View source for .38 S&W

{{Short description|Revolver cartridge}}
{{Infobox firearm cartridge
|name=.38 Smith & Wesson
|image =.38 Smith & Wesson.jpg | image_size = 300px
|caption = A box of modern .38 S&W rounds
|origin=United States
|type= Revolver
<!-- Service history -->
|service = 1922–1963
|used_by = [[United Kingdom]]
|wars = *[[World War II]]
*[[Korean War]]
<!-- Production history -->
|designer=[[Smith & Wesson]]
|design_date=1877
|manufacturer=[[Smith & Wesson]]
|production_date= 1877–present
|number= 
|variants=.38/200, .380 Rim, .38 Colt New Police, .38 S&W Super Police, MKE 9.65 mm Normal
<!-- Specifications -->
|is_SI_specs=
|parent=
|case_type=[[Rim (firearms)|Rimmed]] straight
|bullet=.361
|land=.350
|neck=.3855
|shoulder=
|base=.3865
|rim_dia=.440
|rim_thick=.055
|case_length=.775
|length=1.240
|rifling=
|primer=Small pistol
|max_pressure=14500
|max_cip=
<!-- Ballistic performance -->
|is_SI_ballistics=
|bw1=158
|btype1=LSWC
|vel1=767
|en1=206
|bw2=195
|btype2=LRN
|vel2=653
|en2=185
|bw3=200
|btype3=LRN
|vel3=620
|en3=176
|test_barrel_length=
|balsrc= }}

The '''.38 S&W''', also commonly known as '''.38 S&W Short''' (referred to as such to differentiate it from [[.38 Long Colt]] and [[.38 Special]]), '''9×20mmR''', '''.38 Colt NP (New Police)''', or '''.38/200''', is a [[revolver]] [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] developed by [[Smith & Wesson]] in 1877. Versions of the cartridge were the standard revolver cartridges of the British military from 1922 to 1963, in Webley, Enfield, and Smith & Wesson revolvers.<ref>{{cite book | title=Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson | publisher=Gun Digest Books | author=Supica, Jim | year=2016 | location=Iola, WI | pages=165 | isbn=978-1440245633}}</ref><ref name="Maze">{{cite book | title=The Webley Service Revolver | publisher=Osprey Publishing | author=Maze, Robert | year=2012 | pages=58 | isbn=9781780968865}}</ref> Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger bullet diameter.<ref name="Barnes2012">{{cite book |last=Barnes |first=Frank C. |url= |title=Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Reference for More Than 1,500 Cartridges |date= |publisher=Gun Digest Books |isbn=978-1-4402-3059-2 |location=Iola, Wisconsin |page=349}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:38swloads.jpg|thumb|left|Revolvers chambered for .38 S&W (Colt New Police). Colt Police Positives L&R- Iver Johnson Hammerless Safety Front.]]
[[File:Enfield.jpg|thumb|right|British [[Enfield No.2|Enfield No.2 Mk I*]] DA-only service revolver in .38/200]]
[[File:380RevolverMkIIz Cartridges.JPG|thumb|left|A box of WWII-dated .380" Revolver Mk IIz cartridges (and separate cartridges)]]
The round was first introduced in 1877 for use in the [[S&W .38 Single Action]].<ref name="Barnes2012"/> As standard for the era, it featured [[heeled bullet]] with the same diameter of bullet and case neck equal to .38 inch; later versions discarded the feature and downsized the bullet, but the designation did not change.

After [[World War I]], the British military sought to replace pre-war revolvers with easier-to-handle weapons. [[Webley & Scott|Webley]] demonstrated a lighter version of their Mk III revolver with modified .38 S&W ammunition, firing a heavy {{convert|200|gr|sing=on}} bullet. It received favorable reports, and the revolver was accepted in principle. 

As Webley had used the .38 S&W cartridge dimensions for their revolver, and the cartridge length was fixed by the size of the cylinder of the revolver (the same as for the wider .455), [[Kynoch]] produced a cartridge with the same dimensions as the .38 S&W but with 2.8 grains (0.18 g) of "Neonite" [[nitrocellulose]] powder and a 200 grain (13.0 g) bullet. In tests performed on cadavers and live animals, it was found that the lead bullet, being overly long and heavy for its calibre, become unstable after penetrating the target, somewhat increasing target effect. The relatively low velocity allowed all of the energy of the cartridge to be spent inside the human target, rather than the bullet passing through. This was deemed satisfactory and the design for the cartridge was accepted as the ".38/200 Cartridge, Revolver Mk I".

After a period of service, it was realized that the {{convert|200|gr|abbr=on}} soft lead bullet could arguably contravene the [[Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)|Hague Conventions]], which outlawed the use of bullets designed so as to "expand or flatten easily in the human body". A new cartridge was therefore adopted as "Cartridge, Pistol, .380 Mk II" or ".380 Mk IIz", firing a 180 gr (11.7 g) [[full metal jacket bullet]]. The .38/200 Mk I loading was retained in service for marksmanship and training purposes. However, after the outbreak of war, supply exigencies and the need to order readily available and compatible ammunition, such as the .38 S&W Super Police, from U.S. sources forced British authorities to issue both the .38/200 Mk I and MkII/IIz cartridges interchangeably to forces deploying for combat.<ref>Shore, C. (Capt), ''With British Snipers to the Reich'', Paladin Press (1988), pp. 201, 224–225</ref>

The Cartridge S.A. Ball Revolver .380 inch Mark II and Cartridge S.A. Ball Revolver .380 inch Mark IIz cartridge were theoretically phased out of British service in 1963, when the [[9×19mm]] semi-automatic [[Browning Hi-Power]] pistol was finally issued to most British and Commonwealth forces.

==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.<ref name="Barnes2012"/>

The U.S. ''.38 S&W Super Police'' cartridge was nearly identical to the British .38/200 Mk I, using a {{convert|200|gr|g|abbr=on}} lead alloy bullet with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|630|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} and a muzzle energy of {{convert|176|ftlbf|J|abbr=on}}, and was supplied by several U.S. manufacturers to the British government as equivalent to the Mk I loading.<ref name="Barnes2012"/>

[[Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation|MKE]] ''9.65 mm Normal'' (9.2×23mmR (.38 Smith & Wesson)) cartridge has a {{convert|177|gr|g|abbr=on}} lead-antimony alloy bullet with a gilding-metal full metal jacket and a Boxer-primed brass case. The "normal" designation differentiates it from their 9.65mm Special (9.1×29mmR (.38 Special)) round. It uses the 9.65mm (.38-caliber) nominal bore rather than its 9.2mm (.361-caliber) actual bore. It has a muzzle velocity of {{convert|590|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.

==Current status==
The .380 Mk IIz is still produced by the Ordnance Factory Board in India, for use in revolvers.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/ammunition/sc/10.htm | title=Ordnance Factory Board}}</ref> Commercially, only [[Ruger]] makes limited runs of revolvers (e.g., [[Ruger Security-Six|Service Six]]) in this caliber for overseas sales, and only a few companies still manufacture ammunition.<ref name="Barnes2012"/> Most of those that do so offer it in only a {{convert|145|gr|g|abbr=on}} lead round-nose bullet, though [[Fiocchi]] still markets [[full metal jacket bullet]] rounds. Some companies, such as [[Buffalo Bore]],  manufacture several different types of ammunition for self-defense and/or hunting.<ref>[https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=350  Buffalo Bore 38 S&W (New Colt Police ) - 125 gr. Hard Cast FN 1,000 fps]. Retrieved 16 August 2013.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Colt Official Police]] Revolver
*[[Colt Police Positive]] Revolver
*[[Enfield No. 2]] revolver
*[[List of rimmed cartridges]]
*[[Smith & Wesson Model 10]]
*[[Table of handgun and rifle cartridges]]
*[[Webley revolver]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite book| author = Robert J. Maze| title = Howdad to High Power, a Century of British Breechloading Service Pistols| date = 2002-03-01| isbn = 978-1-880677-17-9 }}
* {{cite book| author = Clifford Shore| title = With British Snipers to the Reich| date = May 2011| publisher = Literary Licensing, LLC| isbn = 978-1-258-00891-8 }}
* {{cite book| author1 = Mark Stamps| author2 = Ian D. Skennerton| title = 380 Enfield No. 2 Revolver| date = 1993-01-01| isbn = 978-1-85367-139-5 }}

{{Commons category}}

{{Rimmed cartridges}}
{{Smith & Wesson}}
{{.38 Calibre}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:38 SandW}}
[[Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges]]
[[Category:Rimmed cartridges]]
[[Category:Smith & Wesson cartridges]]