.38 S&W
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| .38 Smith & Wesson | ||
|---|---|---|
 A box of WWII-dated .380" Revolver Mk IIz cartridges (and separate cartridges) |
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| Type | Pistol | |
| Place of origin |  United States |
|
| Production history | ||
| Designer | Smith & Wesson | |
| Designed | 1877 | |
| Manufacturer | Smith & Wesson | |
| Variants | .38/200 | |
| Specifications | ||
| Bullet diameter | .361 in (9.2 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .3855 in (9.79 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .3865 in (9.82 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .440 in (11.2 mm) | |
| Rim thickness | .055 in (1.4 mm) | |
| Case length | .775 in (19.7 mm) | |
| Overall length | 1.240 in (31.5 mm) | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 158 gr (10.2 g) L SWC | 767 ft/s (234 m/s) | 206 ft·lbf (279 J) |
| 195 gr (12.6 g) L RN | 653 ft/s (199 m/s) | 185 ft·lbf (251 J) |
| 200 gr (13 g) LRN | 620 ft/s (190 m/s) | 176 ft·lbf (239 J) |
The .38 S&W is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1877. Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Smith and Wesson Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger diameter of bullet.
The British military adopted a loading of this cartridge as the .38-200, with the "200" referring to the weight of the bullet in grains.
[edit] U.S. Variants
The .38 Colt New Police was Colt's Manufacturing Company's proprietary name for what was essentially the .38 S&W with a flat-nosed bullet.
The U.S. .38 S&W Super Police cartridge was nearly identical to the British .38/200 Mk I, using a 200 grain (13 g) lead alloy bullet with a muzzle velocity of 630 ft/s (189 m/s) and a muzzle energy of 176 ft·lbf (239 J), and was supplied by several U.S. manufacturers to the British government as equivalent to the Mk I loading.
The .38 S&W is also called the .380 Rim.
