.38 Special

Overview

The .38 Special is a classic revolver cartridge with decades of tradition that is still used today for training, sport, and finishing shots. Its hallmark traits are pleasant recoil, good controllability, high accuracy at short distances, and broad availability across a wide range of loadings. The caliber is especially popular in revolvers for target shooting, as a field companion, and for everyday range use. It appeals to shooters looking for a proven, easily managed, and versatile revolver cartridge with strong everyday utility and a large selection of ammunition for training and practice.

Bullet Types & Ammunition Selection

The .38 Special is offered in several bullet types covering different uses. The notes below draw on the Sellier & Bellot line documented on the source page.

Non-Tox (Indoor / Clean-Range) Loads

Non-Tox variants use lead-free priming and non-toxic primers to minimize harmful emissions when fired, making them especially well suited to indoor ranges. Both Total Full Metal Jacket (TFMJ) loads with a fully jacketed lead core and soft-point (semi-jacketed) loads are available, each with a bullet weight of 10.2 g / 158 gr, a muzzle velocity of 266 m/s (873 fps), and a muzzle energy of 363 Joules (about 268 ft-lbs).

Target Shooting & Precision

For target shooting, wadcutter bullets are available; they punch clean, round holes and offer high accuracy. The full metal jacket flat-nose bullet (158 gr) with a tombac (gilding-metal) jacket avoids barrel leading and delivers reliable accuracy without expansion.

Defensive / Finishing Loads

For defensive or finishing use, the lead-free XRG Defense is built with a hollow-point bullet machined from solid copper. At 7.1 g / 110 gr bullet weight, 340 m/s (1,115 fps) muzzle velocity, and 419 Joules (about 309 ft-lbs) energy, it offers fast response, excellent expansion with nearly 100% weight retention, and pleasant shooting behavior.

Technical Data

All cartridges are manufactured from high-quality components on modern machinery. The ballistic coefficient (BC) of the standard bullets is approximately 0.052.

Load	Bullet Type	Weight	Muzzle Velocity	Muzzle Energy
Non-Tox TFMJ	Total full metal jacket	10.2 g / 158 gr	266 m/s (873 fps)	363 J (268 ft-lbs)
Non-Tox soft point	Semi-jacketed	10.2 g / 158 gr	266 m/s (873 fps)	363 J (268 ft-lbs)
XRG Defense	Lead-free solid-copper hollow point	7.1 g / 110 gr	340 m/s (1,115 fps)	419 J (309 ft-lbs)

Common bullet designs offered for the .38 Special include lead round nose (LRN), lead flat point, lead semi-wadcutter, lead wadcutter (LWC), full metal jacket (FMJ) and FMJ flat point, soft point and soft-point flat point (SJSP), jacketed hollow point (JHP), and lead-free copper bullets. Typical bullet weights range from about 6.5 g to 10.2 g (roughly 100 to 158 gr), with the 158-grain bullet being the most common.