Can you replace a 38 long colt cylinder with 38 special?

E

energak

Inactive
my dad has this old Spanish 38 long colt apache revolver that he wants to fire after having it for a year or so. My question is ...is it possible to replace the long colt cylinder with a 38 special cylinder? Will it fit? Would it need specific tooling ? Cost too much if it is possible ? I'm just curious cuz i don't want him buying and trying to fire bullets that will more than likely ruin the gun ...or worse injure him ....apologies for the novice question but I dont normally do anything with guns and the one I recently bought is nothing like what hes trying to use ...thank you for any help anyone can give
 
Better to just buy some ammunition in the proper caliber.

Ammunition availability right now is a bit tricky, but when things calm down a bit, you should be able to find .38 Long Colt for sale.

That will be a much better solution than trying to change the caliber of the gun which would be expensive and possibly unsafe.
 
Kind of what I figured but thought it was worth asking ....thank you . Does anyone know if they make 38 long colt anymore or am I looking for older stuff from like auctions or something?
 
.38 Long Colt is still catalogued, but I don't know anybody that has it in stock.
Concentrating on defensive calibers like .38 Special and 9mm.

Most of the Spanish revolvers are of low quality. I think a box of ammo would be a lifetime supply.
 
They still make it, but at the moment ammunition availability is problematic and finding any in stock may be difficult for awhile.

If you want something in a hurry, you may have better luck buying some on the secondary market.
 
Bear in mind the cylinder is not the only criteria for strength of a revolver. The frame also takes a beating when fired. And those old Spanish (and Belgian) made guns were made back in the day of milder cartridges.

Don't stress the gun more than absolutely necessary! Either find some .38 Long Colt ammunition, or buy a .38 Special revolver.

Bob Wright
 
Since the 38 Special simply a 38 Long Colt lengthened to hold more power, why not trim 38 Special cases to 38 Long Colt length ? Also are you sure it's a 38 Long Colt and not a 38 S&W?
 
Leaving aside (for now) the differences in the cases, consider this, your dad has an
old Spanish 38 long colt apache revolver
Click to expand...

So, the first problem is finding ANY cylinder that will physically fit in the frame, and then next problem is actually fitting the cylinder in the frame and timing it for safe, reliable operation.

This is NOT a small task, and requires a lot of hand fitting by skilled labor, if it is even possible. The cost of that labor will most likely exceed the value of the gun.

Best if you can get the proper ammo for the gun. Next best is if you can make proper ammo for the gun. Finding and fitting a new cylinder may not be possible. Finding a competent gunsmith willing to do the work might not be possible, either.

Spanish pistols have a history of having very "variable" quality. Some are decent, some are crap.

Have the gun checked by a smith who knows what to check. (don't go to a guy who's only gunsmithing expertise is building ARs from parts ;))

If the smith gives it a clean bill of health, make some ammo suited to the gun, and enjoy shooting it.
 
.38 long colt

This cartridge has 1.031 case length. .38 Special brass can be shortened and loaded with light loads will work, IF the revolver passes a gunsmith inspection.
As stated Spanish revolvers have a huge range of quality, so use a great deal of caution.
 
Isn’t the Apache the gun with brass knuckle handles and folding knife blade? The gun has no barrel it fires from cylinder. I wouldn’t put money into the project. Much easier to find some 38 Colt. Some one at gun show will have a box.
 
If it is one of the many Eibar knuckle duster / gut knife / barreless representations he needs to relegate it to the "Wall Hanger" on a mount and conversation piece that it is.

A picture would be helpful. Otherwise it is in the category of "enter at your own peril".
 
If it is one of the many Eibar knuckle duster / gut knife / barreless representations he needs to relegate it to the "Wall Hanger" on a mount and conversation piece that it is.
Click to expand...
I thought those were all muzzle loaders? I could be way off base though.
 
My Dad had a Belgian made revolver that was double action but looked like a Colt SAA. The frame was made up like a Remington, that is, integral grip straps, removable trigger guard, as in the 1875 Remington. Frame was about the size of a Colt DA Lightning. The barrel was marked "For .38 Colt, .38 S&W, .38 Special." The gun was marked "Cowboy Ranger."

Much to my surprise, all the cartridges mentioned would chamber and fire. The .38 Colt cases did show bulges when fired.

Bob Wright
 
Hal wrote: I thought those were all muzzle loaders?
Click to expand...

I've seen both. Bear in mind that from the late 1800's through the 1920's / 30's there were lots of cottage shops in Spain. Many would be the equivalent of Kyber Pass gunmakers. The term Apache revolver is similar to Ruby semiauto. Even in a true solid frame revolver I would defer to a Qualified Gunsmith to inspect and tell me it is safe to fire even with BP 38LC ammo. That's why I asked the OP for pictures.

Did you ever wonder why S&W revolvers are marked Marca Registrada?
 
Maybe your best bet would be to just have the cylinder reamed out to 38 Special length and then stick to low powered loads like cowboy loads or 38 wad cutter loads.
Click to expand...

I strongly disagree with his approach! Yes, it will work and give you shootable ammo, BUT its a set up for future accident.

Better is to fit the ammo to the gun, not fit a gun to special load ammo you can get.

Trim .38 Spl brass and load to Long Colt levels = good idea
Convert Spanish.38 Long Colt gun to .38 Special = bad idea

IF, at some point the gun passes out of your control, leaving it in the original chambering changes nothing, harms no one. Changing to .38 Special MIGHT create a situation (however unlikely it seems now) where someone unknowingly puts in a hot .38Spl that then gun might not handle.

Since both methods give you a gun you can shoot, it seems prudent to me to use the method that doesn't potentially create a trap for someone else.

Modify ammo to fit the limits of the gun, don't modify the gun.

Did you ever wonder why S&W revolvers are marked Marca Registrada?
Click to expand...

The large trademark on the side is so that quality S&W revolvers could be instantly and easily visually identified from the numerous Spanish revolvers of questionable quality that were being imported in large numbers at the time.
 
44 AMP said:
I strongly disagree with his approach! Yes, it will work and give you shootable ammo, BUT its a set up for future accident.
Click to expand...
Big +1.

Changing a gun so it's only safe to use with special low powered loads is a future accident waiting to happen. This is especially true with early Spanish revolvers, some of which weren't safe to shoot even with their original loads. 38 Long Colt was originally a black powder cartridge. Modifying a questionable gun to accept a much hotter smokeless load is asking for trouble.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top