.38 Special

.38 Special (pronounced "Thirty-Eight Special") is a straight walled, rimmed, centre-fire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in a revolver, however automatic pistols also exist for this round. This was the round used in the service revolvers of many policemen from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Despite its name, its caliber is actually 0.357 inches. The .38 Special is identical to the .357 Magnum excepting that is has a shorter case. This allows the .38 Special round to be used in revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum

In Pop-culture

The term '.38 special' can refer to the music band .38 Special which used the name.

Synonyms

• .38 Smith & Wesson Special
• .38 S&W Special

See Also

• 9 mm caliber
• .357 Magnum
• List of handgun cartridges