DCman, Please, ignore the few bad manners, and try to sort out the reliable information. It's obvious from your original question you wish to obtain a semiauto pistol in 38 caliber, but you're not familiar with all the various calibers that fall into the ".38" caliber category. The actual bore groove diameter for most modern 38 caliber guns(with the exception of a couple of older semi-obsolete rounds) is actually .357 inch. Beginning with the fairly low powered .380 auto cartridge.
The semiauto guns mentioned for the 38 special were true target guns designed for the low powered full wadcutter target loads and would not be suitable as a defensive weapon. There are only a few semiauto cartridges with a ".38" caliber designation. Probably because the much more popular 9mm family falls into nearly the same bore size with a .355/356 nominal bore groove diameter. This expands you selection to a myriad of "38" caliber semiauto pistols. The most popular being the 9mm Luger...aka 9X19...aka 9mm parabellum....all one and the same. The European designation of the .380 is actually 9mm corte(spelling may not be correct). There are several 9mm semiauto calibers to choose from, and most of them fall into the lower price ranges. Several low cost guns have been imported for the 9mm Largo, and the 9X18 Makarov round(.362 dia.). The hottest 9mm round is probably the newer 9X23 round introduced a few years ago, but it never gained much popularity. There are several more 9mm/38 cartridges available, but the ones mentioned here are the most common and should give you something to explore and determine your own needs. Happy hunting!