This might get a little confusing. A TRUE .38 caliber cartridge will be 38/100ths of an inch in diameter. HOWEVER, the cartridge CALLED the .38 Special is not quite that large- it is .357 inches in diameter, or 357/100ths of an inch- just over a third of an inch, or a little more than 9 millimeters.
The .380 caliber is typically a pistol cartridge, also known as 9mm Short or 9mm Kurz, while the .38 caliber is a revolver cartridge, usually referring to .38 Special or .38 S&W. The .380 cartridge is generally smaller in diameter and length compared to the .38 caliber cartridges.
Close, but no. A .38 Special fires a .357 inch diameter bullet, 9mm Parabellum fires a slightly smaller bullet, but with more force. The .38 is a rimmed revolver cartridge, and the 9mm is a rimless automatic pistol cartridge.
The term ".38 Special CTG" is an abbreviated way of saying .38 Special Cartridge. It is the caliber marking for a revolver that fires that cartridge. While it is NOW the most common .38 caliber cartridge, there are more than a dozen DIFFERENT .38 revolver catridges that were made at one time.
38 special is a full length 38 cartridge whereas a 38 S&W cartridge is also a 38 caliber but it has a shorter case.
Caliber is the diameter of the bore of a firearm. It's expressed in hundredths or thousandths of an inch, as in .45 caliber or .380 caliber. Curiously, the actual diameter of a .38 caliber slug is 0.357 inch.
Not really. The .38 usually refers to a rimmed revolver cartridge, such as .38 S&W, or .38 Special. The.380 is an automatic pistol cartridge, and much shorter.
No. The .38 Special cartridge can be fired in a .357 Magnum revolver - and only a revolver, which does not require chamber headspacing - but it doesn't work the other way around. The .357 Magnum cartridge is too long to fit into a .38 Special cylinder, and the .357 Sig cartridge is in no way compatible, either with the .357 Magnum or the .38 Special.
Depends- WHICH 38 caliber- and which cartridge. The .38 S&W is a relatively weak cartridge, but the .38 Special has been loaded to much higher energies. SOME .38 specials have more stopping power than SOME .380s. and vice versa. The .38 Super Auto has MUCH more power than the .380.
Click on the link below, then scroll down to the photo showing 3 cartridges. the 38-55 is the center cartridge.
That will depend on WHICH .38 caliber cartridge (thre are several) the length of the barrel (longer barrels= faster bullets) and the catridge itself. A very light target cartridge will be slower than a hot defensive cartridge. For a .38 Special revolver with a 4 inch barrel, velocity averages about 770 fps, but may range from 670-980 FPS.
Well, it's a .38 caliber, but the actual measurement is .355 of an inch.
Well, yes and no. Both the .357 Magnum and the earlier .38 Special catridge both use a bullet that is .357 inches in diameter. The .38 Special in not a TRUE .38 caliber cartridge.