38 Short in Single Action Revolver?

If your talking about modern commercially loaded 38 Short Colt. They work just fine in nearly all modern 38 Specials and 357 Mag revolvers. Modern 38 SC is simply a 38/357 case cut down to .761 inch length. It is typically loaded to pretty low velocity, usually ~750 fps with 125 gr to 146 gr LRN bullet. Still going to be loud in a revolver due to cylinder gap but definitely quieter that full power 38 Special.

Be sure to distinguish it from 38 S&W that is dimensionally very similar but use a slight larger diameter bullet .361 vs .357.

Also realize the original 38 Short Colt was originally loaded with a heeled-in .380 dia bullet like 22LR and was intended for converted cap and ball revolvers. This is rare but I believe it is still available from a few boutique loaders.

Mag Tech makes a thing they call ".38 Special Short" that appears to be about the same as .38 Short Colt.

I don't know what you mean by "volume" but the muzzle blast will be somewhat less but it sure won't be naked ear safe.
Recoil will be a good bit less.

As mcb says, this applies to .38 Short COLT.
A lot of people call the .38 S&W "short" but that is not part of the name, never has been, and it is not interchangeable in .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers.

Orion8472 said:

Thank you for the replies. I have sensitive hearing and had to give up shooting a single action revolver because even 38 Special was significantly louder than my 9mm pistol. I use both foam ear plugs and ear muffs when I shoot. I sold the revolver because of this. But I'm going to be getting an 1873 Taylors lever action rifle [which 38 Special out of it is no problem for me] and would like to compliment it with an Uberty Birdshead single action [probably 4.75" barrel], but if 38 Short is still about as loud as a 9mm, I may not be able to do that either.

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Question: Do you wear eyeglasses with thick plastic frames?
I have found that glasses that have thick frames, especially on the arms that go over your ears, hold the earmuff cups away from your head allowing too much noise to enter the muffs from the front. This also occurs when the arms of the glasses are bent out away from the head due to mis-adjustment or the glasses being too big so the arms are bent to accommodate the ears.

I always make sure I buy glasses that hug my head just for this reason.

Orion8472 said:

I have sensitive hearing and had to give up shooting a single action revolver because even 38 Special was significantly louder than my 9mm pistol. I use both foam ear plugs and ear muffs when I shoot. I sold the revolver because of this. But I'm going to be getting an 1873 Taylors lever action rifle [which 38 Special out of it is no problem for me] and would like to compliment it with an Uberty Birdshead single action [probably 4.75" barrel], but if 38 Short is still about as loud as a 9mm, I may not be able to do that either.

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That is strange, I don't find a .38 Special to be louder than 9mm through good ear protection.
I think .38 Short Colt will be less loud, but I don't know if it will be ENOUGH less to matter in your situation.

Do you know somebody with a .38 revolver or a rental range with one? A box of .38 Short Colt or Magtech .38 Special Short in somebody else's gun would tell you what you need to know at low cost without speculation on the gunboards.

Some black powder cartridge shooters use the .38 Short Colt case because a shorter case means less powder and therefore less recoil. Less noise, too.

Some powders are louder than others. I can tell a difference in the report from a double based pistol powder such as Titegroup and a single based powder like Red Dot or Clay's. The DB powder is louder.

Have you considered black powder or a black powder sub? Those tend to produce a lower toned report.

For whatever its worth, I shot some .38 Short Colt in my Ruger Blackhawk many years ago. Blast was nil. I fired a couple of shots down into a water filled hole, and I swear I would have made a bigger splash if I had thrown the round into the water.

(I know better than to shoot into water normally, but his was in a deep pit from mining sand, and a ricochet would exit that pit only by coming out straight up. Common sense used to prevail.)

Bob Wright

38 Short would be quieter than Special, but even a 22 LR in a revolver isn't hearing safe.

I think that the 38 lever-action rifle is a good solution. The report from my 16" Rossi 92 is nuttin'.

This should help you:

Oh, and here’s a picture of an ICORE contestant with his rig loaded with 38 Short Colts.

Actually, 38 Short Colts are quite popular at ICORE competitions.

Dumb question:

Have you tried 38 Special Cowboy ammo?

Lighter loads than standard 38 Special, so report should not be as loud, definitely more easily available than 38 Short.