Close. a .38 caliber is usually closer to .357 caliber.
Caliber is the diameter of the bore of a firearm. It's expressed in hundredths or thousandths of an inch, as in .45 caliber or .380 caliber. Curiously, the actual diameter of a .38 caliber slug is 0.357 inch.
Caliber refers to the diameter of the bullet the gun is designed to fire. When referring to cannon, caliber may be used to indicate the barrel length. A 5 inch 38 caliber Naval gun fires a 5 inch diameter shell from a barrel that is 38 calibers long- or 38 times 5 inches (190 inches, or 15.83 feet) Please note that with a handgun or rifle, caliber referring to bore diameter is a fraction- such as .308, .45, etc. With cannon, it is a whole number, and given along with the bore diameter in inches.
38 caliber diameter is about .357/.358 whereas the 45 cal diameter is about .452
The term is caliber (in Britain, caliber). It refers to the size of the projectile (the bullet) and is given in terms of a fraction of an inch. a .50 caliber machine gun fire a bullet that is ABOUT 0.50 inches in diameter, a .22 fires a bullet that is ABOUT 0.22 inches in diameter. With cannon or naval guns, it refers to the ratio of the length of the barrel to the bore diameter. A Naval 5 inch 38 caliber gun fires a shell 5 inches in diameter from a barrel 15.8 feet long (38 x 5)
The .380 caliber is typically a pistol cartridge, also known as 9mm Short or 9mm Kurz, while the .38 caliber is a revolver cartridge, usually referring to .38 Special or .38 S&W. The .380 cartridge is generally smaller in diameter and length compared to the .38 caliber cartridges.
Two different meanings for firearms. For artillery, caliber is the relation of the diameter of the bore to the length of the barrel. A gun on a Navy Destroyer might be known as a 5 inch 38 caliber- meaning it fires a 5 inch diameter shell, and the barrel is 38 times 5 inches long. However, for rifles and handguns, it means the fractions of one inch that equal the diameter of the bore. So a .30 caliber rifle has a bore than measures ABOUT .30 inches, a .50 caliber ABOUT .50 inches, and so on. Some firearms have measurements from the metric system- a 9millimeter pistol has a bore diameter of ABOUT 9mm.
There is no such thing as a 22 magnum caliber. There is a 22 caliber, which means that the diameter of the gun barrel is 22/100 of an inch in diameter. The magnum has to do with the powder load in the shell holding the bullet. It is slightly more powerful than the smaller size shell. A 32 caliber has a larger diameter barrel. With 32 caliber, you do not usually have much choice in the power of the shell. If you want to learn to shoot, it is a lot less expensive to shoot up a lot of 22 ammunition than 32 ammunition. If you want personal protection, a 22 is next to useless. A 32 is not much better. You need at least a 38. Better is relative. It depends on why you want a pistol.
Well, yes and no. Both the .357 Magnum and the earlier .38 Special catridge both use a bullet that is .357 inches in diameter. The .38 Special in not a TRUE .38 caliber cartridge.
The actual bullet diameter (as well as that of the .38 Special) is .357.
No, they won't even come close to fitting.Why not buy .38 shotshells.
This might get a little confusing. A TRUE .38 caliber cartridge will be 38/100ths of an inch in diameter. HOWEVER, the cartridge CALLED the .38 Special is not quite that large- it is .357 inches in diameter, or 357/100ths of an inch- just over a third of an inch, or a little more than 9 millimeters.