Editing .38 Special (section)

== Overview ==
[[File:First model M&P revolver designed for the .38 Special cartridge.jpg|thumb|left|First model M&P revolver designed in 1899 for the .38 Special cartridge. This particular revolver left the factory in 1900.]]

The .38 Special was designed and entered production in 1898 as an improvement over the [[.38 Long Colt]] which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate [[stopping power]] against the charges of [[Moro people|Filipino Muslim]] warriors during the [[Philippine–American War]].<ref name="cotw">Barnes, Frank C. Ken Warner, editor. ''Cartridges of the World'', 6th Edition. Northbrook, Illinois: DBI Books, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-87349-033-7}}. The failure of the .38 Long Colt as a service cartridge caused the U.S. Army to insist on a [[.45 caliber|.45]] chambering for its 1907 pistol trials.</ref> Upon its introduction, the .38 Special was originally loaded with [[black powder]], but the cartridge's popularity caused manufacturers to offer [[smokeless powder]] loadings within a year of its introduction.

Despite its name, the [[caliber]] of the .38 Special cartridge is actually .357&nbsp;inches (36 caliber/9.07&nbsp;mm), with the ".38" referring to the approximate diameter of the loaded brass case. This came about because the original 38-caliber cartridge, the [[.38 Short Colt]], was designed for use in converted .36-caliber cap-and-ball [[Colt 1851 Navy Revolver|Navy revolvers]], which had untapered cylindrical firing chambers of approximately {{convert|0.374|in|mm|adj=on}} diameter that required [[heeled bullet]]s, the exposed portion of which was the same diameter as the cartridge case.

Except for case length, the .38 Special is identical to the .38 Short Colt, .38 Long Colt, and [[.357 Magnum]]. This nearly identical nature of the three rounds allows a .38 Special round to be safely fired in revolvers chambered for .357 Magnum. It also allows .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt rounds to be safely fired in revolvers chambered for .38 Special. Thus, the .38 Special round and revolvers chambered for it have a unique versatility. However, the longer and more powerful .357 Magnum cartridge will usually not chamber and fire in weapons rated specifically for .38 Special (e.g., all versions of the [[Smith & Wesson Model 10]]), which are not designed for the greatly increased pressure of the magnum rounds. Both .38 Special and .357 Magnum will chamber in [[Colt M1892|Colt New Army]] revolvers in .38 Long Colt due to their straight walled chambers, but this should not be done under any circumstances, due to dangerous pressure levels up to three times what the New Army is designed to withstand.