The S&W K-frame
Military & Police was introduced in 1899. This revolver was an extension of
their Hand Ejector product line that had been started in 1896 with the smaller
.32 Hand Ejector. The K-frame M&P was originally designed around the .38 Long
Colt cartridge, and would ultimately become the icon by which S&W would be known
world-wide. But in the guise of the .38 Long Colt, the icon was as yet
incomplete. As reported in "History of Smith and Wesson" by Roy G. Jinks
(p. 159).
"The revolver was originally designed to
fire .38 United States Service cartridge (.38 Long Colt) but this cartridge had
developed a reputation for lack of power. D. B. Wesson suggested the cartridge
case be lengthened to allow the powder charge to be increased from 18 grains of
black powder to 21 1/2 grains. The bullet weight was changed from 150 grains to
158 grains, this new cartridge was called the .38 S&W Special and the factory
literature showed the improved cartridge had a penetration of eight and one-half
pine boards, each seven-eights inch thick, a penetration two inches greater than
that of the U.S. Service load."
The quote from S&W
Historian Jinks cements several very important things in place -- that the .38
Special started off life as a black powder load (even though it was designed
after smokeless powder had gained acceptance), that the original bullet weight
was 158 grains, and that the .38 Special clearly out-performed the old .38 Long
Colt. With the introduction of the .38 S&W Special the destiny of the K-frame
M&P had been fulfilled.
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The Model 1899, aka .38 Military
& Police First Model.
The first .38 Special. Note the lack of a lug on the bottom of the
barrel. |
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The
first gun that the .38 S&W Special was chambered in was the Model 1899 (aka .38
Military & Police First Model), which is readily identified by the lack of any
attachment lug underneath the barrel for the ejector (they are also notable for
the extremely fine sights, which are almost impossible for my middle-aged eyes
to see). Some sources say that the M&P wasn't chambered for the .38 Special
until 1902, but Jinks presents compelling data to show that the .38 Special was
indeed chambered in the M&P in 1899, and when Roy Jinks (the official S&W
Historian) speaks, I listen.
The .38 Long Colt's
poor combat reputation came as a result of its 150 grain lead round-nosed bullet
at a nominal velocity of about 750 fps. The .38 S&W Special could launch a
similar 150 grain bullet at almost 900 fps, but the primary load that the .38
Special would become known for was a 158 grain bullet at about 850 fps. Not a
huge improvement over the .38 Long Colt when viewed in the light of today's
magnum cartridges and guns, but an improvement nonetheless. However, the main
advantage that the .38 Special offered over the old .38 Long Colt was the much
greater accuracy afforded by the newer guns and cartridge.
The
K-38 has undergone a few mechanical changes over the years, but in many ways is
still recognizable as the S&W icon from 1899. The name has changed a few times
as well -- the Military & Police and the M&P Target had the tapered round
barrel, and fixed sights and adjustable sights, respectively. After World War
II, S&W changed the lock-work and hammer profile, and added a rib to the barrel
and the K-38 Target Masterpiece (adj. sight, 6" barrel) and the K-38 Combat
Masterpiece (adj. sight, 4" barrel) were born (the fixed sight guns were still
called the M&P). The guns produced after 1905 and up through mid-1955 are
affectionately known as "5-screws" because there are 5 screws holding the side
plate and yoke in place. In 1955, the "bug-screw" just underneath the rear sight
was dropped, and the guns produced from mid-'55 up through 1961 are known as
"4-screws". The screw in front of the trigger guard was dropped in 1961, and the
guns produced after this date are referred to as "3-screws". Partway through the
4-screw tenure (in 1957), those wonderful descriptive model names were dropped
and the numerical designations were stamped into the frames, giving rise to the
Model 10 (formerly the M&P), Model 14 (formerly the K-38 Target Masterpiece) and
Model 15 (formerly the K-38 Combat Masterpiece) (there were other variations as
well, but these are the ones you see most often). Stainless steel was added to
the K-38 line in 1970 with the Model 64 (a stainless version of the M&P) and the
Model 67 (a stainless version of the K-38 Target Masterpiece).
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A family of 5-screw K-38s: the
.38 M&P Model 1905 (1st change) (circa 1908);
a K-38 Target Masterpiece (circa 1954); and a K-38 Combat
Masterpiece (circa 1953) |
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The .38 Special was
also a vital component of the J-frame and N-frame lines was well. When somebody
says "snubnose", it is generally assumed that the topic under discussion is a
.38 Special revolver. ".38 Snubbies" have short barrels (generally 2-3"), and
have been made of blued steel (e.g. Model 36), stainless steel (e.g. Model 60),
and aluminum alloy (e.g. Model 637 Airweight). S&W got their start making pocket
revolvers way back in the 1850s, and they have made a LOT of snubbies in the
century and a half that they've been in business.
And there 's the very important historical role that the .38 Heavy Duty (and
Outdoorsman) played in the development of the .357 Magnum round. The added
strength of the N-frame made magnum handguns possible, and it all started with
the .38 Special.
The .38 Special has long been recognized as a very accurate cartridge, and one
that is easily mastered by new shooters. Recoil is easily tolerated, and with
suitable hearing protection, muzzle blast is no problem. It should also be
pointed out that the .38 Special is also easily mastered by new handloaders
(some of my first handloads were .38 Specials), and over the last century it has
become one of the most widely reloaded cartridges in the world.
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The perennially popular .38 snubnose (in this case the S&W Model 637
Airweight.) |
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The .38 Special is a
perennial favorite when it comes to instruction of new shooters and for personal
protection. Oh yeah, the gun rags like to print lots of stories about the latest
"X vs. Y Shoot-Out!" and "The Magical Miracle Tactical X" and such (and in the
process tend to denigrate classics like the .38 Special), but while all that ink
is getting spread (and all those color glossy ads being sold) another batch of
.38 Special revolvers were quietly sold to law-abiding citizens to help insure
their safety, as well as the safety of their loved ones. There is nothing
magical about reliability. Quite simply, the .38 Special was born to serve.
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Elmer Keith used the N-frame .38 Special to develop the .38/.44
loads that ultimately led to the .357 Magnum. This is the .38
Heavy Duty (circa 1950). |
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A .38 Special is an excellent way to
introduce new shooters to the handgun.
It is easy to shoot, it
is accurate, it is cheap to feed, it is fun to shoot, and it gives me the chance
to introduce the new shooter to both double-action revolvers (e.g. a S&W K-38)
and single-action revolvers (e.g. a Ruger Blackhawk), so they can learn
first-hand the differences involved in loading and shooting these very different
guns. On a somewhat more subtle level, it also gives me an excellent way to
teach new shooters about the performance of different bullet types (LRN, SWC,
WC, HP, etc.) in a very simple and dramatic way. First, I have the student shoot
these various different bullet types through paper to show how the different
bullet shapes go through a target. Next, I have them shoot the same kinds of
ammo through a few water bottles. The .38 Special is a modestly powered handgun
round, so an inefficient bullet design (like the lead round nose) doesn't make
much of a splash when it hits a plastic bottle filled with water. On the other
hand, when a .38 +P cast HP hits the water-bottle at 1000 fps, sprays water all
over the place and leaves a gaping hole in the far side, the concept of terminal
performance gels much more quickly for a new shooter than having an instructor
recite tables full of kinetic energy numbers. A similar demonstration was given
to me when I was 11, and I remember it like it was yesterday. A big splash makes
a big impression on a new shooter.
One of the exercises that I like to
set up for our NRA Women & Guns courses is, after they have completed the
standard training course of fire, I lay out a series of .38 revolvers, starting
with a 2" alloy airweight snubbie and moving up to a 8 3/8" full-lugged S&W 586
(typically a 2" S&W 637 Airweight, 3" S&W Model 60, 3" Ruger SP-101, 4" S&W
Model 15, 6" S&W Model 14, 6" S&W Model 686 and a 8 3/8" S&W 586). I ask the
ladies which gun (s) appeal to them and why? Almost invariably, they tend to
favor the S&W 637, "Because it's little. It would fit into my purse so easily."
Then I lay out
ammunition at each station and have each shooter load and fire one round through
each revolver, then move on to the next heavier gun and repeat the exercise.
After they're all done, I remind them that all of the ammunition used in this
test was identical, and then I ask them what their impression of the recoil was
like from each gun. I usually get various statements of disbelief at this point
("You put different loads at the different guns!"), but pretty quickly everybody
gets the message that handgun weight helps to moderate recoil. I ask the
question again, which gun (s) appeal to them, and why. The answers are generally
far more diverse the second time around! (and the 3" SP-101 is commonly very
popular, both for its added weight, and also for its grip frame which works very
well for many sizes of hands) I use this experience as a teaching tool, "This is
why it's important to test-fire any gun that you're thinking about buying for
personal protection or home defense. You can tell how well a grip frame fits
your hand by just picking it up in the gun shop, but you can't tell how that gun
is going to move in recoil until you shoot it. Regular practice is very
important for good marksmanship skills, but if practice is unpleasant, you won't
do it. It's that simple. A snubby that "bites" will intimidate a new shooter,
and not get shot. And if you're not shooting, then you won't be generating the
familiarity and confidence that can be so critically important in a moment of
need. Buy a gun that will serve your needs, but buy one that is fun to shoot so
you'll get that valuable practice in."
In
one class a number of years ago, after I finished saying my piece after this
demonstration, I had one gal blurt out, "I'm gonna need to get a bigger purse!"
-- she really liked that 8 3/8" S&W 586 and wanted to buy it from me on the
spot!
One
of my favorite things to do is to strap on a K-38 with a suitable supply of
ammo, and go for a summer hike in the mountains. Sometimes I'm hunting for
varmints, sometimes I'm just out for a hike and some lazy summertime plinking.
The .38 Special is pretty much a definitive plinker's round, and I have burnt an
untold number of .38 rounds in pursuit of the wily pine cone (they're dangerous
you know, you can never tell when those sneaky rascals are going to charge!).
When plinking, pretty much anything that goes "bang!" works, but generally
you'll find me shooting cast SWC’s at 900+ fps during these forays, simply
because that's what I have loaded for various other activities. When I'm out
varmint hunting, I prefer to hunt with cast HP’s for maximum effect. When
shooting cast HP’s in a .38 Special at standard (16,000 CUP) or +P (20,000 CUP)
pressures, the cast HP’s need to be cast fairly soft (BHN of 8 or less) in order
to expand at these speeds (900-1000 fps). I generally used recycled range scrap
to cast HPs for loads like this, but one can also use a 50/50 mixture of WW
alloy and pure lead to get a mix suitable for these speeds. When I'm hunting for
edible small game like cotton-tails, then my K-38 will be loaded with cast
SWC’s, which kill cleanly, without ruining a lot of meat (the cast HP’s are just
too destructive).
I
have shot many, many different loads through the venerable old .38 Special. It
is a very easy gun to load for, and there are a wide variety of excellent loads
that can be assembled for it. I see no reason to load jacketed bullets in a gun
that rarely breaks 1000 fps, so all of my .38 Special loads feature cast
bullets. This is particularly important for the older pre-WWI guns with soft
barrel steel that would be more quickly eroded with jacketed bullets. For these
older guns, I keep velocities down below 900 fps. This recipe generally involves
something along the lines of 3.5 grains of Bullseye and 150-158 grain cast
bullets for around 800 fps. These loads keep these old sixguns shooting just
fine, and keep this sixgunner happy.
For
my post WWII .38 Specials, I am willing to step the loads up a bit -- the
cylinders have been heat-treated and the quality of the barrel steel is better.
For general plinking and field use, my favorite .38 Special load is a 150 grain
SWC over 5.4 grains of Unique for about 950 fps (6"). My preferred version of
this load is built around the old 150 grain version of 358477 (the newer version
of the 358477 weighs 158 grains and should have this powder charge reduced to
5.0 grains of Unique). The older 150 grain version of the 358477 isn't found all
that often these days, but the RCBS 150 SWC shoots every bit as well as the old
150 grain 358477 and is much easier to find. This load is nicely accurate out of
snubbies as well (although velocities will be down in the mid-to-low 800s).
When
varmint hunting with the .38 Special, my favorite load is the Keith HP
(Lyman/Ideal 358439) over 8.5 grains of HS-7. This load generates about 1050 fps
out of a 6" revolver, and according to the Hodgdon Reloading Manual this
combination operates at less than 19,000 CUP peak pressure (and so should be
safe in any revolver rated for +P loads). I cast these 358439s nice and soft
(BHN about 8) and they mushroom beautifully at this speed. I have used this load
to take ground squirrels, prairie dogs and jack rabbits, from southern Arizona,
up to Wyoming and Montana, and over through the Pacific Northwest. It is a fine,
fine varmint load, and gives the sixgunner everything that can be reasonably
expected from the .38 Special. This load also shoots well out of snubbies, but
the HP’s need to be cast very soft (e.g. 40-to-1, or softer) to expand much at
snubby velocities.
The .38 Special has been serving society for
well over a century -- teachers, trainers, law enforcement, competitive target
shooters, informal plinkers, security guards, and private citizens of all
shapes, sizes and colors have called upon the timeless .38 Special to serve
their needs. Yes, I am a fan of the .38 Special. One of millions.
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