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The .38 Special will be a revolver, which fires a rimmed cartridge. The .380 is an automatic pistol cartridge intended for compact semi-auto pistols, and is rimless. It is also a substantially shorter cartridge than the .38 Special.

They are two completely different cartridges, that have no resemblance other than having a 3 and 8 in the names. .38 Special is a rimmed cartridge made for revolvers. .380 is a rimless cartridge made for use in automatic pistols. It is shorter, slightly smaller in diameter, and has a lighter weight bullet. The two do not interchange.

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10y ago

The .38 Special will be a revolver, which fires a rimmed cartridge. The .380 is an automatic pistol cartridge intended for compact semi-auto pistols, and is rimless. It is also a substantially shorter cartridge than the .38 Special.

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10y ago

They are two completely different cartridges, that have no resemblance other than having a 3 and 8 in the names. .38 Special is a rimmed cartridge made for revolvers. .380 is a rimless cartridge made for use in automatic pistols. It is shorter, slightly smaller in diameter, and has a lighter weight bullet. The two do not interchange.

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Q: What is the difference in a .38 special pistol and a .380 pistol?
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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.


Is a 38 and a 380 the same caliber?

Not really. The .38 usually refers to a rimmed revolver cartridge, such as .38 S&W, or .38 Special. The.380 is an automatic pistol cartridge, and much shorter.


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.


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.


Is there a difference between a 38 special and a 38 auto?

While there ARE specialized target auto pistol that are in caliber .38 Special, they are quite rare. The .38 Auto, and the .38 Super are both different cartridges from the .38 Special, and do not interchange. For everyday purposes, the .38 Special is a revolver cartridge, and the .38 Auto a semi auto pistol cartridge.


What is the difference between a 38 Special pistol and a regular 38 pistol?

.38 Special is a specific caliber. There are other .38 caliber cartridges- about a dozen. The most common OTHER 38 is the .38 S&W, which is shorter, fatter, and less powerful than the .38 Special. MOST of the different .38s do NOT interchange.


Will .38 automatic ammo fire from a 380 automatic pistol?

No


Can you fire 380 cal ammo in a 38 cal pistol?

NO


What is louder 380 pistol or 38 special smith and Wesson?

A revolver is louder than a pistol due to the barrel-cylinder gap that is located between the cylinder face and forcing cone of a revolver.


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 .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.