History of the .380 and .38 SPL

.38 Special

When the .38 Special was initially introduced in 1898, it was believed that the round would quickly fade into obscurity. However, as time has shown, it has become one of the most widely produced rounds available. This can be attributed to its exceptionally low recoil and user-friendly shooting experience, making it popular among novice shooters. Originally loaded with approximately 21 grams of black powder, the .38 Special was considered an improvement over the .38 Long Colt.

Contrary to its name, the .38 Special round measures .357 inches in length, with the “38” referring to the diameter of the loaded casing. Initially, the .38 Special was primarily issued to military personnel, but it didn’t take long for police departments to adopt it as standard issue as well. It was expected that with the advent of new technologies, the .38 Special would become obsolete.

However, the development of the .357 Magnum in the 1930s played a significant role in the continued production of the .38 Special. Essentially, the .357 Magnum was created by lengthening the case of the .38 Special, allowing for the chambering of .38 Special rounds in a .357 Magnum firearm. Many enthusiasts of the .357 Magnum today still shoot .38 Special rounds for this reason alone. This ensures that the .38 Special will remain in circulation for many more years to come.

.380

Despite being often considered too small for self-defense, the .380 Auto round, also known as .380 ACP, has earned a significant place in history. John Browning, while designing the .45 round, also created the .380 Auto round during the same period. In 1908, Colt introduced this round as a low-recoil alternative for early blowback pistols. Due to its low recoil, the slide and recoil spring absorb most of the force upon firing.

The .380 Auto round has been used in various wartime scenarios, particularly by the Germans and Italians. It is even said to be the round that sparked the beginning of World War 1 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. During the early 20th century, the .380 Auto gained immense popularity among military and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

However, with the increasing popularity of the 9mm round, many departments transitioned from using the .380 Auto as their primary weapon to using it as a secondary or concealed backup. Its continued popularity today is largely attributed to its compact size, which allows for easy concealment. It is worth noting that when “Defense Distributed” 3D printed a firearm for the “Wiki Weapon” project, they chose the .380 caliber.

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