Craig Boddington was the senior contributing editor of our modern gun and ammunition caliber dictionary. Craig was involved in the development and testing of many of these and writes from first hand experience. This dictionary was written exclusively for Wholesale Hunter with unique information found nowhere else.
GUN CALIBER DICTIONARY
Handgun
38 Special +P
The 38 Special +P uses the standard 38 Special 1.1551-inch case with .357-inch bullet, but is loaded to higher pressure (18,500 psi versus 17,000) than standard 38 Special ammunition. 38 Special +P ammunition is thus fully interchangeable with 38 Special ammunition. However, it is not necessarily safe to use 38 Special +P in older revolvers and especially revolvers with lightweight aluminum frames. 38 Special +P offers increased velocity and greater energy yield, raising velocity with a 158-grain bullet from 800 to 890 feet per second. With modern bullet designs 38 Special +P is an extremely effective personal defense load. — Craig Boddington