Revisiting .38 Special "Service Revolvers"

"Service revolvers" are those designed or used for police or military service, usually characterized by medium frames, fixed sights, and four inch barrels though longer barrels are not uncommon and large framed models exist. During the Twentieth Century, millions of service revolvers
were produced by major manufacturers including Colt, Charter Arms, Ruger, Taurus, and Smith & Wesson. A great number of these were chambered for the .38 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge which served most American police departments and portions of the U.S. military for decades.

While compact, small framed, "snub nosed" revolvers chambered for the .38 Special cartridge remain popular for concealed carry, service revolvers in this caliber have lost popularity and seem to be fading into obsolescence. This is largely due to the opinion that the .38 Special provides only marginal stopping power at best and the increased popularity of semi-automatic pistols which has snow balled since the 1980s. As a result, it is not unlikely to stumble across service revolvers in .38 Special caliber at attractive, even bargain basement prices. Before writing them off as marginally effective relics of the past, consider what they have to offer:

Accuracy

The .38 Special is a very accurate cartridge that once ruled Bullseye competition. Due to the combined length of their frames and barrels, service revolvers provide a relatively long sight radius that allows the accuracy of this cartridge to be more fully realized. Many find that short barreled handguns are difficult to shoot well. This is not because short barrels are inherently inaccurate; rather it is because the sights are closer together which contributes to errors in sight picture, leading to the perception of diminished accuracy.

Fixed Sights

Most but not all service revolvers are equipped with fixed sights that have been regulated at the factory with a particular load. In most cases, though less precise than adjustable sights, the point of impact will match the point of aim with a variety of ammunition at typical handgun ranges. Of course, this is not always the case and, since fixed sights are usually limited in the amount they can be tweaked, "Kentucky windage" might need to be employed for precise shots over a variety of ranges.

This is not a tremendous disadvantage. Most shooters who use adjustable sights adjust them for a particular load at a particular range and then let the chips fall as they may beyond that. The advantage of fixed sights is that they are rugged and fool proof. They are not likely to get knocked out of zero and they have no screws or other parts which can fail or get lost at an inopportune time. As a matter of fact, the groove in the top strap which serves as the fixed rear sight on most service revolvers can be used as a rather effective aiming or sighting gutter for combat shooting if the front sight is absent (improvised "belly guns" with one inch barrels and no front sight were once fairly common).

Pleasant and Fun to Shoot

While the recoil of the .38 Special cartridge is substantial in a fifteen ounce snubby, it is quite tame in a service revolver weighing better than thirty-five ounces. It also has a mild report and both experienced shooters and novices find it pleasant and fun to shoot without the shooter becoming over taxed. This is a benefit for shooters who are noise or recoil sensitive. As a matter of fact, many .357 Magnums are rarely shot with anything other than .38 Special ammunition for these very reasons.

Availability of Ammunition

Because there are millions of revolvers in circulation that use this cartridge and compact, lightweight .38 Specials are common for concealed carry,.38 Special ammunition remains a top seller that can be found almost anywhere ammunition is sold. Moreover, with the exception of premium defensive and special purpose loads, .38 Special ammunition is usually moderately priced. This is another reason that they are frequently used for practice with revolvers and carbines that are chambered for the .357 Magnum.

A One Gun Arsenal

Service revolvers in .38 Special caliber have great flexibility because of the variety of factory ammunition that is readily available for them including: shot capsules, wadcutters, full metal jacketed and round nosed lead bullets, and state of the art defensive loads. At the upper end of the spectrum, approximating .38-44 HV ballistics and nearly approaching .357 Magnum performance is the incredible .38 Special +P "Outdoorsman" load from Buffalo Bore that was "...designed for those who need a deep penetrating 357 mag. or 38 SPL load to be fired from lightweight alloy 357’s and any 38 SPL revolver." With proper ammunition, the service revolver can serve as a one gun arsenal capable of handling snakes and other vermin, target shooting, plinking, small and medium game, self defense against human predators, and even deer at reasonable ranges. In other words, it will handle most of the tasks that a handgun can be reasonably expected to do.

What About Marginal Stopping Power?

When introduced in 1899, the .38 Special was a lengthened improvement of the .38 Long Colt Cartridge that had been used by the U.S. military since 1889 and developed a reputation as a poor stopper. This ultimately led to the adoption of the Colt M1911 in .45 ACP as the U.S. service pistol. Originally loaded with black powder, the .38 Special is designed to operate at relatively low chamber pressures. Hence, for most of its life, "standard" loads have consisted of round nosed lead bullets of .357" diameter, weighing between 150 to 158 grains, with velocities ranging between 750 to 950 feet per second.

An ineffective bullet design, medium bore, and modest velocity does not produce stellar stopping power. Early attempts to address this included the "Super Police" load which used a 200 grain flat nosed bullet, various semi-wadcutter bullets, and heavy .38-44 HV loads designed for use only in .38 Specials built on .44 frames (the S&W Outdoorsman) which were the precursor to the .357 Magnum. Finally, .38 Special ammunition loaded beyond the standard pressure range with hollow point bullets at higher velocities was introduced. One of the most successful examples, the "FBI Load", propelled a 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter hollow point around 900 feet per second. Modern bullet designs and propellants significantly improve .38 Special performance and and Buffalo Bore offers an impressive, updated version of the old FBI Load.

Barrel Length Provides Better Performance

The performance of the .38 special cartridge is improved by higher velocity and the .357 Magnum, like the .38-44 HV that preceded it, is nothing other than an improved .38 Special cartridge offering greater velocity. Longer barrels provided more velocity and revolvers with four inch or longer barrels perform better than their snub nosed counterparts with two inch barrels. When compared to velocities from a two inch barrel, bullet velocity increases around 150 feet per second with a four inch barrel and over 200 feet per second withy a six inch barrel. Conversely, it can be said that longer barrels are more likely to provide ballistics that are reflective of those published by ammunition manufactures. Either way, 150-200 feet per second represents a tremendous increase in performance when a bullet is fired from a handgun.

Though service revolvers chambered for the .38 Special cartridge no longer represent the cutting edge in handgun technology and though they lack appeal to a market demanding more power, more capacity, less size, and less weight, they still have a lot to offer as primary or auxiliary firearms. Far from obsolete, they should not be overlooked nor discounted as they can effectively handle most of the tasks that handguns can reasonably be expected to perform and they occasionally do so at a rock bottom price. As a matter of fact, with modern ammunition, service revolvers in .38 Special perform better than ever.