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GunCritic

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special) VS 45 LC/ 410 GA

Head to Head Comparison

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

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50%

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45 LC/ 410 GA

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MSRP:

$19.54

Used Price:

$19.54

New Price:

$21.71

MSRP:

$22.76

Used Price:

$22.76

New Price:

$25.29

Gun Specifications

Specifications

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

45 LC/ 410 GA

Height

1.16

0.00

Average FPS

876

Average Grain

138

Average Energy

235

Recoil

0.53

0.00

Ballistic Coefficient

140.71

Gun Stats

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.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

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45 LC/ 410 GA

Guns.com

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EuroOptic.com

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Sportsman's Warehouse

$0.00

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MidwayUSA

$25.29

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Cheaper Than Dirt

$19.89

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Brownells.com

$19.99

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$20.88

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$17.09

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Gun Descriptions

.38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)

Designed by Smith & Wesson, 38 Special ammo is a centerfire rimmed cartridge commonly used in handguns. It is also compatible with a few semi-automatic carbines and pistols. Also known as 38 S&W, .38 Smith & Wesson Special, or 38 Spl, this handgun cartridge is popular for its accuracy and manageable recoil. It was used as the main service cartridge for most US Police departments between the 1920s and the 1990s. 38 Special Specifications: Cartridge Case: .38 Long Colt Cartridge Case type: Rimmed, straight Diameter of Bullet: 9.1 mm (.357 in) Base diameter: 9.6 mm (.379 in) Neck diameter: 9.6 mm (.379 in) Rim thickness: 1.5 mm (.058 in) Rim diameter: .44 in (11 mm) Length of Case: 1.155 in (29.3 mm) Overall length: 1.550 in (39.4 mm) Case capacity: 1.52 cm3 (23.4 gr H2O) Max pressure: 17,500 psi (121 MPa) Smith & Wesson is the manufacturer of 38 Special Ammo. But now, several other companies are also manufacturing 38 Special Ammo. 38 Special Ammo is good for hand loaders. 38 Special Ammo is almost similar to 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, and 357 Magnum, except for the difference in case length. As the construction is identical, 38 Special Ammo can be used in handguns chambered for 357 Magnum. 38 Short Colt and 38 Long Colt can be fired safely from handguns chambered for 38 Special. The straight walls of the cartridge, rim’s head spacing, accessibility of earlier fired cases, and the compatibility with 357 Magnum firearms made it much popular.

45 LC/ 410 GA

The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1873 and served as an official US military handgun cartridge for 14 years. The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small game hunting and pest control. The .410 started off in the UK as a garden gun along with the .360 and the No. 3 bore (9mm) rimfire, No. 2 bore (7mm) rimfire, and No. 1 bore (6mm) rimfire. .410 shells have similar base dimensions to the .45 Colt cartridge, allowing many single-shot firearms, as well as some derringers chambered in that caliber, to fire .410 shot shells without any modifications.

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