difference beween .38 rounds

[JLM Ranger]

What is the difference between .38 special, .38 super and .38 s&w rounds? I ask because a buddy gave me .38 s&w rounds for my .38 special, but the 38 s&w are shorter. Can the s&w rounds be fired thru my .38 special?

Jim

[Deadwood Dick]

Those are three distinctly different cartridges. The 38 S&W has a larger diameter case and will not chamber in a 38 special.

[M27]

it is the same thing as saying what it the difference between 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. 3 completely different rounds.

this is a some what common problem at LGS, people come in and people and now they have a 38 smith and wesson revolver and assume it shoots 38 S&W when it shoots 38 special

[JLM Ranger]

Thank you

[GeoffLinder]

Also, .38 sp and .38 S&W are rimmed revolver type cartridges. .38 super (or the souper as I call it) is a rimless semi-auto cartridge like 9mm and .45 ACP.

More info about the .38 S&W here: http://www.chuckhawks.com/forgotten_38SW.htm

The .38 super was originally developed in the early 1900's as the .38 ACP. A higher velocity version of the cartridge was introduced in the 30's to be used in a 1911 style semi-auto pistol chambered for it. It provided a flatter trajectory than .45 ACP and 2 extra rounds of magazine capacity. It was a favored cartridge of numerous lawmen and gangsters of that era for the extra mag capacity and high power factor it provided compared to standard .38 rounds of the time. It regained favor again in the 1980's in IPSC/USPSA competition for it's ability to be loaded to major power factor and the extra gas pressure it provided to drive a compensator system in comparison to the .45 ACP. 10 round mags became available and it soon dominated IPSC/USPSA Open Division. I have a single-stack 1911 comp gun built up for it in the late 80's and it is still one of my favorites to shoot even though I use a double-stack major 9mm pistol nowadays.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/the-super-38/

[sargenv]

I always read that the 38 super is a semi-rimmed case... 38 super comp is the rimless version of the 38 super (as are 38 TJ and a few other variants).. The old timey 38 supers head-spaced on this semi-rim, of course accuracy was horrible.. It wasn't until later in the life of the 1911 that they started head-spacing the 38 super on the case mouth like traditional semi-auto cartridges.

[GeoffLinder]

I always read that the 38 super is a semi-rimmed case... 38 super comp is the rimless version of the 38 super (as are 38 TJ and a few other variants).. The old timey 38 supers head-spaced on this semi-rim, of course accuracy was horrible.. It wasn't until later in the life of the 1911 that they started head-spacing the 38 super on the case mouth like traditional semi-auto cartridges.

Yeah, semi-rimmed, but I treat it as a rimless case. I don't really consider it a rimmed case because as you pointed out, all modern .38 "stupors" are chambered to headspace on the case mouth nowadays. The tiny bit of rim does cause some magazine finickiness though, so using good quality mags designed for the job is important. The Chip McCormick 10 rounders and Metalform 9 rounders work flawlessly for me.