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Handloads for the .38 S&W (the three on the left) compared to the longer .38 Special.
When I mention “.38 cartridge” what’s the first thing coming to mind? For most shooters .38 means .38 Special, or maybe .38 Super or .38 Long Colt. But there’s another .38, a contemporary of the .38 Long Colt. In 1877, Colt brought forth their first DA sixgun, the Lightning, chambered in .38 Long Colt. That same year, Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Smith & Wesson cartridge chambered in their spur trigger revolvers, and then in the early 1880’s it was chambered in their line of Top-Breaks. Smith & Wesson would produce approximately 800,000 Top-Breaks in their .38 cartridge and these pocket pistols were exceptionally popular for several decades on both sides of 1900. With the coming of swing-out cylinder revolvers, both S&W and Colt would chamber the .38 S&W, however Colt labeled “their” cartridge the .38 Colt New Police. Most .38 S&W cartridges featured round nosed bullets while Col