different lengths of .38 special rounds

[poppy]

I just cracked open a new box of Remington UMC .38 special fmj 130 gr. As I was putting the rounds in a plastic box holder, I noticed that these cartridges were longer than the Winchester cartridges that were already in the box. The Winchester cartridges were from the Winchester white box, .38 special, 130 gr., fmj. I measured the winchester cartridge which was 1 7/16". I then measured the UMC and it measured 1 9/16". It appears the cartridges of both the win and umc are the same length. The difference appears to be bullet length.

My question-why the difference in length and are these umc's safe to shoot. The handgun is a s&w 642 j-frame.

 

[Leo]

Yes they are safe. .38 spl is a low pressure round. The 130 grain loading is a very light bullet so you will not have much recoil. Different bullet shapes have different OAL, the factory engineers work that out. Even if they look the same outside, one bullet may be flat based, and another may be hollow base or at least dished.

No worries mate.

 

[poppy]

Thanks for the reply, Leo. Actually it is my wife's handgun and I value her safety over my own.