Editing .38 Special (section)

== History ==
The .38 Special was designed and produced in 1898 to be a higher-velocity round, with better penetration properties than the .38 Long Colt that was in government service in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War. The .38 Long Colt revolver round would not penetrate the shields of the insurgent Philippine Moro warriors, and the government contracted with Smith & Wesson for a new revolver round. The .38 Special held a minimum of 21 grains of black powder, 3 grains more than the then-current .38 Long Colt, and muzzle velocity (with a 158 grain bullet) was 100–150 feet per second greater.

During the late 1920s, in response to demands for a more effective law-enforcement version of the cartridge, a new standard-velocity loading for the .38 Special was developed by [[Western Cartridge Company]]. This .38 Special variant, which incorporated a {{convert|200|gr}} round-nosed lead 'Lubaloy' bullet, was named the .38 Super Police.<ref>Sharpe, Phil, ''The New Smith & Wesson Heavy Duty .38'', The American Rifleman, November 1931</ref> [[Peters Cartridge Company|Remington-Peters]] also introduced a similar loading.  Testing revealed that the longer, heavier {{convert|200|gr|adj=on}} .357-calibre bullet fired at low velocity tended to 'keyhole' or tumble upon impact, providing more shock effect against unprotected personnel.<ref>Sharpe, Phil, ''The New Smith & Wesson Heavy Duty .38'', The American Rifleman, November 1931: "..the destruction of this load was terrific... Every shot showed evidence of key-holing after the first half of the penetration had been accomplished."</ref> At the same time, authorities in Great Britain, who had decided to adopt the .38 caliber revolver as a replacement for their existing .455 service cartridge, also tested the same {{convert|200|gr|1|adj=on}} bullet in the smaller [[.38 S&W]] cartridge.  This cartridge was called the .38 S&W Super Police or the [[.38/200|38/200]].  Britain later adopted the 38/200 as its standard military handgun cartridge.

[[File:M&Prevolver.jpg|thumb|right|Smith & Wesson M&P in .38 Special produced in 1899]]
[[File:38 Special - SP - SB - 1.jpg|thumb|right|A .38 Special [[Soft-point bullet|Jacketed Soft Point]] round]]
[[File:S&WModel15-4 01.jpg|thumb|right|Air Force issue Smith & Wesson Model 15–4 in .38 Special]]

In 1930, Smith & Wesson introduced a large-frame 38 Special revolver with a 5-inch barrel and fixed sights intended for police use, the [[Smith & Wesson .38/44|Smith & Wesson 38/44 Heavy Duty]].<ref>Shideler, Dan, ''Is This the Greatest .38 Ever'', Gun Digest, 4 August 2008</ref><ref>Sharpe, Phil, ''The New Smith & Wesson Heavy Duty .38'', The American Rifleman, November 1931: Chambered in .38 Special, the .38/44 was built on the old S&W .44-calibre Hand Ejector frame.</ref> The following year, a new high-power loading called the .38 Special Hi-Speed with a {{convert|158|gr|1|adj=on}} metal-tip bullet was developed for these revolvers in response to requests from law enforcement agencies for a handgun bullet that could penetrate auto bodies and body armor.<ref>Shideler, Dan, ''Is This the Greatest .38 Ever'', Gun Digest, 4 August 2008: The new .38/44 load developed a maximum allowable pressure of {{convert|20000|psi|MPa}}, producing a velocity of about {{convert|1100|ft/s|abbr=on}} from a {{convert|5|in|abbr=on}} barrel with a {{convert|158|gr|1|abbr=on}} metal-tipped bullet.</ref> That same year, Colt Firearms announced that their [[Colt Official Police]] would also handle 'high-speed' .38 Special loadings.<ref name="gcop">Ayoob, Massad. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_5_53/ai_n27176787 "The Colt Official Police: 61 years of production, 99 years of service"], '''Guns''' magazine. BNET Web site – Find articles. Accessed 2 April 2011: Because of their heavy frames, these revolvers could withstand the higher-pressures generated by the new loadings.</ref> The 38/44 high-speed cartridge came in three bullet weights: {{convert|158|gr|1}}, {{convert|150|gr|1}}, and {{convert|110|gr|1}}, with either coated lead or steel jacket, metal-piercing bullets. The media attention gathered by the 38/44 and its ammunition eventually led Smith & Wesson to develop a completely new cartridge with a longer case length, in 1934. This was the .357 Magnum.

During [[World War II]], some U.S. aircrew (primarily Navy and Marine Corps) were issued .38 Special [[Smith & Wesson Victory Model|S&W Victory]] revolvers as sidearms for use in the event of a forced landing. In May 1943, a new .38 Special cartridge with a {{convert|158|gr|1|adj=on}}, full-steel-jacketed, copper flash-coated bullet meeting the requirements of the [[1899 Hague Peace Conference|Hague Convention]] was developed at [[Springfield Armory]] and adopted for the Smith & Wesson revolvers.<ref name=DCM>Brown Jr., Edwards, "DCM Shopper's Guide", ''The American Rifleman'', (April 1946), p. 18</ref> The new military .38 Special loading propelled its {{convert|158|gr|1}} bullet at a standard {{convert|850|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} from a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} revolver barrel.<ref name=DCM /> During the war, many U.S. naval and Marine aircrew were also issued red-tipped 38 Special [[tracer ammunition]] using either a {{convert|120|or|158|gr|1|abbr=on}} bullet for emergency signaling purposes.<ref name=DCM />

In 1956, the U.S. Air Force adopted the ''Cartridge, Caliber 38, Ball M41'', a military variant of the .38 Special cartridge designed to conform to Hague Convention rules. The original 38 M41 ball cartridge used a 130-grain full-metal-jacketed bullet, and was loaded to an average pressure of only {{convert|13000|psi|MPa}}, giving a muzzle velocity of approximately {{convert|725|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} from a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Scarlata|first=Paul|date=2010-09-23|title=Smith & Wesson's Model 12 Airweight|url=https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/handgun_reviews_st_swmodel12_201005/99924|access-date=2011-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231065341/http://www.shootingtimes.com/handguns/handgun_reviews_st_swmodel12_201005/|archive-date=2010-12-31|journal=[[Shooting Times]]}}</ref><ref name=TM43>TM 43-0001-27, ''Army Ammunition Data Sheets – Small Caliber Ammunition, FSC 1305'', Washington, D.C.: Dept. of the Army, 29 April 1994</ref> This ammunition was intended to prolong the life of [[Smith & Wesson Model 12|S&W M12]] and [[Colt Cobra#Colt Aircrewman|Colt Aircrewman]] revolvers equipped with aluminum cylinders and frames, which were prone to stress fractures when fired with standard 38 Special ammunition. 
By 1961, a slightly revised M41 38 cartridge specification known as the ''Cartridge, Caliber 38 Ball, Special, M41'' had been adopted for U.S. armed forces using 38 Special caliber handguns.<ref name=TM43 /> The new M41 ''Special'' cartridge used a 130-grain FMJ bullet loaded to a maximum allowable pressure of {{convert|16000|psi|MPa}} for a velocity of approximately {{convert|950|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} in a solid {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on}} test barrel, and about {{convert|750|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} from a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} revolver barrel.<ref name="autogenerated68">''Military .38 Special Ammunition'', The American Rifleman (March 1982), p. 68</ref><ref name="autogenerated1961">TM 9-1305-200. ''Small Arms Ammunition'', Washington, D.C.: Departments of the Army and the Air Force (June 1961)</ref> The M41 ball cartridge was first used in .38 Special revolvers carried by USAF aircrew and [[Strategic Air Command Elite Guard|Strategic Air Command security police]], and by 1961 was in use by the U.S. Army for security police, dog handlers, and other personnel equipped with 38 Special caliber revolvers.<ref name="autogenerated1961" /> A variant of the standard M41 cartridge with a semi-pointed, unjacketed lead bullet was later adopted for CONUS (Continental United States) police and security personnel.<ref name=TM43 /> At the same time, .38 Special tracer cartridges were reintroduced by the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force to provide a means of emergency signaling by downed aircrew.  Tracer cartridges in .38 Special caliber of different colors were issued, generally as part of a standard aircrew survival vest kit.

A request for more powerful .38 Special ammunition for use by Air Police and security personnel resulted in the ''Caliber 38 Special, Ball, PGU-12/B High Velocity'' cartridge.<ref name="autogenerated68" /> Issued only by the U.S. Air Force, the PGU-12/B had a greatly increased maximum allowable pressure rating of 20,000 psi, sufficient to propel a 130-grain FMJ bullet at {{convert|1125|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} from a solid {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on}} test barrel, and about 950–1,000&nbsp;ft/s from a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} revolver barrel.<ref name="autogenerated68" /> The PGU-12/B ''High Velocity'' cartridge differs from M41 ''Special'' ammunition in two important respects—the ''PGU-12/B'' is a much higher-pressure cartridge, with a bullet deeply set and crimped into the cartridge case.

In response to continued complaints over ineffectiveness of the standard .38 Special 158-grain cartridge in stopping assailants in numerous armed confrontations during the 1950s and 1960s, ammunition manufacturers began to experiment with higher-pressure (18,500 CUP) loadings of the .38 Special cartridge, known as 38 Special +P (+P or +P+ designation indicates that the cartridge is using higher pressures, therefore it is [[overpressure ammunition]]). In 1972, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] introduced a new .38 Special +P loading that became known as the "FBI Load".<ref name="AMH">Ayoob, Massad, "Why are We Still Using the .38 – It's Still A Good Cartridge", ''American Handgunner'', San Diego: Publishers Development Corp., Vol. 6, No. 30, September/October 1981, p. 64</ref> The FBI Load combined a more powerful powder charge with a 158-grain unjacketed soft lead semi-wadcutter hollow-point bullet designed to readily expand at typical .38 Special velocities obtained in revolvers commonly used by law enforcement.<ref name="AMH" /> The FBI Load proved very satisfactory in effectively stopping adversaries in numerous documented shootings using 2- to 4-inch barreled revolvers.<ref name="AMH" /><ref>Ayoob, Massad, ''The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery'', Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books, {{ISBN|0-89689-525-4}}, {{ISBN|978-0-89689-525-6}} (2011), p. 98</ref> The FBI Load was later adopted by the Chicago Police Department and numerous other law enforcement agencies.<ref name="AMH" />

Demand for a .38 Special cartridge with even greater performance for law enforcement led to the introduction of the +P+ .38 Special cartridge, first introduced by [[Federal Cartridge|Federal]] and [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]]. Originally labeled "For Law Enforcement Only",<ref>{{cite web|date=19 August 2014|title=FEDERAL Premium - 38 Special High Velocity (+P+) (image)|url=http://www.ammobank.com/images5/38hs2g.JPG|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084449/http://www.ammobank.com/images5/38hs2g.JPG|archive-date=19 August 2014}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=Image of unverifiable source and authenticity|date=December 2015}} +P+ ammunition is intended for heavier-duty .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers, as the increased pressure levels can result in accelerated wear and significant damage to firearms rated for lower-pressure .38 Special loadings (as with all .38 Special loadings, the .38 Special +P+ can also be fired safely in .357 Magnum revolvers).<ref name="What is +P and +P+ ammunition">{{cite web|url=http://www.frfrogspad.com/miscellk.htm#+P|title=Miscellaneous Questions|website=frfrogspad.com}}</ref>