.38 caliber is a frequently used name for the
caliber of
firearms and
firearm cartridges.
The .38 is considered a large firearm cartridge; anything larger than .32 is considered a large caliber.
[Wright, James D.; Rossi, Peter H.; Daly, Kathleen. (1983) ''Under the Gun: Weapons, Crime and Violence in America'' Hawthorne, New York: Aldine de Gruyter. .] Before 1990, the standard sidearms of police in the United States were revolvers that fired the
.38 Special
The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & ...
cartridge, seconded by revolvers firing the
.357 Magnum
The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...
, a lengthened version of the .38 Special.
Handgun cartridge table
:
See also
*
9 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges that have bullets in the to caliber range.
*''Case length'' refers to the round case length.
*''OAL'' refers to the overall length of the loaded round.
All measurements are given in millimeters, followed ...
*
38 (disambiguation)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:38
Pistol and rifle cartridges