The 38 Special revolver cartridge is one of the most popular handgun cartridges available for self-defense.
Here are several ballistic charts from a few different ammunition manufacturers to help you pick out some good options for training and for self-defense.
Federal Premium:
This 38 Special ballistics chart shows 148 grain Federal Premium Gold Medal Lead Wadcutter Match rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 690 | 648 | 609 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 156 | 138 | 122 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -4.3 |
Our next 38 SPL ballistic chart shows 158 grain Federal Train and Protect rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 830 | 816 | 802 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 242 | 233 | 226 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -2.3 |
This 38 Special ballistic chart shows 110 grain Federal Premium Hydra Shok Low Recoil rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 980 | 943 | 911 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 235 | 217 | 203 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -1.5 |
Remington:
The below 38 Special ballistic chart shows 158 grain Remington Wheel Gun Performance Lead Semi-Wadcutter rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 755 | 739 | 723 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 200 | 191 | 183 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -3.1 |
This next ballistics chart for 38 SPC shows 130 grain Remington UMC FMJ rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 800 | 787 | 775 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 185 | 179 | 174 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -2.6 |
The below 38 Special ballistic table shows 158 grain Remington UMC Handgun lead round nose rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 755 | 739 | 723 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 200 | 191 | 183 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -3.1 |
Hornady:
This 38 Special ballistics chart shows 90 grain Hornady Critical Defense FTX Lite rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 1200 | 1103 | 1032 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 288 | 243 | 213 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -0.3 |
The below 38 SPL ballistic chart shows 110 grain Hornady Critical Defense FTX rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 1010 | 972 | 939 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 249 | 231 | 215 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -0.8 |
Our last 38 SPC ballistics table shows 125 grain XTP American Gunner rounds.
| Muzzle | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 900 | 877 | 856 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 225 | 214 | 203 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -1.3 |
Check out our 357 Magnum page, next.