What’s the Difference Between .357 Magnum and .38 Special?

Whether you’re researching to purchase your first handgun or your fifth, there is always something to learn, compare and contemplate. If you’re looking to add a new caliber to your collection or find the best size for self-defense purposes, two great choices are the .38 Special and the .357 Magnum. These two calibers sound like they’d be similar based on their names. However, they are very different as you will come to find out. Each one has its own loyal fan base and depending on your preferences; each is a very capable round for various uses. Let’s take a deeper look at .357 Magnum vs. .38 Special and what makes each so great. 

Rich History

To start, learning the legacy behind each of these rounds and why it was developed can shed a little bit of light on the difference between .357 and .38.

.38 Special

The older of the two revolver rounds, the .38 Special was developed in 1898 with the hopes of delivering more energy and velocity than the standard Govt. issued .38 Long Colt round. The Spanish-American and the Philippine-American wars were the driving need behind the development. Initially, the .38 Special was loaded with black powder, but shooters quickly demanded smokeless rounds. They came within a year of its initial production. 

Compared to the outdated .38 Long Colt, the .38 Special packed three more grains of powder and fired a 158gr bullet 100-150 feet per second faster. When the 1920s rolled around, various law enforcement agencies took notice and demanded a more effective version of the cartridge. The Western Cartridge Company and Remington-Peters both introduced a similar cartridge loading for law enforcement use that included a 200gr bullet. This resulted in much better shock effect when targets were hit. The heavier bullet fired at slower velocities was extremely devasting and tumbled on impact. 

Since its adoption, many different variants from numerous manufacturers of the .38 Special have been used by the military and law enforcement alike. The round proved its value time and time again in countless situations. This revolver round cemented its place amongst the best cartridges produced and has withstood the test of time. 

.357 Magnum

This cartridge piggybacked off of Smith & Wesson’s earlier design of the .38 Special and was initially introduced in 1934. The .357 Magnum started a new era in handgun ammunition. The primary motivation behind the need for this round was to compete directly with the Colt .38 Super Automatic round that was released. The revolutionary design of the Colt Super was that it was the only American round that could penetrate automobile panels and early designs of bulletproof vests. Remember, this was the era of bootleggers and gangsters. Police and law enforcement were often outgunned by these lawbreakers and their souped-up vehicles.

Elmer Keith, one of the masterminds behind the .357’s design, began experimenting with the .38 Special and loading it with more and more powder to try and increase its velocity. The idea was that .38-caliber revolvers were built on .44-caliber frames with barrels designed for .38 Special rounds so that they could withstand much higher pressures than typical .38 Special firearms. In order to accommodate more powder, Keith developed a design where more of the bullet’s mass was outside of the casing. 

After falling behind Colt as the primary law enforcement ammunition supplier, Smith & Wesson was determined to retake the market with the .357 Magnum. Aside from the new powder load, the casing was extended 1/8” for safety purposes. Even though Keith proved that a .357 Magnum could be retrofitted out of a .38 Special casing, it was of serious concern if someone accidentally loaded a .357 Magnum round into a .38 Special revolver. Due to the higher pressures created from the .357 Magnum round, it can be extremely dangerous to fire it from a firearm tested for .38 Special. That answers the common question, “can a .38 Special shoot .357 rounds?”

The Difference

Now that we’ve arrived at the point of this article, you can probably answer what the difference between the .38 vs. .357 is. When looking at the two rounds, you will notice that the diameter is the exact same between the two, but the length is slightly longer on the .357 Magnum. As stated earlier, this is for safety concerns, so that the .357 Magnum rounds could not be fired from .38 Special handguns. Every handgun that is suited to shoot the .357 Magnum round can fire the .38 Special rounds, but not all .38 Special firearms can fire the .357 Magnum round. 

When trying to choose between the two, there are several categories that should be considered along with the intended use that you have in mind, like:

• Price– when comparing the same bullet style and quantity, you will find that .38 Special is typically cheaper. Of course, you will be able to find .38 Special rounds that are more expensive like jacketed hollow points vs. .357 Magnum range rounds. 
• Velocity– as described above, the .357 Magnum round was developed as a faster .38 Special round, but what many consumers want to know is just how much faster. While it may seem that the differences wouldn’t be that noticeable, they are. When tested, the same type of ammunition from the same manufacturer showed some surprising results.
  • Remington Target Ammunition- 158gr semi-wadcutter
    • .38 Special- 755fps
    • .357 Magnum- 1,235fps
  • American Eagle- Lead, round nose
    • .38 Special- 770fps
    • .357 Magnum- 1,240fps

The difference is not quite double but significant enough to show that even allowing for differences between bullet types and loads; the .357 Magnum hurls lead downrange much faster.

• Energy – similar to the velocity comparison, there is a clear difference in energy that each round generates. Because energy has a direct relationship with the velocity, without even testing, one can guess which one the winner is in this comparison. Testing results with similar bullet sizes showed that the .357 Magnum rounds produced more than twice the energy that their .38 Special counterpart did. 
• Trajectory– this is an even easier comparison because the trajectory of the bullet is directly related to the velocity. The .357 Magnum rounds produce much flatter trajectories. This means that the accuracy of shots is better, and the effective distance is much farther with the .357 Magnum rounds. 

The last category that is perhaps the most important for many consumers that reading this is the difference between .38 Special vs. .357 Magnum for self-defense. Well, the energy and velocity are two important factors in the self-defense debate, but they aren’t the only ones to consider. Some other things to consider are:

• Recoil– the .38 Special is a less powerful round, which means that follow-up shots will be much more accurate. 
• Type of bullet– self-defense rounds are going to provide a balance of penetration and expansion for effective stopping power. While each type of round will have a variety of options, doing your research on the best one for your needs is crucial. 
• Home-defense vs. Carry– in your home, the distances necessary to defend yourself tend to be much closer than out in the community situations. .38 Special rounds provide plenty of power and accuracy to be extremely effective inside your home. 

At AmmoForSale.com, we carry the top brands in just about every caliber you could possibly want. In .357 Magnum and .38 Special calibers, we have the top-selling brands and varieties for target shooting, hunting and self-defense. Here are just a few of the choices we offer-

• Speer Gold Dot 125gr JHP– these rounds from Speer weigh a bit less than the average .357 Magnum round, but the lighter weight means faster velocity, aka more energy.
• Federal Vital-Shok 140gr XPB HP– Federal is one of the leading brands in the ammunition industry and these rounds do not disappoint. The heavy hollow points pack a devasting punch and enough power to knock down and neutralize any threat. 
• Federal Hydra-Shok 129gr JHP +P– if the time comes where you need to rely on your firearm and the ammunition to protect you and your family’s lives, Federal has your back. This .38 Special rounds are on the lighter side, but the extra load and JHP design ensure the necessary stopping power. 
• Federal Premium 130gr HST JHP +P– The HST design by Federal allows the projectile to keep its mass as it penetrates through barriers and protection in order to take down the threat. Load your .38 Special with the most reliable brand on the market.