"I've been wondering why did they stop making (or do they still make .38s) and went to .38 special? I know that .38 special is gonna pack more punch but did the .38 just not have any power at all."
The .38 S&W was one of the very early black powder centerfire revolver cartridges, dating back to 1876. It was originally intended for a new generation of compact pocket model revolvers, and was ideal for that purpose. The .38 S&W was extremely popular for many years, and many different revolvers from many different manufacturers were in wide use all over the world because it provided a lot of power in a small concealable package. It still does. At one time police departments all over the country used both Colt and S&W revolvers chambered in .38 S&W, and considered them entirely adequate for that purpose.
It wasn't until the early 20th Century that the .38 Special cartridge and revolvers for it were developed to fulfill a military need for a more powerful sidearm. Its superiority over the .38 S&W cartridge was soon recognized, and by the 1920s revolvers in .38 Special had largely replaced those in .38 S&W in police service. However, note that between WWI and WWII, the British Commonwealth adopted the .38 S&W as their official military revolver cartridge. Millions of .38 S&W revolvers of several designs (including the S&W Military and Police revolver) were used by them all over the world during WWII, continuing into the 1950s.
For much of its history up until today, the .38 S&W cartridge has been loaded with smokeless powder to the old black powder ballistics levels. This because enormous numbers of revolvers made during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were still in circulation and due to their weak design would be unsafe if .38 S&W cartridges were to be loaded more powerfully. In a more modern solid frame revolver, the .38 S&W cartridge can be loaded more heavily by handloaders to nearly reach .38 Special ballistics levels. Of course, for legal liability reasons ammunition manufacturers cannot do this. One (Buffalo Bore) does produce a more powerful loading of the .38 S&W , but with the warning that it cannot be used in the old top break revolvers.
The .38 S&W cartridge is still loaded today, but it is not very popular. Therefore most retailers no longer stock it, and it is somewhat difficult to find. But if you are a handloader and have some more modern solid frame guns in that caliber, it's fully satisfactory for about any defensive use.
