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The 38 special will be in a revolver and the 380 ACP most probably a semi-auto. However some of the energy of the bullet is used to eject and reload the 380 which dampens the recoil a bit. Also the .38 special is actually 0.357 " diam and the 380 is 0.355". The upshot of it all is that the .38 would have more recoil.

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Muhammad Abbass

Lvl 2
3y ago
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Muhammad Abbass

Lvl 1
3y ago
I want to add that .38 special rounds typically have around 4 grains of charge while 380 ACP is more like 3.3 grains. .38 special can go up to 6.5 grains of propellant at the extreme and 380 ACP max around 3.7 grains. That's around twice the propellant.
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Brenden McClure

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3y ago
cool response
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Wiki User

12y ago

There'll be a notable difference... part of the difference with a .380 vs. a .38 Special is that the .38 Special will be a revolver, whereas the .380 is much more likely to be an automatic, so part of the recoil felt with the .380 will be the movement and weight of the slide.

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Q: Is there a big recoil difference in a 38 and 380 pistol?
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