.38 Special

.38 S&W Special (9x28mm) - 1902 - Smith & Wesson

Diameter - .357 Inches

The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, center-fire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers and lever action rifles. The .38 Special was the standard service cartridge of most police departments in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1990s. The .38 Special round can be safely fired in revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum. The reverse, however, is not true.