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Just curious, but if the .38 Special IS so special, WHY have the vast majority of police departments left not only the .38 Sprcial, but the 9MM (which is also .38 caliber) for the .40 S&W?
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Neither bullet is .38". The .38 uses a .357" bullet, and the 9mm uses a .355" bullet.
The switchover was due to many factors, and wasn't an outright repudiation of the merits of the .38.
First off, officers don't shoot as well as they used to, and the "solution" was a gun that held more rounds.
Second, the Glock pistols and their ilk are lighter than service revolvers.
Third, the FBI was involved in a botched shootout in which the 9mm was deemed inadequate against homicidal former Rangers with .223 rifles. The bullet that "failed" actually performed quite well, but they chose to blame hardware in the aftermath, so they went with the 10mm.
That didn't work out, so they drained a bunch of powder out, made a smaller cartridge, and the .40 S&W was the resulting compromise.