Can someone tell me the significant differences between a .38 Special and other handguns??

Question

Though not interested in shooting animals, I come from a Hispanic family packed full of veterans and gun enthusiasts, and am personally still a firm believing in the right to bare arms and hate the idea of Uncle Sam telling ANY American(like my grandfather) that he must give up his guns.

My grandfather is in great health, but he is getting older and has started giving away plenty of his prized possessions; for me it was a bunch of things and included his old .38 Special revolver and his awesome WW2 era M1 Garand. The 38 special is very old, but practically new and has never even been fired. Though I am still not interested in hunting, I am now more interested in firearms and look forward to going out to the range soon.

My question is(and please keep in mind that I am someone who knows NOTHING about guns) could someone please tell me the differences between my 38 Special and other Handguns such as a .22, especially in terms of what is more POWERFUL that the other and how??

Answer 1

Sure thing. The .38 Special is a rimmed straight-walled revolver cartridge developed around 1902 by Smith and Wesson for use with smokeless powder. Its standard load delivers a 158 grain lead bullet at around 750 to 850 ft/sec. A modern standard-pressure defensive load will drive a 110 grain bullet to around 950 ft/sec. Compared to more modern handgun cartridges, like the 9mm Luger or .45 ACP it's fairly anemic (the 9mm drives a 115 grain bullet to 1200 ft/sec. The .45 ACP will push a 230 grain slug to 850 ft/sec.)

Compare this to a handgun chambered in .22LR, which delivers a (standard velocity) 40 grain lead bullet at 950 ft/sec. In order to evaluate a given load's power, a quick and dirty way to do this is to compute the round's kinetic energy. Doing so suggests a standard .38 Special load has something like 224 ft-lbs of KE. Compare this to a standard-velocity .22LR load from a pistol, which produces a mere 80 ft-lbs of KE. So from this, we can say the .38 Special is a fair bit more powerful than the .22LR.

A final note: Some .38 Special ammunition will be marked "+P" Do not shoot this stuff through your old-timer, it'll beat up the internals and turn your priceless heirloom into a paperweight. Stick with regular .38 Special ammunition only.

Answer 2

Wow! A Garand! Lucky you! Back to your question, the .38 Special is a medium bore revolver. It is much bigger than the .22 and .32 but smaller than the .44 and .45 (the other most common revolver calibers). The .38 is the same diameter as the .357 Magnum, but the .38 will only shoot .38s. That means .38 Special, not .38 Super, not .380, not .38-40, etc.

Now, you have stated that it is old but in like-new-conditions. Great. Stick with the standard velocity .38s if you plan to shoot it. Most likely it is NOT rated for the modern +P and +P+ (extra pressure) ammo. You've already mentioned that you're not interested in hunting. The .38 is not a hunting round, but it is a fair personal/home defense round with the proper ammo. Forget the old 'widow-maker' 158 grain lead ball so-called 'police special' round of the Sixties. That is a pathetic stopper resulting in policemen having to resort to 'double-tapping' because everyone knew one round would not suffice! Ask for a good non +P 110 to 125 grain hollow point round. Federal makes good personal defense ammo in this configuration.

Consider taking the gun safety course and going to a local range to get the feel of your .38 Special. Basic rules of safety: Treat every gun as if it were loaded; don't point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy; bullets shoot through a lot of dry-wall so be sure of your target & what's beyond. Consider applying for a concealed carry permit/license if you can where you live.

Good luck.

H

Answer 3

The main differences lie with the ammunition and the size of the hand gun. Hand guns are classified by caliber,22. 22magnum, 25 , 32,36, 38 , 9 mm, 10mm, 45 cal. . There are a few other odd calibers, built by caftsmen in the infantcy of development. but these are the main ones. I probably shouldn't have mention the 36 caliber.
There are also varrients in the calibers of the 22, 38, 9mm and 45cal.The 22 caliber has 4 sizes in ammo and 3 in the handgun: 22 short,22 lon, 22 long rifle, and 22magnum,. 38cal has 3 , reg , special and super, 9mm and 45 cal each have a couple.
Thepowder in the ammunition is what determines the speed of the bullet relative to the weight of the slug. The weight of the slug determines the impact power .. There are other factors that determine impact power such as shape, material construction , fluting of the barrel, etc.
Hope this gives you an idea of what you've got.
Don't you give up fighting to retain your right to own arms .

Answer 4

All of the above information you have gotten is pretty much on the mark.
On the barrel or frame of your .38 spl. should be the manufacturer's name. Do you have a Colt or Smith & Wesson? I have my father's old duty gun, a Smith & Wesson, Mdl 15, .38 spl. He carried that gun for 30 years. Your gun should also have a model number on it someplace. If a S&W, open the cylinder, and on the inside of the frame, where the cylinder pivots, should be a number. That will be the model number.
Value wise, the gun, if a common model, might only be worth two to three hundred dollars, but priceless as your grandfather's gun. The M1, on the other hand, could be worth quite a bit more, depending on its condition. But, again, this is your grandfather's legacy to you and priceless.
If you want to fire these guns, have them both checked out by a competent gunsmith. The old .38 may have never been fired but might have a few decades worth of gunk in the works, same with the M1. Have the gunsmith check them out and clean them for you. He should also be able to put you in touch with local gun clubs and hook you up with an experienced shooter.
Enjoy!!

Answer 5

Your .38SPL is one of the most successful revolver rounds ever made and was the backbone of law enforcement for most of the 20th century.
Why? Because it is so controllable and has decent accuracy. In terms of energy/power of the shell, .38SPL is the beginning of "major caliber" combat/target shells. You usually shoot a 150-158 grain weight slug 800-850 feet per second out of a 4" barrel. A 130 grain weight full metal jacket round goes about 900 feet per second. Now a 9mm will launch a 115-124gr slug out of the same length barrel of an automatic from 1175-1250 fps (depending on manufacturer). Your question would require a lot more time than what I have to answer in the best possible way. Your gun still uses somewhat economical ammunition, but revolver ammo has gotten more expensive due to mass volumes of 9mm/.40/.45 being made and the sheer cost of brass (revolver shells use more brass). You have a decent firearm. I love old .38s, even though I no longer have any.

Answer 6

38 Special was the standard police issue for most of the 20th century and a special favorite of target shooters. It's too much for hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels, where a 22 would be more appropriate, and not powerful enough for hunting game like hogs and deer, where something in 40+ caliber is needed.
If your revolver really is unfired, you should be aware that it may have some collector value that you'll lose by shooting it. On the other hand, I'd shoot and never sell my grandfather's firearms (I only have granddad's shotgun, and it's well-used and definitely NOT for sale). Also, there are +P cartridges for the 38 that you should avoid.

Answer 7

The higher the number the larger bullet. 22 is a small round, 38 and 357 are the same diameter but the 357 is longer. 45 and 44's are a large round. Generally speaking the 22 would be the least expensive to shoot. Ammo is cheap. The 38 would also be an inexpensive gun to shoot.

Answer 8

The 38 S&W is an older cartridge. The bullet's diameter is .361. The .38 Special has a diameter of .357 and a longer case. It's more powerful then the .38 S&W.

Answer 9

I am not going to answer the 38, instead I want to talk about the M1. First of all don't give it away or sell it. An original M1 Garand is very, very collectable. You should take it to a good gunsmith to be sure everything is in good shape and have it appraised. You could ask if there is any thig that you should do to it that would increase value. Sometimes not doing anything is worth more.