TheGreatCoward
Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2020
- Messages
- 3
I bought this S&W Clone and I'm unsure of the caliber, it says 38 long cartridge on the barrel but the round only goes about 3/4s in and 38 s&w only goes up to where the brass starts.
Actually all of Spanish 357 mag wheelguns I know of were marked as such, heck I heard of ones marked 38 Esp.(Special).38 Largo is 38 Long Colt, using an inside lubricated .357 bullet unlike it's predecessor the 38 Short Colt which used an outside lubricated .375 heeled bullet. 38 S&W uses a nominal .361 bullet I believe.
38 Special is longer than the 38 Long Colt and operates at higher pressures than 38 Long Colt which began life as a black powder cartridge. There will be folks along shortly telling you that 357 Magnum smokeless loads are fine in your revolver. I suggest you only use 38 LC ammunition and, given the age and provenance of the revolver, I would want it checked by a qualified gunsmith with knowledge of such pistols. But I apparently have an unnatural interest in my own health.
Actually all of Spanish 357 mag wheelguns I know of were marked as such, heck I heard of ones marked 38 Esp.(Special).
No harm, no foul and I knew what meant there Doc Rock.Sorry. I was being facetious. The 38 Long Colt is not interchangeable with 38 Special, 357 Mag, or 38 S&W. 38 LC has a case length of 1.031" vs 38 Special at 1.155 and 1.29 for 357 Mag. 38 S&W has a wider diameter body and bullet than LC, 38 Special, and 357 Mag. 9mm Largo, as mentioned above is an altogether different round, rimless, .910" case length, and . 355" bullet diameter .
It does lock up fairly tight, but I've never handled a dan wesson to say for sureI got nothing except I dig the cylinder latch.
Does it lock up, over-all, as tightly as a Dan Wesson?
Todd.
I've got a box of 38 lcI have bad news and good news. The bad news is that 38 Long Colt ammunition is very hard to find. The good news is that since you can't get ammunition, you won't be tempted to shoot the gun. Early Spanish S&W copies varied a lot in quality from acceptable to downright dangerous to fire. Some of them were literally shooting irons - they had frames made of iron, not steel and were prone to spontaneous rapid disassembly. Don't shoot it.
The .38 Colt Short and Long originally had heeled bullets as noted above. But, about 1902, Colt changed the .38 Long Colt to an inside lubed bullet which was essentially a shortened .38 Spl case and a smaller diameter bullet.
If the chambers have a ridge, then it is the newer cartridge.
Now that's an elegantly understated way of saying it.Some of them were literally shooting irons - they had frames made of iron, not steel and were prone to spontaneous rapid disassembly. Don't shoot it.