The Below Information Has Been Provided From Our Gun Caliber Dictionary And Is Meant For Informational Purposes Only. It Is Not Intended to Describe The Unique Specifications For This Ammunition.
The 38 S&W (38 Smith & Wesson) was introduced as a blackpowder cartridge in 1877. Colt and S&W were already fierce competitors, each doing its own thing with its own cartridges. The 38 S&W thus uses a unique .361-inch bullet with a short .7752-inch case. Although no current handguns are so chambered the 38 S&W was extremely popular and ammunition is readily available. By today's standards it is a very mild cartridge, but its 200-grain load, though slow at 630 feet per second, remains a legendary personal defense round. A lighter 145-grain load at 685 fps is also manufactured. — Craig Boddington
