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.002 inches in bullet diameter. While the bullet is a bit smaller as noted in the answer above the handguns that use these cartridges are very different. A .38 is usually a .38 special, which because of it's rimmed case is predominatley used in revolvers. A .380 is a rimless cartridge used in easily concealed blowback automatic handguns. The .38 special revolver has about 20% more stopping power than the .380 automatic. Both are considered adequate but not powerful personal defense arms.

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Lester Neack

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Lester Neack

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1y ago

38 is a rim fire for revolvers, 380 is smooth case for semiautomatic pistols.

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Q: What is the difference between a 38 and a 380 handgun?
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Related questions

Can you fire a 38 bullet from a 380 handgun?

No. You cannot fire anything other than a .380 ACP cartridge out of a .380 handgun.


Can you fire a 38 from a 380 handgun?

No! DO NOT ATTEMPT!


What is the difference between a 380 and a 38?

Bullet diameter on a 38 is .357; on a 380 it is .355 Case is longer on a 38.


Can you shoot a 380 bullet from a 38 handgun?

No, you cannot.


Can a 380 caliber handgun and a 38 caliber handgun be the same or have same ammo type?

No, i asume you dont have see .380 pistol and a revolver 38 spl, the .380 and 38 spl ammo share de same diameter boot no the longer, the 38 is for a 38 special revolver tipe and the .380 is for an automatic pistol tipe some people call 9mm short.


Can you shoot .38 caliber ammo in a 380 caliber handgun?

No. Ammo designated as .38 or .38 special is different than ammo designated as .380. .380 is designed for semi-auto handguns and .38 ammo is for revolvers.More to the point, the .38 Special has a longer case, and a larger diameter projectile. The .38 special bullet measures .357" diameter, the .380 measures .355" diameter. The .38 special is a 'rimmed' cartridge, and the .380 is 'rimless'. Luckily, .38 Special ammo will not fit in a .380 magazine, otherwise the results could be disastrous, possibly turning your .380 handgun into a hand grenade.


What is the difference from 38 cal to 380 cal?

the 380 is a 9mm short


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

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.


What is the difference between a 38 and a 380?

The most common .38 is the .38 Special, a rimmed revolver cartridge that is actually .357 inches in diameter. The most common .380 is the .380 ACP. That is a rimless automatic pistol cartridge. It is shorter and slightly fatter than the .38 Special. They are intended for two entirely different firearms, and do not interchange.


What is the difference between modern .38-40 and .38-55 Winchester rifle cartridges?

Two totally different, unrelated cartridges. The 38-40 is basically a handgun cartridge, the .38-55 is a bottle necked rifle cartridge.


What is difference between 380 caliber and 38 caliber?

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.


What is 10 percent more than 380?

10% of 380 is 38. 380 + 38 = 418 or 380 x 1.1 = 418