The main difference between .38 Special ammo and 9mm is that the 9mm operates at a significantly higher internal pressure to deliver superior velocity, greater kinetic energy, and much higher ammunition capacity in modern semi-automatic pistols, while the .38 Special is a lower-pressure rimmed cartridge designed exclusively for revolvers that offers supreme mechanical reliability, a milder recoil impulse in heavy frames, and the unique ability to fire heavy cast lead bullets without feeding issues. In this comprehensive, data-driven guide, we will compare velocity, muzzle energy, trajectory, bullet drop, wind drift, recoil, stopping power, penetration, expansion, accuracy, effective range, suppressor performance, short-barrel efficiency, home defense viability, hunting capability, ammunition cost, and overall availability to help you confidently decide which of these legendary cartridges is the right choice for your personal protection needs.
.38 Special vs 9mm Comparison Table
To accurately and objectively compare these two immensely popular personal defense cartridges, we must examine their physical dimensions, standard pressure limits, and baseline ballistic performance from typical defensive firearms. The data below represents standard premium factory loads designed for self-defense and training, comparing a standard pressure 130-grain full metal jacket for the .38 Special against a standard pressure 115-grain full metal jacket for the 9mm (9x19mm Parabellum). We will also look at premium defensive hollow point data in the detailed sections below.
| Specification | .38 Special | 9mm (9x19mm Parabellum) |
| Cartridge Type | Centerfire Revolver | Semi-Automatic Handgun |
| Parent Case | .38 Long Colt (1898) | None (Original Design, 1901) |
| Bullet Diameter | .357 inches (9.07 mm) | .355 inches (9.01 mm) |
| Case Length | 1.155 inches | 0.754 inches |
| Overall Length | 1.550 inches | 1.169 inches |
| Typical Bullet Weights | 110 grains to 158 grains | 115 grains to 147 grains |
| Muzzle Velocity (4-inch bbl) | 800 feet per second (130gr FMJ) | 1,180 feet per second (115gr FMJ) |
| Muzzle Energy (4-inch bbl) | 185 foot-pounds (130gr FMJ) | 356 foot-pounds (115gr FMJ) |
| Maximum Pressure | 17,000 psi (SAAMI Specification) | 35,000 psi (SAAMI Specification) |
| Maximum +P Pressure | 20,000 psi | 38,500 psi |
| Effective Range | 25 to 50 yards (Handgun) | 50 yards (Handgun) |
| Trajectory | Arced (Rainbow trajectory) | Flat |
| Bullet Drop (50 yds) | Approximately 4.0 inches | Approximately 2.0 inches |
| Wind Drift | High (Slow-moving bullet) | Moderate |
| Recoil | Very Mild (Rolling push in heavy guns) | Mild (Slightly snappier but manageable) |
| Barrel Length Performance | Excels in 4 to 6-inch barrels | Excels in 3 to 5-inch barrels |
| Suppressor Performance | Poor (Revolver cylinder gap leaks gas) | Elite (When using 147gr subsonic loads) |
| Short Barrel Performance | Massive velocity loss in snub noses | Excellent powder burn in micro-compacts |
| Carbine Performance | Excellent velocity gains in lever actions | Good velocity gains in blowback carbines |
| Accuracy | Extremely High (Mechanical advantage) | High (Reliant on semi-auto lockup) |
| Penetration | Moderate to Deep (Relies on mass) | Deep (Speed and bullet design) |
| Expansion | Marginal (Due to low velocity) | Devastating (Violent, rapid expansion) |
| Hunting Performance | Marginal (Small game, pest control) | Marginal (Small game only) |
| Home Defense | Good (Simple manual of arms) | Elite (High capacity, proven stopping power) |
| Tactical / Duty Use | Historical Police Standard (Obsolete) | Global Military and Police Standard |
| Magazine Compatibility | None (Uses 5 or 6-round cylinders) | Fits all 9mm double-stack magazines |
| Ammunition Cost | Moderate | Very Low |
| Ammo Availability | Good | Ubiquitous |
| Best Uses | Backup guns, woods carry, beginners | Concealed carry, home defense, duty use |
Understanding the Ballistic Data
The technical differences between these cartridges reflect two entirely different eras of firearms engineering and two different mechanical operating systems.
Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Special in 1898 to provide military and police forces with a more powerful cartridge than the anemic .38 Long Colt. Because it was originally designed during the transition period from black powder to modern smokeless powder, the brass case is very long and features a massive internal volume. To ensure that modern high-pressure smokeless ammunition does not blow up antique revolvers manufactured over a century ago, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) strictly limits standard .38 Special ammunition to a very low maximum pressure of 17,000 psi.
Austrian designer Georg Luger designed the 9x19mm Parabellum (commonly known as the 9mm or 9mm Luger) in 1901 specifically for his revolutionary semi-automatic toggle-locked pistol. Luger wanted a cartridge that was small enough to cycle reliably in a semi-automatic action but powerful enough to meet military standards. The 9mm uses a very short, rimless, tapered case and operates at a much higher modern pressure limit of 35,000 psi. This higher pressure allows the tiny cartridge to achieve lethal velocities despite its incredibly small powder capacity.
Velocity Comparison
Velocity dictates how reliably a hollow point bullet forces its cavity open upon entering fluid soft tissue.
When examining standard premium factory loads fired from typical four-inch barrels, the 9mm possesses a clear and undeniable velocity advantage. Federal Premium loads their standard 115-grain American Eagle full metal jacket (FMJ) to approximately 1,180 feet per second. Conversely, Federal loads their 130-grain FMJ for the .38 Special to roughly 800 feet per second when fired from a standard length barrel.
If we look at premium defensive hollow points, the gap remains consistent. A Speer Gold Dot 124-grain 9mm jacketed hollow point (JHP) travels at 1,150 feet per second. A Speer Gold Dot 125-grain .38 Special Plus P (overpressure) JHP travels at only 945 feet per second.
The 9mm achieves higher velocity because it operates at more than double the internal chamber pressure. The bullet faces less resistance moving down the barrel, allowing the rapidly expanding gases to accelerate it past the 1,100 feet per second threshold. The .38 Special must overcome the inertia of a massive 130-grain or 158-grain bullet while operating at a much lower pressure, which naturally restricts its maximum speed.
Winner: 9mm
Muzzle Energy Comparison
Muzzle energy measures the absolute kinetic force transferred to the target upon impact. It provides a mathematical representation of raw power.
Because the mathematical formula for kinetic energy heavily favors velocity over mass, the 9mm drastically outperforms the .38 Special. The 115-grain 9mm bullet traveling at 1,180 feet per second generates exactly 356 foot-pounds of energy. The 130-grain .38 Special bullet traveling at 800 feet per second generates only 185 foot-pounds of energy.
Therefore, on paper, standard pressure 9mm ammunition delivers nearly double the kinetic energy of standard pressure .38 Special ammunition. Even when you upgrade to high-pressure .38 Special +P loads (which generate roughly 248 foot-pounds of energy), it still falls over 100 foot-pounds short of a standard 9mm defensive load.
Winner: 9mm
Trajectory Comparison
A flat trajectory ensures the bullet’s point of impact matches the point of aim without requiring the shooter to calculate vertical drop at extended distances.
Both cartridges are incredibly slow compared to modern centerfire rifle calibers, meaning gravity affects their flight paths significantly over distance. However, because the 9mm launches its bullet nearly 350 feet per second faster than the .38 Special, it shoots a noticeably flatter trajectory. The bullet reaches the target much faster, giving gravity less time to pull the projectile toward the earth.
In practical self-defense scenarios, trajectory is completely irrelevant. Defensive handgun engagements overwhelmingly occur inside of seven yards. At seven yards, the trajectory of both cartridges is perfectly straight, and the bullet will strike exactly where the front sight is placed.
Winner: 9mm
Bullet Drop Comparison
Assuming a standard 25-yard zero for both handguns, the mathematical bullet drop at extended distances illustrates the trajectory difference between the light, fast 9mm and the heavy, slow .38 Special.
At 50 yards, a standard 115-grain 9mm bullet will drop approximately 2.0 inches. At the same distance of 50 yards, a standard 130-grain .38 Special bullet will drop approximately 4.0 inches.
If pushed to 100 yards, the slow-moving .38 Special drops a full 24 inches, making it very difficult to place accurate shots on small targets without significant vertical holdover. The 9mm drops significantly less (around 14.5 inches at 100 yards), making it a much more viable cartridge for taking longer shots if a highly skilled marksman is forced to do so.
Winner: 9mm
Wind Drift Comparison
Wind deflection is mitigated by a bullet’s velocity and its aerodynamic efficiency (known as the ballistic coefficient).
Handgun bullets are short and blunt, giving them terrible aerodynamic profiles compared to sleek rifle bullets. Because the 9mm reaches the target much faster than the .38 Special, the wind has significantly less time to push the bullet off course. At 50 yards in a heavy 10 mph crosswind, the 9mm will drift noticeably less than the slow-moving revolver round.
Winner: 9mm
Recoil Comparison
Recoil directly dictates a shooter’s ability to fire rapid and accurate follow-up shots under the extreme physiological stress of a defensive encounter.
Comparing the recoil of these two cartridges is complicated because recoil is heavily dependent on the mechanical design and weight of the firearm itself.
The 9mm generates a mild, slightly snappy recoil impulse. However, in a modern full-size polymer pistol (like a Glock 17 or Smith & Wesson M&P), the heavy recoil spring and the reciprocating slide mechanism absorb a massive amount of this rearward force. The mechanical action delays and spreads out the recoil impulse, making it incredibly easy to shoot fast strings of fire accurately.
The .38 Special operates exclusively in revolvers (or lever-action rifles), which means there is no reciprocating slide to absorb any recoil energy. Every ounce of force transfers directly into the grip of the gun. When fired from a heavy, all-steel 4-inch revolver (like a Ruger GP100), the .38 Special produces a very gentle, rolling push. It is arguably the most pleasant centerfire handgun cartridge in the world to shoot in a heavy gun. However, the most popular .38 Special carry guns are ultra-lightweight aluminum snub-nose revolvers weighing a mere 15 ounces (like the Smith & Wesson 642). Firing a .38 Special from an aluminum snub-nose generates a very sharp, stinging recoil impulse that many novice shooters find highly uncomfortable.
Winner: Tie (Platform Dependent)
Stopping Power Comparison
Stopping power against a human threat requires a combination of adequate penetration, rapid energy transfer, and wide bullet expansion to cause rapid blood loss and disrupt the central nervous system.
The 9mm is the undisputed king of modern defensive stopping power. Decades of intensive projectile engineering driven by FBI testing protocols have resulted in 9mm hollow points that expand violently and dump all their energy instantly upon impact. Loads like the Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot in 9mm are trusted by law enforcement agencies globally.
The .38 Special struggles in this department when using standard pressure ammunition. Because it travels so slowly (often under 800 feet per second out of short barrels), many hollow points fail to open when they hit heavy winter clothing or dense tissue. When a .38 Special hollow point fails to expand, it acts exactly like a full metal jacket bullet, passing straight through the target and causing minimal tissue damage. To achieve reliable stopping power with a .38 Special, shooters must rely on specialized +P ammunition or heavy, flat-nosed lead semi-wadcutter bullets that crush tissue through sheer mass.
Winner: 9mm
Penetration Comparison
Penetration is the absolute most critical metric for any defensive handgun cartridge. The Federal Bureau of Investigation mandates that a defensive bullet must penetrate a minimum of 12 inches into calibrated ballistic gelatin, and no more than 18 inches, to ensure it can reach vital organs from any angle without exiting the target and endangering bystanders.
Both cartridges consistently meet this strict FBI protocol when using high-quality ammunition. The 9mm relies on modern bonded copper jackets to retain its weight as it punches through tissue at high velocities. The .38 Special relies on the heavy mass of its 130-grain to 158-grain cast lead bullets to maintain forward momentum and push deeply into the target, even after striking heavy bone.
Winner: Tie
Expansion Comparison
To accurately test bullet expansion, the ballistics industry relies on calibrated 10 percent ordinance gel covered in heavy clothing protocols (such as denim and fleece).
A premium 9mm hollow point starts at .355 inches in diameter. When it hits tissue at 1,150 feet per second, the fluid pressure forces the copper jacket to peel back, violently mushrooming the bullet to over .60 inches.
A .38 Special hollow point starts at .357 inches in diameter. Because it is traveling slowly, it often fails to open completely. The fluid pressure at 800 feet per second is simply not strong enough to force the lead core to expand reliably. To guarantee expansion from a .38 Special, shooters must typically purchase specialized +P overpressure ammunition or specific “short-barrel” loads designed with massive, deeply scored hollow cavities.
Winner: 9mm
Accuracy Comparison
Both cartridges are capable of elite mechanical accuracy, but practical accuracy in the hands of a human shooter differs drastically based on the trigger systems of the firearms.
Many competitive bullseye shooters actually prefer the .38 Special. When fired from a high-quality revolver in single-action mode (where the hammer is manually cocked back before firing), the fixed barrel of the revolver and the crisp, ultra-light trigger pull often result in slightly tighter groups on paper than a semi-automatic 9mm pistol, which utilizes a tilting barrel mechanism.
However, in a defensive scenario, revolvers must be fired in double-action mode. A double-action trigger pull requires the shooter’s finger to physically rotate the heavy steel cylinder and cock the hammer back before the gun fires. This results in a very long, heavy trigger pull weighing between 10 and 14 pounds. Pulling a 12-pound trigger on a firearm that only weighs 15 ounces requires immense grip strength and perfect trigger control to prevent the muzzle from dipping downward. The striker-fired trigger of a modern 9mm pistol (usually weighing around 5 pounds) is vastly easier for the average shooter to master.
Winner: .38 Special (Mechanical Accuracy) / 9mm (Practical Accuracy)
Effective Range Comparison
The effective range of a concealed carry handgun is severely limited by its short sight radius, heavy trigger pull, and rapidly decreasing bullet energy.
Because the standard .38 Special drops like a rock past 50 yards and bleeds its already low velocity quickly, its practical effective defensive range is generally limited to 25 to 50 yards. The 9mm shoots flat enough and retains enough kinetic energy to be highly effective out to 50 or 75 yards in the hands of a skilled marksman.
Winner: 9mm
Suppressor Performance Comparison
Suppressing a personal defense weapon helps protect the shooter’s hearing in the confined spaces of a hallway or bedroom, but these cartridges perform very differently with silencers.
The 9mm is one of the absolute best suppressor hosts in the world. When loaded with heavy 147-grain bullets, the 9mm travels at roughly 990 feet per second, keeping it naturally subsonic (below the speed of sound, which is 1,125 fps). A suppressed 9mm pistol eliminates the muzzle blast and completely removes the supersonic acoustic crack.
Suppressing a revolver is almost entirely ineffective due to the “cylinder gap.” This is the small physical space between the front of the rotating cylinder and the rear of the barrel. When a .38 Special cartridge fires, high-pressure gases and a deafening acoustic pop escape through this cylinder gap before the sound ever reaches the silencer attached to the muzzle.
Winner: 9mm
Short Barrel Performance Comparison
Modern concealed carry requires highly concealable firearms, meaning barrels are frequently chopped down to microscopic lengths (like 1.8 inches on a snub-nose revolver or 3.0 inches on a micro-compact 9mm pistol).
The .38 Special suffers catastrophic performance degradation in short barrels. The cartridge case is very long and contains a large powder charge intended for 4-inch or 6-inch barrels. When fired from a 1.8-inch snub-nose revolver, the bullet exits the muzzle before the powder has time to fully combust. This unburnt powder creates a blinding muzzle flash and a deafening roar, and the bullet loses massive amounts of velocity. A 125-grain .38 Special hollow point often leaves a snub-nose barrel traveling well under 800 feet per second, completely ruining its ability to expand.
The 9mm uses extremely fast-burning pistol powders. Modern micro-compact 9mm pistols with 3.0-inch barrels still routinely push 115-grain bullets past 1,050 feet per second. The 9mm retains its lethal velocity and expansion capabilities much better in small, concealable packages.
Winner: 9mm
Home Defense Comparison
Inside the home, a defender must balance stopping power against ammunition capacity, weapon control, and ease of use under panic.
A 9mm pistol is the gold standard for home defense. A full-size 9mm pistol holds 15 to 17 rounds, accommodates a weapon-mounted flashlight effortlessly, and provides devastating terminal ballistics with minimal recoil.
The .38 Special revolver holds only 5 or 6 rounds and is very slow to reload under stress using speed loaders. Furthermore, attaching a flashlight to a traditional revolver is nearly impossible. However, revolvers offer supreme simplicity. There are no safety levers to disengage, no slides to rack, and no magazines to fail. You simply pick it up and pull the trigger. This makes the .38 Special an excellent choice for absolute beginners, but the massive advantage in ammunition capacity and stopping power makes the 9mm the clear winner for defending a home.
Winner: 9mm
Hunting Comparison
Neither of these standard cartridges is highly recommended for hunting medium game like deer or feral hogs. They simply lack the kinetic energy and flat trajectory required for ethical, deep-penetrating harvests on large animals.
However, both can be used for pest control or dispatching small game at close ranges. The .38 Special is highly favored for this role when loaded with flat-nosed “wadcutter” bullets or snake-shot cartridges. When fired from a lever-action rifle, the .38 Special actually gains hundreds of feet per second in velocity, transforming it into a fantastic, low-recoil small game hunting tool. True hunting, however, requires magnum revolvers or dedicated rifle cartridges.
Winner: Tie
Tactical / Duty Use Comparison
The .38 Special was the undisputed king of American law enforcement from the 1920s through the late 1980s. Every major police department issued heavy 4-inch .38 Special revolvers to their patrol officers. It proved its tactical worth in countless gunfights over the decades.
Today, the .38 Special is tactically obsolete for primary duty use. The 9mm has completely replaced it in military and police holsters globally. The 9mm offers triple the ammunition capacity, vastly faster reload times, and superior terminal ballistics. The only modern tactical use for the .38 Special is as a secondary, deep-concealment backup weapon strapped to an officer’s ankle.
Winner: 9mm
Magazine Capacity and Platform Comparison
The physical dimensions of these cartridges dictate the types of firearms that can chamber them, which directly affects ammunition capacity.
Revolver cylinders are strictly limited by the physical diameter of the cartridges they hold. A standard small-frame carry revolver only has enough steel to safely hold 5 rounds of .38 Special.
A modern micro-compact 9mm pistol (like the SIG Sauer P365 or Springfield Hellcat) of the exact same physical size and weight holds 10 to 12 rounds of ammunition in the magazine. Gaining double the ammunition capacity in a highly concealable firearm is a massive tactical advantage. Furthermore, reloading a semi-automatic pistol with a fresh magazine is significantly faster and requires less fine motor coordination than aligning a speed loader with a revolver cylinder.
Winner: 9mm
Ammo Cost Comparison
To become proficient with a defensive handgun, you must practice frequently and build muscle memory.
The 9mm is the cheapest centerfire pistol ammunition available today. Commercial 115-grain practice ammunition is mass-produced by the billions globally, making it incredibly affordable for high-volume training.
The .38 Special is significantly more expensive. Because the brass case is larger and the bullet contains more raw lead material, standard practice ammunition is typically priced at a premium, often costing 30 to 50 percent more than a comparable box of 9mm target loads.
Winner: 9mm
Ammo Availability Comparison
Availability ensures you can always feed your defensive weapon during times of supply chain disruption.
Walk into any sporting goods store, rural hardware store, or indoor shooting range in the world, and you will find both 9mm and .38 Special ammunition sitting on the shelf. They are two of the most universally available pistol cartridges in existence. Ammunition manufacturers dedicate massive production lines to both calibers year-round.
Winner: Tie
Reloading Comparison
Both cartridges are absolute favorites in the handloading community, but the revolver cartridge is vastly superior for beginners to learn on.
The 9mm is cheap to reload, but the tiny case capacity and high operating pressure mean reloaders must be extremely careful not to overcharge the case. A variation of just one or two grains of powder can cause dangerous pressure spikes.
The .38 Special is arguably the easiest and most enjoyable cartridge in the world to reload. It is a large, straight-walled cartridge that operates at very low pressures. The massive internal case capacity allows for large variations in powder charges without dangerously spiking the chamber pressure. The rimmed case extracts perfectly every time from sizing dies, and you can easily cast your own heavy lead bullets at home to save money.
Winner: .38 Special
Pros and Cons
.38 Special
Pros
- Incredibly mild recoil in medium and full-size steel revolvers.
- Supreme mechanical reliability with absolutely zero feeding issues.
- Can fire specialized heavy cast lead bullets safely.
- Simple manual of arms makes it perfect for absolute beginners.
- One of the easiest and safest cartridges to reload at home.
Cons
- Terrible velocity loss when fired from short snub-nose barrels.
- Low kinetic energy frequently causes hollow points to fail to expand.
- Limited to only 5 or 6 rounds in standard cylinders.
- Long, heavy double-action trigger pulls degrade practical accuracy.
- Ammunition is significantly more expensive than 9mm.
9mm (9x19mm Parabellum)
Pros
- Unmatched combination of high magazine capacity and stopping power.
- Elite terminal ballistics with modern hollow point ammunition.
- Ammunition is universally available and incredibly cheap.
- Fast-burning powder makes it highly efficient in micro-compact pistols.
- Excellent suppressor host when using heavy subsonic ammunition.
Cons
- Requires magazines, which can fail or cause feeding malfunctions.
- Rackable slide can be difficult for shooters with weak grip strength.
- High operating pressure causes snappier recoil in tiny pocket pistols.
- Semi-automatics can jam if “limp-wristed” by inexperienced shooters.
Final Verdict
Choosing between the .38 Special and the 9mm comes down to balancing modern ballistic engineering against mechanical simplicity.
- For Concealed Carry and Home Defense: Choose the 9mm. It offers double the ammunition capacity, superior velocity, and highly reliable hollow point expansion in firearms that are the exact same size and weight as 5-shot revolvers.
- For Absolute Beginners: Choose the .38 Special. A medium-frame revolver loaded with standard pressure .38 Special offers practically zero recoil and requires no training on how to clear malfunction jams or rack a heavy slide. You simply point and pull the heavy trigger.
- For High-Volume Training: Choose the 9mm. The incredibly low cost of factory 9mm ammunition will save you hundreds of dollars in training costs over the lifespan of the firearm.
- For Woods Carry and Reliability: Choose the .38 Special. A revolver can be fired repeatedly from inside a coat pocket without jamming, and it can safely fire heavy hard-cast lead bullets that would cause severe feeding issues in a semi-automatic pistol.
- For Suppressed Shooting: Choose the 9mm. A semi-automatic 9mm loaded with 147-grain subsonic ammunition is infinitely quieter than a revolver leaking high-pressure gas from its cylinder gap.
FAQs
Is the 9mm more powerful than the .38 Special?
Yes. The 9mm operates at 35,000 psi, while the standard .38 Special operates at only 17,000 psi. This higher pressure allows the 9mm to drive bullets at much higher velocities, generating nearly double the kinetic energy of a standard pressure .38 Special load (roughly 350 foot-pounds compared to 185 foot-pounds).
Can a .357 Magnum shoot .38 Special ammunition?
Yes. The .357 Magnum cartridge case is simply a .38 Special case that was lengthened slightly (by exactly 0.135 inches) to hold more powder. Therefore, every .357 Magnum revolver can safely chamber and fire shorter, lower-pressure .38 Special ammunition for cheap, low-recoil practice. You cannot, however, fire a .357 Magnum in a .38 Special revolver.
Why do people still carry .38 Special revolvers?
People carry .38 Special revolvers primarily for their supreme mechanical reliability and simplicity. Revolvers do not suffer from “failure to feed” malfunctions, they can be pressed directly against an attacker in close quarters without being pushed out of battery (which disables semi-automatics), and they are very easy to operate under extreme panic.
Does the 9mm kick harder than the .38 Special?
In firearms of similar size and weight, the 9mm generally produces a slightly snappier recoil impulse because it operates at a much higher internal pressure. However, the recoil springs and reciprocating slide in a 9mm pistol absorb a massive amount of this force, making both cartridges very manageable for the average shooter.
Are 9mm revolvers a good idea?
Yes, many companies manufacture revolvers chambered in 9mm (such as the Ruger LCR 9mm). Because the 9mm is a rimless cartridge designed for semi-automatics, these revolvers require “moon clips” to hold the ammunition securely in the cylinder. They offer the reliability of a revolver combined with the cheap ammunition cost and high velocity of the 9mm cartridge.
Which is better for a pocket gun?
The 9mm is ballistically superior in a pocket gun because it uses fast-burning powder that retains high velocity in short barrels. A 1.8-inch .38 Special snub-nose loses so much velocity that hollow points frequently fail to expand, whereas a 3-inch micro 9mm still provides excellent terminal performance and carries twice as much ammunition.
What does +P mean in .38 Special ammunition?
The “+P” designation stands for “Overpressure.” It indicates that the ammunition is loaded to a higher internal pressure (20,000 psi) than standard .38 Special ammunition (17,000 psi). This provides higher velocity and better expansion, but +P ammunition should only be fired in modern revolvers specifically rated by the manufacturer to handle the increased stress.
Will a .38 Special stop a bear?
No. The .38 Special lacks the kinetic energy, sectional density, and deep penetration required to reliably crush the thick skull or heavy shoulder bones of a large charging bear. While it is better than nothing, a heavy magnum revolver cartridge (like a .44 Magnum or .357 Magnum) is universally recommended for bear defense.
Is the .38 Special the same as a .380 Auto?
No. The .38 Special is a long, rimmed cartridge designed for revolvers. The .380 Auto (also known as 9x17mm or .380 ACP) is a very short, rimless cartridge designed for tiny semi-automatic pocket pistols. They are completely different cartridges and cannot be fired in the same firearms.
How loud is a .38 Special compared to a 9mm?
Both cartridges are loud enough to cause immediate and permanent hearing damage if fired indoors without ear protection. However, standard pressure .38 Special ammunition is generally slightly quieter than 9mm ammunition because it operates at less than half the chamber pressure, resulting in a less violent supersonic blast.