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.38 Special Guns For Sale

The .38 Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. Commonly used in revolvers, the .38 Special was the service cartridge of the majority of police departments in the U. S. from the 1920s through the 1990s. Today the .38 Special has its following for its accuracy and limited recoil. The common use for the .38 in modern times is target practice, formal competition, personal defense and small game hunting. It remains a popular selection among guns for sale.

The caliber of the .38 Special is .357-.358 inches (9.0678 mm). The .38 Special is identical to Short Colt, .38 Long Colt and .357 Magnum except for its case length. While the .38 Special can be safely fired in revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum, the reverse is not the case as the .357 is longer and more powerful. By the 1950s and 1960s, there were numerous complaints by law enforcement of the failure of standard .38 Special 158-grain cartridge to stop assailants in armed confrontations. This led to the development of the higher pressure .38 Special +P loading, also called the “FBI load”.

9mm

By definition the .38 caliber and the 9mm are minutely different in diameter, and the 9mm casing is approximately 3/8 inch shorter than the .38 Special. Despite their similarities, there is a significant difference. 9mm has double the pressure, and thus double the muzzle energy of the .38 Special. In terms of weight the .38 Special has the advantage. Where reliability and ease of use are concerned the .38 revolver again claim the advantage, due to its being a revolver. That is not to say there aren’t extremely reliable semi-automatics among guns for sale. The fact is there are plenty of them. If they were unreliable they would not sell, pure and simple.

The advantages of the 9mm are first its larger capacity of 15 to 18 rounds, vs. the revolvers 5 to 6 rounds. The next advantage of the 9mm is how fast you can change out a magazine, whereas a revolver is much slower to load. The 9mm has plenty of power for its class. Of course a .45 will be more powerful, but not everyone is comfortable with the .45 caliber. There are factors involved with all handguns used for self-defense that affect what is “best” for the individual.

The next factor is the caliber and type. A hollow point .38 Special will be more lethal than a standard round .38 Special, for example. The .45 ACP will be more lethal than the .38, or the 9mm and so on.

A common sense guide to selecting a concealed carry is to purchase a gun you can accurately and comfortably shoot. The point is to have a firearm to defend yourself, and one you can use effectively.

Practice is one of the major deciding factors as to how well any gun will defend you. Practice every week until you are proficient, and then nothing less than monthly. Your life and those of your loved ones may depend upon your marksmanship.

GrabAGun is the premier online source for guns for sale. Get the best .38 Special guns, 9mm ammo, and bulk ammo for sale.

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