What's more powerful a 9mm or a 38 special
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion. I say 9mm, but since I'm a girl my friend thought I couldn't be right. He says the 38 is a bigger bullet so it is more powerful.
So what is it 9mm or 38?
So what is it 9mm or 38?
0
-
Cmon...9mm or 38......ill take my 9 with 15 in the clip all day...power? 38//9mm?????? 40 cal 40 cal 40 cal...must i say more...trade umm in[:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by iwannausername
Energy = mass * velocity
Take the 38 125grn load and a 9mm 124 grn load. I'm lazy, so I'll call the weight equal. Then look at the velocities. Note that the 9mm is moving a good bit faster... therefore, more energy.
I think test barrels are typically single shot breech loaders, so no gas loss due to cylinder gap on the 38 listings... so I think in real-world there will be a little more difference.
Also, don't forget that the 9mm was designed as a higher pressure round to begin with, whereas the 38 (ignoring +p for now..) needs to be safe to shoot in older guns. The case certainly has the capacity to outperform the 9mm, but that is why the 357 is just a tad longer than 38 - to keep them out of the low pressure designed guns.
Actually -- Energy = mass * velocity squared
The higher velocity generated in the 9mm will generate much higher energy potential even though the mass of the bullet is smaller in the 9mm as compared to a 38 special.
quote:The 9mm was designed as a higher pressure round to begin with, whereas the 38 (ignoring +p for now..) needs to be safe to shoot in older guns. The case certainly has the capacity to outperform the 9mm, but that is why the 357 is just a tad longer than 38 - to keep them out of the low pressure designed guns.X-Ring0 -
quote:Originally posted by Cutiegirlracing
Can someone explain to me why this is so? If the 9mm and 38 are more of less the same diameter and the 38 is longer. It would seem the 38 has more powder.
I just thought the 9mm is more powerful, because I've shot both and the 9mm always seem to have more than the 38. But I couldn't tell you why.
Could anyone explain this?
The reason is pressure levels. The 9mm is loaded to higher pressure than the 38. Too get the 38 power past the 9mm, you have to jump up to the .357 magnum, which is just a slightly longer case than the 38 case. It was made slightly longer so that it would not fit into 38 guns, thus blowing them up. But as the 38 special is really 357 caliber, and the 357 magnum is 357 caliber, you can shoot 38 specials in a 357 magnum.0 -
Looking back in time.......
in the 1930s, a young man named Elmer Kieth did some exploration into the ultimate potential of the .38 Smith and Wesson Special. He used the large frame Smith revolver for load development.
This became in the vernacular the .38/44 Heavy Duty. It used a standard .38 Special case and soundly trounced ANY 9MM Parabellem loading. This load could still be manufactured, but Smith did not want to run the risk of some yahoo putting it into the older, less strong .38 Spl. revolver.
Soo...they added one tenth inch to the case length, and thus created the pistol without peer - the .357 Smith and Wesson Magnum, in what is now known as the N Frame Model 27.
There is no additional charge for this wonderful and exciting history lesson.
By the way, I have 4 or 5 boxes of .38 Special reloaded ammo which delightfully exceeds .357 Mag specs.
I'll be happy to shoot it against anyone's 9MM P.
Doug
* edited for spelling, only0 -
Out of barrels the same length, the 9mm Luger Parabellum cartridge is more powerful than the .38 Special. The longer the barrel, the more velocity the bullet generates and therefore the more powerful it is, so firing a .38 Special from a snub nose revolver makes it even less powerful.
The top .38 Special load is a 125-grain hollowpoint bullet that generates 351 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
The top 9mm Luger load is a 115-grain hollowpoint bullet that gets 423 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
Between the 9mm and the .38 Special, the 9mm has more one-shot stopping power.
The .357 Magnum is essentially a .38 Special with a longer case that holds more powder. The top .357 Magnum load is a 125-grain hollowpoint that generates 624 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle, making it more powerful than either the 9mm Luger or the .38 Special.
Just for comparison, presently, the most powerful handgun cartridge in the world is the new .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum, which generates a massive 2580 foot-pounds of energy with a 440-grain bullet.0 -
Scott -
Want me to send you a box of my .38 Special reloads to try in your N frame ??
Doug0 -
Yes, but the .38 special is usually fired in a revolver. Some folks can appreciate the fact that the revolver will not "jam" like a semi-auto. Don't get me wrong I would take the 9mm auto if I really had to choose. Glock 17 or Beretta 92FS would be my choices. Just trying to defend both sides since I really like guns.[:D] 0 -
According to you family, neighbors, and ftiends, you would prefer a flame thrower.
Just to add a third side.
Doug0 -
Whatever I can get my hands on. Never had a flame thrower. Closest I came to that was with a can of hairspray and a lighter. Heard that got a guy killed once for doing that to the cops. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Looking back in time.......
in the 1930s, a young man named Elmer Kieth did some exploration into the ultimate potential of the .38 Smith and Wesson Special. He used the large frame Smith revolver for load development.
This became in the vernacular the .38/44 Heavy Duty. It used a standard .38 Special case and soundly trounced ANY 9MM Parabellem loading. This load could still be manufactured, but Smith did not want to run the risk of some yahoo putting it into the older, less strong .38 Spl. revolver.
Soo...they added one tenth inch to the case length, and thus created the pistol without peer - the .357 Smith and Wesson Magnum, in what is now known as the N Frame Model 27.
There is no additional charge for this wonderful and exciting history lesson.
By the way, I have 4 or 5 boxes of .38 Special reloaded ammo which delightfully exceeds .357 Mag specs.
I'll be happy to shoot it against anyone's 9MM P.
Doug
* edited for spelling, only
And what is the recoil of your loads? Pretty stout, I bet. And which revolvers is it safe to shoot in? Large frames, I bet. The hot 9mm loads give you plenty of power for self defense, with reasonable recoil, in a smaller lighter more concealable gun that your reloads would have to be used in, and give you more shots between reloads. I'll take the 9mm over your reloads any day.0 -
A 230 gr. .45ACP has 370 ft pds of energy out of a 5" barrel. 0 -
Why argue about pipsqueak rounds?
Step up (slightly) to the 38Super Auto +P and leave all that nonsense behind you!
Witness makes a nice little autoloader that holds 18 beans, outperforms 9mm/38special, recoil is very manageable, and the gun itself is small enough to be carried undercover/concealed.
Reloads can be made that are on par with the .357 Sig/357 Mag., or as weak as any .38cal. you care to name.0 -
ahh hell just use a slingshot [}:)][:D][:D][:D] 0 -
I like the .38 Super, but she needs a revolver.
Doug0 -
Thanks for all the great replies. I thought the 9mm was more powerful.
I'm not looking for a gun though.
I use to carry a 38 special, until I dropped it in a very big lake.[V][V]
I plan to get another one, but right now I'm making due with a compact 45 glock for carry. It's kind of big even for a purse. I also have a 357 sig, Glock 31 I carry when I'm hiking or atv'ing.
In the house I have a 9mm Beretta next to the front door, a 9mm Glock in an upstairs closet, a 40 HK usp under my pillow. I also have a loaded Mossberg 590 and Colt AR-15 in a safe loaded and ready.
All the pistols are up high upside down in holsters that are mounted to the wall over the inside of closet doors. You have to look up to see them in the closets their in.
This many guns may seem like over kill, but I live alone and I don't have close neighbors. And if I'm going to own guns why not make sure I can use them if I had too. As long as they are they are out of reach of kids why not.0 -
Velocity goes away, bullet mass doesn't. 15 shot autos are for people who can't shoot very well. Wheelgun shooters are better shots so they don't need but 5 or 6. I'll take the 38/357 anyday.
JM[8D]0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
16 comments