Interesting video, but why have that darn website address right where we need to see stuff? Why not put it at the top or something, if you really need to keep it there for the whole video? I have a feeling those cylinders etc might have been interesting if only we could see them through the lettering. Maybe most people dont feel that way though.
I'm a relatively new shooter, and am also interested in history. I really enjoy this kind of video - I always learn something. I appreciate folks taking the time to put this kind of thing together. Thanks a lot.
William Johnson I really want to start target shooting but I can't due to the gun control laws in Puerto Rico you have to be 21 to own any gun and buy multiples stuff hell even go to court and wait 120 days to get another permit plus the gun it really sucks since I'm studying puertorican and caribean history and learned a lot about the guns used during nationalists revolutions here and the weaponry they used
I've been shooting guns for about 30 years, and even i was a little confused on this topic. Thanks for straightening it out. Im sure you saving the lives, or least the body-parts, (fingers, eyes, etc) of at lease a few people, by making this video.
Hi Dave, thanks for the video. I recently got a hold of a old 38 iver johnson hinged revolver along with a bunch of the larger diameter ammo. My question is can you suggest a newer police issue 38 that still shoots standard 38's ?
Is the 38 S&W the same case as the British 38 with a different bullet? What is the thickness of the 38 S&W rim? Is it the same, thinner or thicker than the 38 Special? Is the primer the same? Thanks!
Cora Hollon: You may be thinking of the S&W "Victory Model". It is a S&W revolver of the hand ejector series in the K frame size, but chambered for .38 S&W. It looks - with good reason - like the much later Model 10 in .38 Special. Many were made for manufacturing security or sold to the British Army (the British used a different loading of the same case). When those were sold as 'surplus' - like a lot of military equipment after the war - some of them were rechambered to .38 Special. This was safe in the sense of not blowing up, but is hard on the cases. By the way, the model numbers of S&W revolvers did not exist until about 1957 or so.
You could shoot wax bullets pressed into a .38 special case in a .38 S&W. My dad used to prime, powder and press a wax bullet into a .38 case, then we would shoot Sears catalogs from the living room into the kitchen which is about 10 yards or so. That was a lot of fun, until mom would complain about the cordite smell.
Hello Dave quick question.I just purchase a Taurus M605. I was told I can shoot 357 Magnum & 38 special +P. I bought Regular .38 special. Can I use this ammo even though it not +P
Thank U so much, I just inhered This S&W pistol in your video and it has a old box of 38 S&W 146 grain lead bullets. I am so glad I watched this video and saw the difference between the two rds. I and my wife have several Revolvers Including some Colt Pythons and never gave it a thought not to run 38 Special in this gun. Lucky for me I saw your video while looking for a serial number breakdown to see when this gun was made. I need to clean the rust spots off of it and give it a good cleaning first. I will look for a box of 38 S&W thanks to you for that! can I call S&W and find out how old this gun actually is? thanks again.
A few years ago I got an old revolver, an Iver Johnson cadet in 38, from a gun store that went out of business in Wilmington Illinois at what is now Faletti Plaza. The gun was labeled 38 SPL on the sales tag but the gun only had 38 on it, (no mention of Colt, S&W or anything else on the gun), but I knew it was not 38 Special, so asked the guy for a box of what it really shot, and he sold me a box of 38 Colt short. It fit in the cylinder rather loosely but seemed to fire accurately enough, but the brass was too tight after firing and seemed to be a little blown out. I have since found out it was in reality 38 S&W so have ordered a couple boxes of it.
I wanted to know if I could shoot 38 sw in a 38 spl for low impact shooting practice for kids? I was given an old Iver Johnson 38 sw and 3 boxes of ammo.
Thankyou...I have an S&W M&P K-Frame S series x 6" in 38 Special from 1947. I wondered if a lighter cartridge was available 'cause the gun is an heirloom and has not had two boxes of 38 Special thru it and probably won't ever shoot it again, but just wondered if the 38 S&W was a choice. Now, what was the upshot of the 308 that was deforming the standard cartridge? I shot Expert with a .308 (7.62x51) at Fort Ord in 1965....The Great M-14...Also shot Expert with the 1911 45 ACP 'cause I packed one as a Medic...
Thanks for your informative video. I spent quite a while searching for definitive data on the obscure cartridges, 38 S&W; 38 Short and Long Colt; that greatly influenced more modern cartridges such as 38 S&W Special and 357 Remington Magnum. However, I found several references that indicated the older 38s mentioned above were .361 diameter while others indicated they were all .357 diameter. Frustrated! Can you or your readers advise me of a definitive online reference for handgun cartridges?
This may be too late to help, however, the single best reference (of which I know) is originally by Frank C. Barnes and continued by several others. This cartridge and several other 'alias' names are shown.
I recently inherited a number of Colt Pistols, mostly revolvers. They came without ammunition. One was a Police Positive with a 4 inch barrel. I knew my 38 Special wouldn't fit. The gun was engraved with .38 on the barrel. From the serial number I learned it was made in 1926. I thought it might be a 38 Long Colt. I got out my reloading manuals and caliper and determined it was a 38 S&W. I had a similar problem with a Colt US Army Model 1909 45. The serial numbers didn't reveal anything but i could see that it had started life with a different serial number that was buffed out and only barely visible under certain light. That number revealed nothing either. I wasn't sure if I had a 45 Long Colt or if it had been modified to accept 45 ACP with moon clip, essentially making it a Model 1917. After more research and measuring, I decided it was a 45 Long Colt. Great video, by the way. We need more like them.
Awesome video it helps to explain to my uncle the difference between the two. What is your opinion on using a 38 Smith & Wesson caliber revolver for home protection
Surprised that people don't research ammo when buying older weapons. I have an old 925 and I've had it for years. Before i bought it I educated myself on safety and ammo costs. (There are known safety issues with the cylinder hinges so mine gets a safety check occasionally.) Knowledge is a must!
You should probably also mention that a lot of WWII "victory" Smiths came back here. They were chambered for 38-200 which is simply a 38 S&W with a 200 gr bullet. Many of these re-imports were bored out to accept the 38 Special. Safe enough to fire since it was a Special frame, but the cases bulge a bit and can't be reloaded.
@bert smith - The 38-200 has a 0.361 bore. The 38 Special is 0.357. Using a barrel from a 38-200 is certainly feasible. The only thing that might be an issue is less accuracy than you might wish for. If you reload, a hollow based bullet will generally expand enough when fired to eliminate that difference. But it is feasible to use such a barrel with the usual caveat that the barrel is in good and sound condition.
@bert smith - Definitely have a gunsmith do the work if you have never tackled such a project. The barrels of older Smith revolvers are pressure fitted AND pinned. Sometimes the shoulder of the barrel needs to be filed or trimmed a hair so the sights line up correctly. And without the correct jig, the frame can be bent out of shape. Sounds like an interesting project. Good luck.
Good nigth sr, i have a Warnant revolver, Belgium. It`s a break top gun, 6 shots, .38 S&W caliber. I have only 6 rounds cuz it`s very hard to find this ammo where i live. Some people told me i can use 38 SPL wadcutter but i dont think so. I mean, 38 SPL is 1 milimiter diameter less than 38 S&W but has more powder and can destroy the frame and/or hurt me. I am right? Thanks for answer.
I am looking for some cartidge that I can load into my 38/357 modern gun that is shorter than .38 special. I just looked in my Lee load manual and came to the same conclusion you presented. What can I do fro shorter .38 Special?
Got a deal once on an old revolver that the seller said was chambered for 38S&W, turned out it was 38 Special. Bought it on consignment at the local gunsmith- don't know who or how long it had been misidentified. Was part of an estate sale. Was in new condition.
I've had a love affair with the 357 platform for 40 years and never entertained anything but 38 special & 357 loads. So, this is a very interesting topic to me... Thank you for taking the time.
The .38 S&W Special was a lengthened version of the .38 Long Colt and was a black powder cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1899 with the S&W Military & Police Hand Ejector Model of 1899. It was loaded with a 158 grain round nose lead bullet. Development probably began in 1898, but it did not hit the market until 1899. In 1902 Colt introduced the .38 Colt Special, which was identical to the .38 S&W Special, except that it used a 158 grain flat point bullet loaded over a smokeless powder charge. Eventually the S&W version got smokeless powder instead of black, and the round became commonly known simply as the ".38 Special" After WWII, many surplus Victory model revolvers, originally chambered in .38 S&W had their chambers reamed out to accept .38 Special, and sold by mail order. Presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald used one such revolver to kill Officer JD Tippet after he fled the Texas School Book Depository. These conversions basically ruined the guns for either caliber. .38 Special cartridges are not supported along their full length and the cases are subject to case splitting. .38 S&W cartridges are to loose in the chamber, also leading to potential case splitting.
.38 Special is not a lengthened .38 Colt Long. .38 Colt is .375 diameter barrel groove diameter and bullet diameter. .38 Special is .357 or .358. A .357 diameter bullet just rattles down the bore of a .38 Colt Long and accuracy is terrible.
I am no expert, but from other videos I have seen, no, you do not want to shoot smokeless through a blackpowder gun. It has something to do with the burn rate of the powder and the way the pressure develops as the powder burns. Maybe there is a way to handload a cartridge to safely use smokeless but that is beyond my expertise.
You needed to do closeup of the guns and cartridges, the website address covered the view and I really couldn't see what was going on. Try not to do that again or re-do this video.
Thanks. So years ago I had a 6.5mm Carcano and shot a round out of it and it jammed. I looked at the ammo and the gun shop mislabeled it. It was 6.5mm Japanees
Whole new can of worms. The 6.5x52mm Carcano, the 6.5x50mm Arisaka (Japanese), the 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schonauer and the 6.5x53.5mm Dutch/Romanian Mannlicher have nearly identical dimensions in the body of the case and very similar bore diameters. They do have different rims. By and large, they have similar velocities and similar pressures. But it isn't - as you noticed - good to interchange them willy nilly.
Keep in mind that .38SW is NOT interchangeable with .38 Colt. The cases differ in diameter and could lead to split cartridge cases which could be dangerous.
I put a 38 SW inside a 38 special and it fit but was real real snug in the chamber. I was scared to shoot it in case it ruined the gun or blew up in my hand. But if a 38 sw cartridge fit perfectly into a 38 special, will it to harm to the pistol if fired???
.38 S&W is slightly larger in base diameter than the .38 Special/.357 Magnum round. So it will not chamber IF the .38 S&W round is made exactly to the dimensions specified AND the revolver is chambered exactly to the specified dimensions of the more powerful cartridge. However, manufacturing tolerances being what they are, the sum of a very slightly loose chamber and a slightly small cartridge will result in the round chambering and firing. And that firing of a .38 S&W round in a .38 Special/.357 Magnum chamber is - if anything - disappointing. The .361" diameter lead bullet in the .357/.358" bore is at most .004" difference and will not be noticed. The other way around can be problematic, maybe. The older top break revolvers will not handle the pressure. The good news is, with the shorter cylinder, often the longer cartridges will protrude from the front of cylinder and prevent the revolver from closing and firing. That isn't an absolute guarantee. Shooter discretion is advised. For fun, check out the cartridge called ".380/200". Interesting.
In my opinion the 38 sw was meant to be an improvement on the various 32 rim and centerfire rounds. it seems to be a 38 long Colt competitor. most of those top break 38 SW guns would not handle the 38 spl pressures. That .360 bullet dia is the problem for me as I have a gun (colt) in 38 long colt. I use hollow base 38 spl bullets in it with some success
You forgot to mention that 38 S&W came in black powder rounds and smokeless, and if you have just a black powder gun it is not safe to use the smokeless even though they are the same size exactly. Great video, but you just forgot to mention that point.
I don't like too say incompetent. In the last some years, I've seen 270 fired in an 3006, 45acp ham jammed into 45 colt, a 243WW crushed into a 223. Just the weekend, I saw a guy fire an 870 without the magazine bbl retention nut. I've gotta stop here, or it's the boot for another 24hr.......MCRC.
38sw is probably one of the most underpowered rounds I have ever used. I have an old US revolver 38sw and it literally will not even make it through a metal side of a computer or a rubber self sealing target. At 7 yards it bounces off of both.
I wouldn't underestimate the .38 s&w caliber because It will blast straight through thick peanut aluminum tin cans not the thin soda cans Im talking about here and at 15 yards and under it will kill a human being for sure !!! And don't forget the police did use this formidable caliber at one time and it's all about shot placement anyway to put any bad guys down !!!! If you're looking for a straight shooting, accurate as heck and a lot less recoil then this caliber will do the trick and is a joy to shoot !!!!
This is why I like You Tube. I have never had anybody confuse those two cartridges but it is a good piece of info to salt away. Thanks for watching Dave
.32 ACP and .32 S&W are two different cartridges. They are both rather short - nearly the same length - and the same bore diameter. But two different cartridges. In many revolvers chambered for .32 S&W, the .32 ACP will chamber and fire. (The .32 ACP is a 'semi-rimmed' case and has just enough rim to headspace on the cylinder.) I would be very leery of firing the .32 ACP in a top break revolver. The swing out cylinder types should be no problem. The .32 S&W shouldn't fit in a .32 ACP magazine and shouldn't chamber either, due to the rim being grossly over sized for such action.
The .38S&W is the standard .38 Caliber Cartridge and .38Spl and .38Spl, +P are variants of that Cartridge, with the .38Spl being the lowest velocity and the .38Spl+P being highest in velocity. Then there's .38Spl+P+ which is not recommended in Smith & Wesson Handguns. You also, have the .38Super, for the 1911 Semi-Auto and several other .38 Caliber variants.
I shoot magnums, and do not think the 38 Special is anemic. It is a fine self defense and field round - the issue is the poor training people get - shooting center mass is ignorance, you shoot heart lung, and no one is going to stand long with a 38 Semi Wadcutter in their heart lung area.
What 's really sad or bad is when someone on the tube shoots a minimal amt. of .38spec +p ammo out of an vintage Smith& Wesson .38 special only caliber and blows up in his hand and then wonders why it happened !!!! Damn stupid idiot and lack of commonsense of that guy and expects his viewers to have sympathy for his idiotic mistake in shooting non rated ammo out of a old gun not rated for +p ammo !!!!
