This is 38.25% more energy at the muzzle in favor of the 9mm. What's the difference between a .38 vs .38 Special? EAA Windicator .38 special snub-nose revolver. have been around for a while — they’ve probably been living under a rock for the last decade or so. .38 Special vs 9mm: Guns There’s an old misconception the.38 Special is ideal for novices. This gives the .38 Special a slight advantage over the .380 in terms of stopping power and speed. You can get compact 9mm pistols like the M&P Shield that carry more rounds (typical CCW revolvers carry five or six, the Shield carries 7+1 or 8+1, depending on the magazine) are easier to shoot (.38 Special in a snubbie is a little bracing) and are actually a little easier to carry. It’s an apples-to-oranges type of comparison — there’s no practical reason for it, so ultimately, it’s pointless. But still .38 Special is renowned for its accuracy. Ammunition in 9mm is available in bulk and has many variations than the ammunition for .38 Special. Video Okay, I know it depends on which type of gun and ammo. The .38 Special in a compact snub-nose carry gun is coming out of a barrel that’s usually less than two inches, where many small 9mm pistols have barrel lengths up to an inch longer for a gun of similar size. Most can agree, the .380 isn’t the top choice for concealed carry or self-defense. Traditionally, this has meant a hollow point projectile should top your list, however, the new spiral fluted projectiles from Black Hills and Inceptor ammunition accomplish … At the times of its introduction, the .38 Super is capable of piercing body armor and automobiles. the Luger pistol, which required high pressure cartridges to cycle) where, These days, there are a lot of modern bullet designs and a lot of different load data that even something as weak as a, This isn’t to say that looking at ballistics charts is pointless — if the only available ammo from my LGS are, By the same token, if all that’s left in my LGS are. .38 Porównanie specjalne i 9 mm. While there are, to be sure, plenty of reasons not to carry a snubbie revolver, they still have virtues. In the end it’s not a case of the .38 Special vs. .357 Magnum, rather it’s about which one makes sense at the time you need it. Whatever the perceived shortcomings might be when considering 38 vs 9mm, the.38 Special has a number of virtues that are all too often overlooked. The differences in ballistic performance are a result of each cartridge’s differences in design, all dictated by the type of powder each was originally developed to use and the shooting platform each was designed for. The 357 Magnum generally eclipses the 38+P loads by nearly double in terms of muzzle energy. 9mm Luger, znany również jako 9X19mm Parabellum, został zaprojektowany przez George'a Lugera i jest najpopularniejszym i najczęściej używanym … .380 cartridges are better if concealment is a top priority. .38 Special were popular among the US police and was used by the US Air force, Navy and the Marines. People often compare these two handgun calibers because of all the similarities mentioned above. The .38 Special was introduced in 1898 as an upgrade to the .38 Long Colt during the Philippine–American War. Origins of .38 Super vs. 9mm Colt introduced the .38 Super cartridge (left) 27 years after the 9mm (right) first made its appearance. A comparison of velocity of 9mm bullets with different weight and type: Accuracy of shooting is dependent more on the skill of the shooter than the cartridge or gun. I have always been a huge revolver fan, and still believe there is a place for a small or medium frame .38 Special. With that out of the way, let’s move on..38 Special Standard Revolver Caliber & 9mm Standard Semi-Auto Caliber To impr… .38 Special vs. .9mm: You are comparing apples & oranges, as the first is a revolver cartridge and the other is a pistol cartridge. I’d rather avoid opening a can of worms — these types of comparisons lead to debates that can get ugly real fast. NATO and others; Militaries, police, and self defense. On the other hand, the .38 Super is able to push the velocity to around 1,215 – 1,450 Feet Per Second. Black powder was the de facto standard bullet propellant as it had been around for ages and was a lot easier to manufacture compared to its newer contemporary. The rounds are shorter and less powerful, meaning the pistols that fire them can be smaller and easier to conceal than when using 9mm rounds. But during WWII to conserve lead, it was made using iron core jackets. This video compares the recoil of common handguns including the 22LR, .380 ACP, 9mm parabellum, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum and 38SPC. Because it was going to be used in not-yet-as-popular semi-auto pistol designs (e.g. A comparison of velocity of .38 Special bullets with different weight and type: A 9mm fires bullets with velocity ranging between 1200 and 1430 feet per second depending on the model. And I’m also a wheelgun guy so I’m a little biased toward revolver cartridges. Initially, .38 Special was introduced as powder cartridge and then was manufactured as smokeless powder loadings as a result of its popularity. .38mm Special offers low recoil when compared to the 9mm Luger. We could find many reasons to ONLY buy a .38 Special firearm. < >. All the ammunition used is standard pressure Seeing which is the 'better' pocket gun caliber, the .380 ACP, the .38 Special or the 9mm. A .38 Special bullet is also characterized by a longer case and thus, it is longer and heavier than the .380 ACP. It was introduced in 1902 by Smith & Wesson, and has since become a worldwide cartridge. A lot of firearms enthusiasts, including some self-confessed “gun experts”, quite often compare them on this area alone without regard for their merits and disadvantages. Reliability Both 9mm and .38 Super have a few minor feeding troubles. Yes the .38 Special would be … This isn’t to say that looking at ballistics charts is pointless — if the only available ammo from my LGS are full metal jackets for both calibers, assuming I could only buy a box of either, I would probably pick the .38 Special because it wouldn’t over-penetrate like the 9mm due to its lower velocity. Because it was going to be used in not-yet-as-popular semi-auto pistol designs (e.g. In a nutshell, both cartridges work similarly: they can both be considered older designs, they were both developed primarily for use in handguns, they use practically the same diameter bullets which punch holes that are pretty much the same size, and they’re both popular and available all over the world despite their age. Traditionally, this has meant a hollow point projectile should top your list, however, the new spiral fluted projectiles from Black Hills and Inceptor ammunition accomplish tissue disruption in a different way, and are good buys. 7 rounds of 9mm standard vs. 5 rounds of .38+P? .38 Special vs 9mm: Concealed Carry Overall, it’s difficult to argue that when it comes to concealed carry, for most modern shooters the 9mm edges out the .38 Special. I shot two cylinders’ worth (10 rounds) of standard pressure 147-grain Armscor brand ammo in it. Even the application of the cartridges is not exactly similar. 9 mm NATO, 9×19mm Parabellum +P, 9×19mm 7N21 +P+, 9×19mm 7N31 +P+. But if we all look deeper and think outside of the box, besides the numbers on ballistics charts accessible everywhere online, there’s more to this caliber comparison than most people would care to talk on, much less think about. .38+P comes close, but falls short, despite the test .38 special having an extra half inch of barrel(4″). In 1903 he presented 3 prototypes to the US Navy. Check out what we think as we do a side by side comparison of these two destined to be iconic guns. As for 9mm, I do enjoy shooting my custom Glock 17, and even though it's not small, it's still reasonably light. The heavier bullet has the potential to be more potent at causing damage to a target. But their popularity has declined due to the higher capacity and quicker reloading of semi-automatic pistols in the 9mm Parabellum, the .357 SIG, the .40 S&W, the .45 ACP, or the .45 GAP versions. .38 SPECIAL AND 9MM PRESSURE RATINGS For comparison, standard pressure.38 Special loads have a SAAMI specification of 17,000 psi while higher pressure.38 Special +P … Depends. The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .32 H&R Magnum vs .38 Special ammo rounds. These days, there are a lot of modern bullet designs and a lot of different load data that even something as weak as a .380 ACP can be as good of an equalizer as a .357 Magnum when it comes to self-defense even when the former can barely produce a quarter of the latter’s muzzle energy. Too close to call. By the same token, if all that’s left in my LGS are jacketed hollow points, I would pick the 9mm because it will have a better chance of expansion due to its higher velocity and muzzle energy. But what are the chances that my LGS would have such a limited supply of ammo? The velocity varies according to barrel length and type of gun. This gives the .38 Special a slight advantage over the .380 in terms of stopping power and speed. If your top priorities consist of range, trajectory and stopping power then go for .38 Super. I would always tell them to just look somewhere else to satisfy their caliber-wars curiosity because I couldn’t care less about these types of comparisons. I could tell she was not a shooter or even accustomed to guns, but the question came up. The best concealed carry gun holds plenty of ammo and shoots bullets that expand rapidly and penetrate deep Side by side on the table were several 38 Special revolvers by Smith & Wesson and Taurus with the same brands of pistols chambered for the “9mm Short” a.k.a. JimmyN, Jul 22, 2007 #18. But the fact of the matter is smokeless powder eventually replaced black powder as bullet propellant for a number of good reasons, among which: It burns cleaner (reducing fouling in barrels); It produces more heat due to its chemically bonded composition (which translates to more pressure); It burns faster in higher pressure environments (such as in a firearm’s chamber). .357 Magnum vs .38 Special comparison. Those days, the use of smokeless powder as bullet propellant was only starting to become popular. Chart can be 11 grains heavier than the standard 38 Special: which concealed carry purposes, there s! To.380 ACP offers low recoil when compared to other cartridges like.40 s & 342PD. 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