The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - What's the difference-.38 vs .38 special?

stevieboy · October 7, 2011, 05:52 PM

This thread is giving me a headache because it is making something very simple seem to be very complicated.

The bottom line is this: I'm not aware that any of the major manufacturers of revolvers currently produce a ".38" that is chambered for anything other than .38 Special. I'm guessing here, but it's probably been five or six decades or more since Smith manufactured a handgun chambered in .38 S & W and I'm not certain that Ruger, Taurus, or Rossi ever made a gun chambered in that caliber.

I also think that nearly all of the currently manufactured ".38's" will handle .38+Ps but its pretty easy to check that out with the manufacturer of the particular gun.

So, if you have a new or recently manufactured handgun that's a ".38" Special you can confidently assume that it will handle .38 Special and it's reasonably likely that it will also handle .38 Special + P ammunition.

Furthermore, .38 S & W ammunition, as opposed to .38 Special is not that easy to find. I suspect that most stores that sell ammunition over the counter don't stock it, it's a specialty item. I've never seen it in WalMart, that's for sure.

October 7, 2011, 05:52 PM	#26
stevieboy Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2008 Posts: 1,695	This thread is giving me a headache because it is making something very simple seem to be very complicated. The bottom line is this: I'm not aware that any of the major manufacturers of revolvers currently produce a ".38" that is chambered for anything other than .38 Special. I'm guessing here, but it's probably been five or six decades or more since Smith manufactured a handgun chambered in .38 S & W and I'm not certain that Ruger, Taurus, or Rossi ever made a gun chambered in that caliber. I also think that nearly all of the currently manufactured ".38's" will handle .38+Ps but its pretty easy to check that out with the manufacturer of the particular gun. So, if you have a new or recently manufactured handgun that's a ".38" Special you can confidently assume that it will handle .38 Special and it's reasonably likely that it will also handle .38 Special + P ammunition. Furthermore, .38 S & W ammunition, as opposed to .38 Special is not that easy to find. I suspect that most stores that sell ammunition over the counter don't stock it, it's a specialty item. I've never seen it in WalMart, that's for sure.