Smith & Wesson regulation Police S & W CTG.

K

Kmzella

Inactive
Recently acquired Smith & Wesson regulation Police S & W CTG.
Chamber will not accept a 38 super cartridge. Front of chamber necked down.
Cartridge will not go in fully. What kind of ammo should be used? Serial number is 55xx on front of grip. Same number under barrel. Any help?
 
Ok...

The 38 Smith and Wesson cartridge is not the same as the 38 Special or the 38 Super. It is an older, shorter, slightly fatter cartridge.

The ' neck' in the chamber is there to keep you from putting the wrong round in the cylinder.

Be glad that you cannot fire a 38 Super in that gun. It could severely damage it due to the much higher pressure.
 
There is an old 38 Auto and a 38 Super Auto .The two have the same dimensions with a semi-rimmed case but the Super Auto is loaded to higher pressures .
There is a 38 S&W and a 38 S&W Special . Both are for revolvers with rimmed cases but the Special is loaded to higher pressure.

Always make sure you have exactly the right ammo for the gun ,not just 'close' !!
 
Your gun, which is not a "CTG", tells you quite clearly what ammunition it's chambered for on the barrel: The .38 Smith & Wesson CARTRIDGE (CTG). Which is not .38 Special, and certainly is not a .38 Super round designed for use in an AUTO PISTOL.

The "step" inside the chamber is there primarily to align the bullet with the forcing cone at the rear of the barrel, and it also can function as a "Don't do what you're trying to do" warning with the wrong ammunition.

Denis
 
S & W CTG

Thanks for all the ammo info. A little more info. Revolver has a 5 shot cylinder. Serial number 55xx is on frame between grips to the front. Rear of frame extends halfway down between grips to the rear. Matching serial number 55xx is on bottom of barrel underneath the cylinder ejector rod. Left side of barrel says SMITH & WESSON. Right side of barrel says REGULATION POLICE under that it has 38 S & W CTG. On the top of the barrel SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS USA PATD under that OCT. 8.01. DEC. 17. 01. FEB. 08. 08. SEPT 14.09. DEC.29.14 Anymore info on this piece for me??
 
Smith & Wesson CTG

Well, Denis, you said it was not a CTG, but, the info on barrel says it is. I gave more info to see if someone else has an idea what I am dealing with. I am an old car restorer and no VERY little about guns.I entered into this site seeking help. Thanks for your info.
 
KM,
I'll try to lay it out a little clearer.
You got help, you just didn't listen to it.

Your gun is what you said it is- a Regulation Police.
That's the model.
The model is "Regulation Police".
Started out as a small I frame, ended up as a slightly larger J frame.

The stamping on the barrel is the CALIBER, not the MODEL.

The "CTG" is an abbreviation for the word CARTRIDGE.

The stamping ".38 S&W CTG" is telling you that your Regulation Police model revolver uses .38 S&W CARTRIDGES, rounds, and ammunition.

So-
Model: Regulation Police
Caliber .38 S&W

As Mike told you, the ammunition your gun shoots is an older .38-caliber CARTRIDGE that's fatter, shorter, and lower-powered than a .38 Special.

As we both told you, the .38 S&W is also not the same as the .38 Super.

The .38 S&W cartridge (CTG) is a revolver round, the .38 Super is an auto-pistol round.

That's what you're dealing with.

Smith & Wesson put that CTG barrel stamping on thousands of revolvers across several different models and sizes.
Denis
 
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38 S & W CTG

Sorry I am so dense, and, not as smart as you. Will not bother you any longer. I just do not know anything about guns. Also pretty sure I do not want to deal with you folks any longer. Thanks for info you did give me. Serious about that.
 
KM,
You've got three concurrent posts about your gun on this forum.
You were given good info.

If you're not going to pay attention here then it'd be good to find another source for info. You need it.
No offense, but when you ask ask a question it's best not to argue with those who answer it.
Denis
 
Y'all come on back when you get that twist out
of your panties.:)

Seriously--you asked for information, got good
info and argued with it, then got indignant when
people told you to pay attention to the good info.
 
Ok, if you doubt us, go to your local library and get a copy of the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson. You will find that all information you have gotten here is correct.

There are a lot of very knowledgeable S & W owners here, people who have collected these guns and studied the company history for years. I have at this point owned over 20 of the company's guns, mostly revolvers.

As others have mentioned, ctg is nothing more than an abbreviation for cartridge, just as S & W is an abbreviation for the company name.
 
Maybe he actually does have a model "38 S&W ctg" guys - it might be 1 of 1 though :p

Kmzella, you honestly did get good info on the gun. I collect S&Ws and so do many of these responders. You come off as you might disagree with whats been said (I'm not sure) but remember, unless you know these yourself, you have nothing to base "I'm not so sure guys" on. Unless you're in the know yourself, you're just guessing.
 
I do not blame the original poster. When dealing with someone who is a complete novice, as Denzel Washington's character would say in the movie, "Philadelphia", "Explain it to me like I was an eight-year old. No one did that until post number 9. By that time, you guys had hurt his feelings and it was likely too late. The characters: CTG may as well be Greek to a complete novice let alone the difference between the various .38 cartridges. It takes more time for a novice to get it; sometimes takes several simple explanations. A little more Patience would seem in order. If you get interested in Computer Programming, just ask an expert how to do something, and you will see what I mean. They will tell you and you still will not know.
 
dahermit

I do not blame the original poster. When dealing with someone who is a complete novice, as Denzel Washington's character would say in the movie, "Philadelphia", "Explain it to me like I was an eight-year old. No one did that until post number 9. By that time, you guys had hurt his feelings and it was likely too late. The characters: CTG may as well be Greek to a complete novice let alone the difference between the various .38 cartridges. It takes more time for a novice to get it; sometimes takes several simple explanations. A little more Patience would seem in order. If you get interested in Computer Programming, just ask an expert how to do something, and you will see what I mean. They will tell you and you still will not know.
Click to expand...

You make a very good point dahermit. We need to remember that not everyone here is as experienced and they come looking for help. We need to be patient and thorough in our descriptions and explanations. I know there are times I forget that and assume to much. I then have to take myself back thirty years when I was just starting out. Fortunately I had some folks who were both knowledgeable and patient.
 
Agreed.

Cudos (Kudos???)... on that, dahermit.

Kmzella, on behalf of everyone here I hope that you'll give us another chance.

I can assure you that no one was attemping to belittle you on purpose.
 
Kmzella, to put it into car perspective, a .38 Super cartridge in your gun would have been worse than nitrous injection and turbocharging on an engine with bad compression and rings, and inadequate lubrication. IE a recipe for catastrophic failure. You were very lucky the round did not fit. At best, it would have destroyed the gun. Odds would have been fairly high that you could have lost fingers or an eye. Old revolvers such as yours have thin steel, and did not receive modern heat treatment.

So, if some initial responses seemed harsh, it was probably because we were all picturing explosions in our heads.

As DPris subsequently explained, the markings on your barrel denoted the ammo type you need. On most guns, that info will be on the barrel, or barrel hood on an auto pistol.

Edit: You should be able to find instructors via TFL, or the NRA website.

Realizing you are very new, the best advice I can give you is to find a reputable instructor in your area, who can teach safe gun handling at the very least. It is easy to make mistakes, otherwise, that can have severe consequences.
 
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