.38 S&W short cartridge question

C

chupps

New member
A friend just bought some .38 S&W short cartridges, confusing them with .38 special. Now he wants to use this as an excuse to buy a handgun chambered for them. My advice was sell that ammo even at a loss.

Can you even find newer handgun chambered for a .38 short?

Any thoughts?
 
Your friend is screwed, blued, and tattooed. 38 S&W is an old obsolete incompatible round that won't chamber in a 38 special unless that special has an especially loose chmaber.
 
Used to be able to buy ammunition for it but since the panic, I haven't seen anything on the shelves here. We have hoarders in my area who buy everything in sight.
 
No newer Revolvers made for the 38 S&W cartridge that I'm aware of, it originally came about over 145 years ago. There were revolvers made for that cartridge by Colt, Iver Johnson, and Smith & Wesson, I believe as late as the 1960's.

So your friend can either buy one of those (for instance Colt Police Positive) that was chambered for the 38 S&W if he wanted, or he could sell the ammo. There is still demand for the 38 S&W cartridge by people who have older revolvers in their collections. Before Covid hit, it was being manufactured again by a couple of manufacturers because of that demand. But like other cartridges, its become hard to find again.

I have an almost 140 year old Smith & Wesson 3rd Model Double Action that my Dad passed down to me a couple of years before he died, It was made in 1886 and chambered in 38 S&W. Its a top break revolver, and because of the latching mechanism, that latching mechanism is its known weakness.

Fortunately it hasn't been a problem with this one, and I dont shoot it either. But my Dad use to shoot it and I shot it with him a couple of different times over the years. It's been in the family and passed down from generation to generation, and it has endured the test of time.

Because they made so many of them, its not worth a whole lot. But the value of it to me goes deeper than monetary. Here's a pic of the 3rd Model Double Action. I also collect Morgan silver dollars of the same time period, so I included a few of them as props in the photo.
 
I'll have to go back and look in the book, but I believe H&R made .38 S&W topbreaks until the 1980s. IDK if I'd buy one tho, I don't see what .38 S&W does that .32 S&W Long doesn't.

If your friend really, really wants to shoot that ammo, they could get a .38 Special shotgun adapter and ream out the chamber so the .38 S&W will fit.
 
Your best luck it to find an old S&W lend lease or Victory model. A lot of these were .38 S&W and are very well made. Used to be common but prices keep climbing and they are getting harder to find. Plus a bunch were reamed for 38 special. You would want to avoid that.
 
Never shot one, but reloaded for 2 or 3 at one time. Still have a few of those rounds left. One, a top break, was so loose, that a mid range 38 S&W load would cause it to pop open. I should find someone who needs those dies, as they sure aren't worn out!
 
Bullet is supposed to be .360, but .358 has worked well in my S&W Revolvers.
You might look for a Regulation Police S&W. 5 shot, 4in bbl. Really fun guns.
I got my load data from a number 8, Speer manual.
 
Its the .38 Smith & Wesson. Period. Not "short" or "long" or "Special", just .38 S&W. It was developed on its own, not from the existing .38 Long or Short rounds. The case body is larger in diameter. It should not fit in .38 Special chambers, BUT tolerances in guns and ammunition mean that sometimes, it does.

The .38 S&W was adopted by Great Britain as their service revolver round after WWI, replacing the .455 Webley. The British originally loaded it with a 200gr bullet and called it the .38/200 or the .380 revolver. Later they changed the load to a lighter bullet. This round was the primary service round during WWII (the older .455s also served but were not the primary pistol) until England went to the 9mm Parabellum after WWII.

Most often seen today in either British milsurp revolvers or older US made top breaks, there were also scads of S&W solid frame revolvers made for England during WWII, in .38 S&W, many of which made it back to the US civilian market after the war.

I don't see what .38 S&W does that .32 S&W Long doesn't
Click to expand...

fires larger, heavier bullets than the .32, and is the proper cartridge for literally millions of Enfields, Webleys, S&Ws, Iver Johnsons, H&Rs and many other makers guns in .38 S&W.

Can you even find newer handgun chambered for a .38 short?
Click to expand...

I doubt it. Nothing new made in .38 Short or .38 Long for a long time. .38 S&W is neither of those. And nothing new in .38S&W for some time now, either.
 
Depends on your definition of newer...

They were common through about WW2 and made in very limited quantities for a while after that.

You can still find guns in good condition with a little looking. Gunbroker has the common Smitha and Wesson Victory models going for around $300 to $500 depending on condition and Colt Police Positives for a bit more.

You used to be able to find antique S&W break tops in the $100 to $200 range about 10 years ago. The guns were an outdated design but the fit and finish on those old guns was actually really good. Mechanically they didn't stand up to abuse very well so an in person inspection was a good idea.
 
I have a very nice Smith & Wesson Victory model in 38 S&W, and a Smith 1 1/2 single action, breaktop. I had a lot of 38 S&W ammunition, because for years, it seemed every junk box from an auction had a box or two in it. Some of it was still black powder load, but most is high speed, Lubaloy, smokeless powder, which I couldn’t shoot in my Smith 1 1/2. So I bought the Victory model, which is a model 10 frame.
Privi and Fiocci makes new 38 S&W ammunition.
 
The Enfield No. 2 Mk 1 and the Webley Mark IV are chambered in 38 S&W-or 38/200 if you prefer. In my reloading days I found an HBWC over 2.7 grains of Bullseye in 38 S&W made for pleasant shooting.
 
The last Colt Police Positives in .38 S&W (.38 Colt New Police) were built after WW2. 1947 or so.
S&W didn't discontinue the Terrier, later Model 32, and the Regulation Police, Model 33 until the 70s
Both are really good Revolvers most people overlook.
Ammo is a problem, but it is easy to reload for.
 
There are older revolvers out there that are chambered in 38 S & W that aren't that hard to find. Can't speak as to available commercial ammo - but dies and brass can be found if he wants to reload. For a 38/357 - you use a .358 mold. For a 38 S & W you use a .360 mold. NOE and others make molds that will work. Nothing special about reloading 38 S & W - just as ezy pesy as 38 special.
 
38S&W revolvers by H&R and IJ are not hard to find. 38S&W is more expensive that 38sp and is harder to come by. I’m sure you could deal it off at a show against 38sp at boot in your favor. Last I saw was $42 at Cabelas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top