure, the casing size difference is to prevent .357 Magnum ammo from being loaded in a handgun chambered for .38 Special. has been with us since the turn of the 20th century and much like the .38, the .44 Spl. Therefore, using 5.56mm NATO in a rifle that's actually chambered for .223 Remington will put more wear and tear on the rifle and may be unsafe. The .38 Special was introduced and produced in 1898 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power against the charges of Filipino Muslim warriors during the Philippine–American War. [14] That same year, Colt Firearms announced that their Colt Official Police would also handle 'high-speed' .38 Special loadings. In 1972, the Federal Bureau of Investigation introduced a new .38 +P loading that became known as the "FBI Load". Originally labeled "For Law Enforcement Only",[25][unreliable source?] has garnered a reputation for accuracy and is respected as a target cartridge. The .38 Long Colt revolver round would not penetrate the insurgent Philippine Morro warrior shields, and the Government contracted the new revolver round to Smith & Wesson. The +P designation means that it is loaded to higher pressures to increase the velocity, and it sould be used in .38 Spl. In other words, the way things are. The .38 Special revolver cartridge with FMJ bullet is intended for use in sporting and hunting weapons. Maximum Pressure ( in PSI Unless Noted) Recommended By SAAMI: T he S porting A rms ... 38 S&W-14,500: 257 Roberts +P-58,000: 300 WSM-65,000: 38 Auto-26,500: 25-06 Remington-63,000: 30-06 Springfield-60,000: 38 Special-17,000: 260 Remington-60,000: 300 H & H : No PSI Std. The best-case scenario is that the shooter has errantly chambered a round that can safely headspace in the gun, but the projectile is smaller than the bore diameter. Second is by understanding how and why that's possible in those instances, so you understand why things are the way they are. Current Levergun Makers. Thirdly by not taking chances based on what people tell you. The .44 Magnum and .44 Special have the same relationship (and an almost identical development story) as .357 Magnum and .38 Special. During the late 1920s, and in response to demands for a more effective law enforcement version of the cartridge, a new standard-velocity loading for the .38 Special was developed by Western Cartridge Company. However, .45 Colt cannot be used in any .45 ACP revolver. [19] At the same time, .38 tracer cartridges were reintroduced by the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force to provide a means of emergency signaling by downed aircrew. [20][21] The M41 ball cartridge was first used in .38 revolvers carried by USAF aircrew and Strategic Air Command security police, and by 1961 was in use by the U.S. Army for security police, dog handlers, and other personnel equipped with .38 Special caliber revolvers. First, by knowing what guns or calibers truly do allow for safe use of different calibers, and they are few, and exactly how that works. It is also widely used in revolvers purchased for civilian home defense or for concealed carry by individuals with a CCW permit. In this instance, a catastrophic malfunction will result. When police were still using revolvers, there was a .38 Spl +P+, which is loaded to the low end of ,357 mag pressure. Any chamber length can fire a shorter chamber length, but not longer as the bolt will not go into battery. It was about this time I bought my first magnum sixguns, namely a 4-5/8″ Ruger .357 Flat-Top Blackhawk and a 4″ Smith & Wesson .357 Highway Patrolman. The same is true for .308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm NATO and for the same reasons. A few specialty manufacturers' +P loads for this cartridge can attain even higher energies than that, especially when fired from longer barrels, produce energies in the range of the 9mm Parabellum. [20] Issued only by the U.S. Air Force, the PGU-12/B had a greatly increased maximum allowable pressure rating of 20,000 psi, sufficient to propel a 130-grain FMJ bullet at 1,125 ft/s (343 m/s) from a solid 6-inch (150 mm) test barrel, and about 950–980 ft/s from a 4-inch (100 mm) revolver barrel. The .38 Special was introduced in 1898 as an upgrade to the .38 Long Colt during the Philippine–American War. This goes for errors in ammunition safety as well as for any other lapse in gun safety practices. Know which your shotgun has, and buy and use ammunition accordingly. The projectile is seated with a bullet in the chamber. In 2004, Speer Bullets introduced the Gold Dot jacketed hollow-point .38 Special cartridge in an attempt to solve this very problem. That’s is because the Magnum comes at very high pressures. Due to its black-powder heritage, the .38 Special is a low-pressure cartridge, one of the lowest in common use today at 17,500 PSI. Unless you don't like having hands, don't do it. In May 1943, a new .38 Special cartridge with a 158 grains (10.2 g), full-steel-jacketed, copper flash-coated bullet meeting the requirements of the rules of land warfare was developed at Springfield Armory and adopted for the Smith & Wesson revolvers. 357 Mag max pressure is 35k psi so as you can see, you will never have a pressure problem when shooting the lower pressure 38 Special loads. In 1899, when S&W introduced its K-frame revolver with side-swing cylinder, the .38 S&W was a chambering option, as was its .38 S&W Special cartridge. The original .38 M41 ball cartridge used a 130-grain full-metal-jacketed bullet, and was loaded to an average pressure of only 13,000 pounds per square inch (90 MPa), giving a muzzle velocity of approximately 725 ft/s (221 m/s) from a 4-inch (100 mm) barrel. The .38 remains a valuable training, self-defense, and even hunting round. This was a ploy used by LE agencies to give them .357 performance while LEGALLY still using .38 Special ammo. Too small and the bullet won't engage the rifling. Or necked up, such as necking .30-06 up to .35 caliber, which is how the .35 Whelen was created. Capable to use variant incorporated a 200 grains chamber pressure 38 special 13 g ) round-nosed lead 'Lubaloy bullet... Functionality of this website in a catastrophic malfunction so the +P Load makes sense fires a bullet... 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