.38 Special is Really Special

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THIS perhaps ?

https://revolverguy.com/

Here is the link. Good article. One of the few original black powder cartridges to make a successful transition. Helped it was only so for short time at the end of the black powder era. Reminded me that cartridge evolution is more about the liability of the available revolvers at the time than the potential of the cartridge. For instance, the .38 S&W and .32 rounds could have easily been better performers if it were not for the low pressures of black powder they originated from and the frail ness of the revolvers in circulation.

Howdy

I took a non-shooter friend to the range a bunch of years ago. He asked me what was 'special' about 38 Special.

I replied, nothing, it was just a marketing term developed in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

Same with the 44 Special.

S&W always liked to point out that they developed the 38 Special and 44 Special cartridges.










Here is a photo of a S&W 38 M&P Hand Ejector, 1st Model. Also known as the model of 1899 for the year it was introduced. This is a very early one, it shipped in October of 1899. This is the revolver that was developed hand in hand with the 38 Special cartridge. Notice the lack of a latch under the barrel at the end of the extractor rod.This is a distinctive feature of this model, and makes one easy to identify.

I’ve only recently started loading and shooting 38 special but I have quickly become a big fan of it for my uses.
I like it for target shooting and small game. I really like that it uses literally haIf of the amount of lead and powder per shot as my big bore six guns.
i recently bought a 6” gp100 and I thought I would enjoy the 357 but for all that flash and noise I’d rather be shooting a 41 or 44. It is unlikely my gp100 will ever see more than the few hundred 357s I’ve got loaded up.
If I knew I was going to want to shoot 38 and 357 at a ratio of about 100:1 I probably would have went with a k frame smith and Wesson
Long story short, I love to shoot 38spl and have got plans to acquire a few more in that chambering.

I don't own a 38 special. I do like to shoot it in my 357's as a plinking load.

Barbaroja said:

If I knew I was going to want to shoot 38 and 357 at a ratio of about 100:1 I probably would have went with a k frame smith and Wesson
Long story short, I love to shoot 38spl and have got plans to acquire a few more in that chambering.

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So, just shoot .38's in your .357, and enjoy.

I have safe full of revolvers and semi-autos
And I have this on my side , loaded with 130gr HST

I like 38 Special and never found much use for 357 Magnum.

beag_nut said:

So, just shoot .38's in your .357, and enjoy.

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Oh I do, you can bet on that.Just came inside from taking a shot at a squirrel at 20 yds. I missed, but only by a small amount. Maybe next time.
My comment was more about the size of the gun being tailored for heavy 357 use vs a k frame smith model 19 for example. I think the k frame is a perfect size for 38spl.

I do love 38 Special
All I shoot in my revolvers is 38 Special
Interestingly I only shoot 357 Magnum in long guns*
IMO there is something special about that combination that I love
I'm an odd duck

*I have a couple of Coonans I shoot 357 in but they are more for fun

mcb said:

I like 38 Special and never found much use for 357 Magnum.

View attachment 1050867
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Very beautiful. May I ask what speedloader carrying pouch/apparatus is in the first photograph? I have been hunting for a good one.

MEHavey said:

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THIS perhaps ?

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Good article, I enjoyed that read!

Bill Jordan wrote that it was the most powerful round that the average man-i.e. most of us-could hope to master.

This is what makes it so Special.

As I write this I am sitting in church getting ready for the worship service to start. I am on the security team and I have a 4” barrel Model 10 police trade in on my hip. I do not feel under armed. I have used .38 Special wadcutters to kill small game. I enjoy shooting them at the range. They are great to handload and cast bullets for. I think the .38 is very special.

Yeah, the .38Spl/9mm are that 'just right' kind of thing; adequate power, and power that can be controlled.
A miss with a howitzer doesn't count.
Moon

halfmoonclip said:

Yeah, the .38Spl/9mm are that 'just right' kind of thing; adequate power, and power that can be controlled.
A miss with a howitzer doesn't count.
Moon

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I get what you're saying, but in reality a miss with a howitzer can and will kill you pretty dead. HE (High Explosive) payloads and fragmenting casings makes near misses nearly as effective as a direct hits.

Why is 38 Spl, special ?
Because it is highly effective with little fuss, especially when paired with a S&W M10 or similar revolver.
Started shooting this cartridge in mid 1960s from a S&W Victory model that my father had brought back from WW2.
Cast bullets and hand loaded them with a Lyman hand tool,
Powder measure was made from a cut down cartridge case soldered on a piece of brass braising rod - my father had made - used Herco powder as we had that from loading shot shells.
Then, as I became older I was an expert in everything - various magnum cartridges were much superior to 38 Spl.
I shot many magnums, every now and then would pick up a used M10, shoot it some - lots of game seemed to fall to these - then trade off for a new passion.
Now the magnums seem to be more idle in the cabinet as a couple years ago picked up a new Classic M10. MIM and hole aside, this is a very nice shooting firearm, developed a load it seems to especially like. Now it is my most common woods companion, that 38 Spl still seems pretty effective on vermin critters and game.
Hard to beat what really works!

They're not only "special" but cheap & easy to reload.

stonebuster said:

They're not only "special" but cheap & easy to reload.

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Economy of reloading is what got me interested in the 38spl. I’ve got other revolvers but the 41 and 44 each use about twice as much lead and powder per shot.
Another reason was light recoil. I’ve shot thousands of rounds through my blackhawks and love them to death, but if I want to be able to avoid arthritis in my hands getting out of control as I age,I decided it was a good idea to get something that didn’t leave my hands sore after a lot of shooting. So I got a 38 partly so I could shootmy 41 mag longer into old age.

Barbaroja said:

Oh I do, you can bet on that.Just came inside from taking a shot at a squirrel at 20 yds. I missed, but only by a small amount. Maybe next time.
My comment was more about the size of the gun being tailored for heavy 357 use vs a k frame smith model 19 for example. I think the k frame is a perfect size for 38spl.

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Agreed on the S&W 19, I may never shoot a .357 round out of mine.

stonebuster said:

They're not only "special" but cheap & easy to reload.

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Cool, what is the model # of the S&W in the upper left corner?