No
The short answer is no. The longer answer is, you might be able to get a .40 caliber cartridge to fire from a .45 caliber gun, but it may damage the gun, and even if it doesn't damage the gun, it will cause other problems. In general (with only a few exceptions) you should never try to fire any cartridge in any gun other than a gun designed for that caliber.
.40 S&W cartridge, bullet diameter = .401" .380 ACP cartridge, bullet diameter = .355-.356" .32 ACP cartridge, bullet diameter = .311 - .312"
The correct term is cartridge, not bullet- and the answer will depend on WHICH .40 caliber pistol.
Size and relative power. A .40 caliber bullet is .40 of an inch and the entire cartridge is 28.8 millimeters long. A .50 caliber (handgun) bullet is .50 of an inch and the entire cartridge is 40.99 millimeters long. The .50 caliber has more powder, more velocity, and more muzzle energy.
Caliber means the diameter of the bullet. A .40 caliber cartridge has a bullet that is .40 inches in diameter. A 9mm cartridge has a bullet that is 9 millimeters in diameter. Yup...reminds me of Joe the Human Cannonball at the circus...Poor Joe died but they couldn't find a replacement of his caliber.
I'm not real familiar with the 38-40, but based on what I looked up, I'm going to say no. The 38-40 cartridge uses a .40 caliber bullet, which means the chamber in a 38-40 handgun would be too large in diameter to properly/safely hold the .38 special.
40 cal ACP (not CAP) is the same as 40 cal. S&W. ACP refers to 'automatice cartridge pistol' wheras S&W refers to Smith and Wesson, who also make the 40 cal. cartridge....
If you mean how heavy is the bullet in a .40 caliber cartridge, the answer is, it ranges from about 150 grains to about 180 grains.
Yes
The .40 caliber bullet is a little larger in diameter and is a little heavier (under most circumstances). The .40 will usually have more powder, velocity, and muzzle energy. Also, the .40 is designed for use in a semi-automatic and the .38 is a revolver cartridge.
When referring to the .40 caliber cartridge, SW always stands for Smith and Wesson, regardless of the brand of the gun, because the .40 S&W cartridge was designed by Smith and Wesson. The offical name of the cartridge is .40 S&W, just like the official name of the .45 is .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol). People have a habit of leaving off things they don't think are important, so the .40 S&W is commonly called just "40."
.40 Smith & Wesson is a 10x22mm cartridge, whereas the .45 ACP would measure 11.65x23 in metric measurements. The .45 is a larger round, and also a much slower round.