.38 Special

The iconic Smith & Wesson .38 Special is a popular revolver with a long and storied history. This classic revolver has played a significant role in the history of firearms. The weapon resulted from the work of a team of engineers and designers at the Smith & Wesson firearms company, which included Douglas B. Wesson, the son of the company's co-founder.

They introduced the new revolver in 1899 as a successor to the Smith & Wesson .32 Hand Ejector model. The .38 Special was designed to be a more powerful cartridge than the .32, and it quickly became popular with law enforcement and military personnel.

Behaviour & construction

The .38 Special is known for its reliability and accuracy and is generally easy to handle and shoot. It is a double-action revolver designed for use as a self-defence and law enforcement weapon. It has a six-round cylinder and fires a relatively powerful .38 Special cartridge, a popular self-defence choice due to its powerful calibre and good stopping power.

The revolver has a smooth, easy-to-pull trigger allowing for quick and accurate shot placement and adjustable sights for fine-tuning the aim. The gun is made of high-quality materials such as stainless steel for the barrel and cylinder and aluminium or stainless steel for the frame. Its lightweight and compact design makes it easy to carry and handle.

Fields of use

The .38 Special has been widely adopted by law enforcement and military personnel as a sidearm, especially in the early 20th century, due to its accuracy, reliability, and good stopping power. The revolver has undergone numerous design updates and improvements, but it has remained in use of police forces in many countries. It is popular with civilian shooters for target practice, plinking, and self-defence. The weapon is widely available and relatively inexpensive, making it a popular choice for recreational shooting.

Interesting facts

The Smith & Wesson .38 Special has appeared in several movies and TV shows. It is a popular choice for film and television due to its iconic status and widespread audience recognition. Some notable movies where the weapon can be seen include The Magnificent Seven, Tombstone, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Django Unchained, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Unforgiven, Heat, The Departed, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Scarface, Goodfellas, Casino, The Untouchables, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, The Wild Bunch, Bonnie and Clyde, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Great Silence, A Fistful of Dynamite, The Big Lebowski, The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Get Carter, The Killer Elite, Point Blank, Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact, The Dead Pool, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket.

The Smith & Wesson .38 Special has also appeared in several video games: Call of Duty, Battlefield, Far Cry, Halo, Gears of War, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Sniper Elite, Sniper Ghost Warrior, Payday, Left 4 Dead, Metro, Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, Deus Ex, Battlefield Hardline, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 and Tom Clancy's.

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