Can you shoot a S&W 38 in a 38 Special gun?

M

markofkane

New member
I have a box of Winchester S&W 38's. It was bought probably several years ago. (the price back then was about $11 for 100 cartridges) It does not say "special". I just want to make sure that it's safe to shoot in a S&W 38 special revolver. I am assuming that the 38 special cartridge is longer, and these are shorter, but should be safe to use. Am I right?
 
They`ll be safe but mite not hit where ya aim !

Be sure they got enuff umphh to exit the muzzle also ;)

There hard to find in some places ,someone may make ya a trade.
 
Chances are they simply won't fit in the .38 Special cylinder.

The .38 S&W uses a fatter case and a slightly larger bullet than the .38 Special.

If your chambers are sloppy, or if the cases are undersized, and you can fit them into your gun, yes, you can shoot them.

You may get leading from the larger bullet, but the .38 S&W operates at significantly less pressure than the .38 Special.
 
With all of $11 into the ammo, I wouldn't think the hassle of removing leading, or a squibbed round, would be worth it.

I'd either sell the ammo, or find an old S&W or Iver Johnson revolver in .38S&W...
 
The .38 S&W uses a fatter case and a slightly larger bullet than the .38 Special... If... you can fit them into your gun, yes, you can shoot them.
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+1, however here's my take on it whenever this topic comes up.

.38S&W uses a 0.361"-caliber bullet, whereas .38Spl uses a 0.357"-caliber bullet. Although .38S&W is technically oversize, the 0.004" difference is very small.

Most commercial .38S&W is loaded with RN bullets made of very soft lead similar to that often used for .22LR. These bullets are generally safe to fire through a 0.357"-caliber barrel because the soft lead readily "snugs down" to fit through the undersize bore. Although this causes a slight pressure spike, the cartridge operates at such low pressure that it's unlikely to damage any quality modern firearm; .38S&W is only loaded about as hot as a .38Spl "mouse phart" wadcutter. (In fact, S&W reportedly built most of their postwar swing-out cylinder .38S&W revolvers with 0.357"-caliber barrels to simplify parts inventories.)

THAT SAID...

Vintage British military ammo and a few vintage commercial loads used FMJ bullets. I would NOT recommend firing these bullets through a 0.357"-caliber gun because the copper jackets are harder than lead and may cause squibs. If you insist on doing it, watch and listen VERY carefully to verify that each bullet has actually gone downrange!
 
"Most commercial .38S&W is loaded with RN bullets made of very soft lead..."

Hence my comment about bore leading.



"Vintage British military ammo and a few vintage commercial loads used FMJ bullets."

These cartridges (if they can be found anymore, the surplus has largely dried up) should NOT be fired through old American breaktop revolvers.

The barrel steels on these guns are a lot softer and the hard jacketed bullet will generally wash out the rifling in a few hundred rounds, especially the ones made during the black powder era.
 
Generally 38 S&W is harder to come by than special. Find someone who wants it and trade them for 38 special. I'll do it if you happen to be in the Atlanta Area.
 
While I never tried actually firing it, Remington .38 S&W (purchased for my Webley Mk. IV) ammunition chambers just fine in all my .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers (S&W Models 36 no-dash, 66-2, and 28-2). I've heard that many Colt revolvers in .38 S&W had groove diameters of .358", so I can't help but wonder if the Remington ammo doesn't use .358" bullets with a hollow base to obturate to larger bores. Fired cases that have been resized with my Lee dies and brand new Starline cases, however, won't chamber in anything I own but my Webley.
 
diameter

Case head diameters:
.38 S&W = 0.3865"
.38 S&W Special = 0.3790".
Depending on your cylinder.....75 thousandths might be too much.
Pete
 
While I never tried actually firing it, Remington .38 S&W (purchased for my Webley Mk. IV) ammunition chambers just fine in all my .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers . . .
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Same here. I have exactly 17 revolvers in .38/.357 and one (an S&W Terrier) in .38 S&W, which is why I had a couple boxes of Remington .38 S&W ammo on the shelf. It chambered just fine in all 17 of them. I haven't tried actually firing it either, but I suspect it would work fine.
 
OK

75 thousandths might be too much.
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I have exactly 17 revolvers in .38/.357 and one (an S&W Terrier) in .38 S&W, which is why I had a couple boxes of Remington .38 S&W ammo on the shelf. It chambered just fine in all 17 of them.
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And then maybe 75 thou doesn't matter.
Pete
 
You could probably fire 38 S&W out of an S&W British model originally chambered in 38 S&W and reamed out for 38 Special.
 
38 S&W in 38 Special revolver

Soory for bring up this old thread while looking for something more current.

I was told by a shooting bud but didn’t actually see it. He claimed he shot up and old box of 38 S&W in his Model 10 38 Special. After running all the 38 S&W loaded cartridges through his Lee Factory Crimp Die. He claimed the 38 Special die’s carbide ring gave the cartridge a slight squeeze and easily chambered in his revolver.

Has anybody had any experience doing this, is my friend BS’ng me or as I suspect he read it on the net so it has to be true?? Almost seems logical as in the early 70’s I had a RG pot metal suicide special that handled both the S&W and Special ammo. I also have to consider in 1971-2 I bought the RG revolver new in the box for $34.99 + sales tax from Sunset Sporting Goods in Phoenix Arizona. It was junk but it did shoot a couple hundred rds before it died.

Reason I’m bringing this up, I picked up two, 50rd boxes of the 38 S&W at a yard sale for $20.00.
 
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I know someone who's brother went through police academy with a victory model his grampa had bought in 38 S&W. He went through the course with a case of 38 special but couldn't figure out why so many cases were splitting:confused:
 
Don't saddle yourself with a .38S&W gun that will be essentially useless once your small supply of .38S&W ammo is gone (unless you want one for itself)

Find someone who has a .38 S&W and needs ammo for it and do a deal. You will both be happier and better off in the long run.
 
IIRC years ago when large numbers of the British S&W 380/200 revolvers became available dealers would ream out the chambers and sell them as 38 Specials. That led to bulged and cracked 38 Special cases.
 
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