The usual .38 version that shoots both .38 Special and .38 S&W were British Victory M&P's originally chambered in .38 S&W (British .38/200) and in the post war years had their chambers bored out to accommodate the longer .38 Special cartridge. Cogswell and Harrison did a large number of these. They often have upgraded sights and grips too. The problem comes when the .38 Special cartridges are fired in these re-chambered guns. The rear of the cases expand to fill the .38 S&W portion of the chamber. The cases look quite swollen, almost a bottle neck. This also weakens the brass, particularly on nickel plated case, with resizing if you reload. Accuracy also suffered a bit as a .357/.358 bullet went through a .359/.361 bore.

On the other hand .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colts can safely and accurately be fired in .38 Special and .357 Mag guns. Cases and bullets are the same diameter as .38 Special and .357 Mag. The Colt cases are just shorter, the bullets lighter, the ammo more expensive and also harder to find. Magtech makes a .38 Special SHORT if you're looking for a soft recoiling round that's a cheaper and easier to find alternative to the Colt rounds. MidwayUSA usually has them.

Best Regards,
ADP3