A Brief History of .38 Special 

Thanks, 38 is one of my all time favorites! 👍

my fave guns are .38 snubbies, just classic badassery, my PDW is a S&W 638 & I feel 100% well armed with it.

50 years ago, in the early 70s, and further back, the STANDARD 38 special load, a 158 gr. bullet @ about 850 fps, is today considered a "+P" load. I used to handload the 38 with a 158 gr. Keith style SWC bullet ahead of 11.4 grains of 2400 powder. About 1100 fps out of my old 6" Smith Model 10 that was always with me out in the boonies rockhounding back in the day. Most modern 357 loads struggle to match that in a 3 incher. An old Smith 38/44 Model 20 in good condition has been on my bucket list since 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

Love .38 spcl

Very well put together.

New sub. I enjoyed & tweeted your .357 presentation as well as today’s .38 history. Like many Gen Xers I learned to shoot first with a Colt Python.357 running .38 loads and then moved on to 1911’s. Only “problem” is those efforts 30 years ago set me on a long journey with significantly greater proficiency running heavy, American manufactured handguns. Put a Glock, Sig or even most of the budget friendly Smith 9’s in my hands & my capabilities diminish to this day. Oh well. The older you get the more you realize if you can’t get ‘er done with 6-8 rounds you’re probably in deep 💩and would be better off with a 12 gauge. Lastly, were I serving in a capacity that required being seriously armed there is nothing else I’d rather have on my ankle, backing me up, than a .38 wheel gun. They are THE finish hammer of American handguns.

Outstanding informative video, ty AmmoMart!

Really enjoyed your video.i used to shoot nothing but semi auto pistols but now it's 38 revolver.great round and no more picking up brass.

Love this round ...out of 4 inch Barrell with Hornady Critical Defense rounds this is my nightstand gun and I sleep very well at night with this Combo!😊❤

Spent the morning loading the grandfather of this fine cartridge, the original .38 (short) Colt.

Good to finally see a video about the .38. .357 and .38 are my go to rounds.

Excellent tutorial about the .38! You are correct the .38 is still a viable option for CC people, I’ve been carrying a S&W M10 snub for the last 10 yrs. Many people say the .38 doesn’t have “stopping power” I say go stand down range and let me shoot you with it and tell me what you think!

my S&W k-38 masterpiece with an 8 inch barrel is probably my favorite pistol. Love the 38!

Thanks! Another great history! You did an excellent job putting this cartridge in perspective. Yes, there are many of these 38s out there ready to defend a home or business. I would love to know how many 38 rounds have been fired over the years.

Except for the .22 Short, which led to the .22 LR, being one of the most important cartridges historically, the .38 Special may be the cartridge of the 20th Century. It may qualify for the greatest handgun cartridge in history.

Lots of good information. Thanks for the video

Well done. This is an excellent presentation and history of the round. You let the statistics and performance and history speak for themselves. So tired of opinions, anecdotes and personal preference. I look forward to any and all of your presentations . !!

It's going to make a come-back, just wait. For all the reasons you gave, it's just about perfect. I like hard cast plus P rounds for lower 48 woods walking, in my GP100 4.2 inch, and regular .38 for regular duty. And, it's good to know I can use .357 mag if I need to.

Excellent video thank you I learned alot

Love my model ten

The .38 Super was a high velocity cartridge that came along before the .357 Mag, it is a devistating round itself. It is a semi-auto round, which means that it is fired from an assault weapon.(according to the Overlords in the federal government)

The Ruger SP101 3" was my first 357mag/38spl revolver I bought back in 2011 when ammunition for all calibers was dirt cheap. It was my CCW for a long time too I had it loaded with Winchester 110 grain JHP to reduce the risk of over penetration.

If you handload, you can make whatever you want for bullet weight, low ro high velocity, etc. I researched and made as close of a copy of the old FBI load. That one is my carry load. The expantion of the bulled in testing was outstanding. Those thinking the 38spl is dead are mistaken.

Thanks! I love this series one of the best!

Look forward to the ballistic tests👍!

Good,job

Good video. I love revolvers.

It’s actually 21.5 grain as stated in the UMC ammunition catalog back in the early 1900s.

.380 ACP is no joke either. Hell Europe for the most part depended on "less" the .32 ACP. Modern .380 ACP is a fine concealed carry cartridge.

seems to me I remember hearing or reading the name "special" was used to indicate that it could be loaded with either smokeless or black powder. The same with the .32 Winchester Special.

Original .38 special cases held slightly more powder than modern ones do. The original BP loading was 21 grains under a 158 gr lead bullet. In a modern cases expect 18-19 grains. Consensus seems to be to expect 800fps or so in a service revolver. A lighter bullet with a bit more powder should give a bit more velocity. Interestingly a .357 case will hold the original 21 grains. 21 grains of fffg in .357 cases might make for an interesting load for your Blackhawk or SAA.

when I was in USMC boot camp, our Senior told us the story of the Negritos', / Morros,,,, and the .38 led to the .45. Quite a story. Also, the bloody ditch, that some where thrown into, and then let go, so they would go back and tell of the pig's blood...etc. etc.

I "EDC" my grandfather's S&W "Chief's Airweight" (Model 637 in modern terms). I do NOT feel "undergunned"!

I like this.

I have a colt navy 38 D.A. chambered in 38 LC

Underwood Extreme and Ammo the like . Has renewed the 38spl Snubby. Great Ballistics. Sells fast. if you see the Ammo buy it.

The Bangsamoro actually predated the Spanish and Magellan in the Philippines. They remain a problem till this day

I think you misspoke about the 36 Navy, calling it an 1836 at one point. It's an 1851 Colt chambered in 36 caliber

I like my 38, think+p is overrated, I just use 158 gr FMJ in my snub nose knowing hollow points are velocity based. Found and old victory model S&w at a pawn shop, donated it to a museum it fired 38 s&w rounds, never considered running the round through a regular 38 special, it might have worked, do recall it being a bit of a tapered cartridge

You say that all the 38 short/longs etc can be shot in a 38 spl firearm. Am I wrong in thinking that the early heeled bullet was the diameter gf the case , .379, 2/100ths bigger than the 38spl bullet. Would it still be OK shot in a 38spl firearm without increasing pressure unduly ?

9mm is no match for a feral hog, .38 spl+p, however. Will absolutely stop a feral hog immediately.

Brother, I live in the Philippines and know a couple of "Moro" guys. Believe me, you don't want to meet and befriend them. Even if you befriend one by chance, be warned, they are known as "back-stabbers" even by local Filipinos. BTW, great video on the .38SPL, I love snubbies in this caliber. 🤩😊

Have a M2OO. 38. A Keeper

I always assumed it was called special because it could be loaded with either black powder or smokeless.

M200. 38. ❤

Id like to point out a huge mistake that most contemporary sources make. Even the original black powder load of .38 special was more powerful than today's so called "standard pressure" .38 special loads.... Im not shitting you, if you load 21 grains of swiss BP into a 38 spl cartridge into a 4"-6" revolver you'll get nearly 300 FPE which is almost modern 9x19mm (9mm) energy. By the 1920's most .38 special loads out of a service revolver were making roughly 350 FPE or so which is nearly identical to modern 9mm & sometimes even surpassing. In the 1930's to market to Lawmen who wanted more oonf, or Outdoorsmen who wanted more oonf but either couldnt obtain the .357 magnum or couldnt afford it several companies began making what was known as .38/44 special. Which were loads originally made by S&W for thier N-frame revolvers but quickly became used in Colt Police officials & even K-frame sized guns of recent & stronger manufacturing. One example of this load was a copper tipped penetrating load designed to defeat the heavier car doors of the time for Law enforcement. Keep in mind cars back then were much more "bullet resistant" This Load was an 158 gr alloy bullet that travelled 1,125 Feet per second making roughly 444 FPE. Making it hotter than most .45 ACP & right at the energy performance of most Law enforcement grade .40 S&W of today. Mind you, this was NOT the most powerful examples of .38 special, both historically & today. Buffalo bore makes a load that is +P that is roughly 512 FPE or so out of a 4" revolver. That is 10mm Auto energy. Mind you, this is / was not typical power. You CAN load .38 special today, as a handloader to be more MORE POWERFUL than 9mm WITHOUT going over pressure. The reason why most manufactuers that sell .38 special ammo are so underpowered (even +p+) is because they are cheaping out & using powders meant for shorter auto-loading cartridges like the 9mm or .40 that generate pressure much faster. As a result they physically cant reach velocity without creating a potential legal problem by violating the already low bar set by SAAMI in the 1970's