38 S&W ctg.

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dtalley

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If you had a chance, would you purchase a Smith & Wesson Revolver chambered in 38 S&W ctg?

My friend has a friend that got one in trade and is mad because he thought it was a 38 Special. He maybe willing to sell it fairly cheap and I asked to look at it. I don't know what model it is or what kind of condition it is in.

With that, if it was a good sound pistol and the price is right would you purchase it?
 
I would but not for personal defense. I would buy it for my collection but not to depend on in a defensive role. Underpowered.
 
Oh yes it would definately just for a plinker and addition to the collection and not for personal defense
 
Know what you are looking at.

If a full size sixshooter, it is a Military & Police, probably British WW II surplus.
If a five - shot with square butt and 3 or 4 inch barrel, it is a Regulation Police.
If a five - shot with round butt and 2 inch barrel, it is a Terrier.

All are of good quality and will be good shooters if you don't mind looking for and paying for .38 S&W ammunition which is not nearly as common as .38 Special.

While .38 S&W is not real powerful you would be about as well off with one as a .380 auto or a .38 Special loaded with target wadcutters or soft "cowboy" loads as is common among the recoil averse. Much, much better than no gun at all.

If a top break action, you should probably pass it by. A S&W collector told me that the early .38 DA is the most fragile gun S&W ever made, on a par with the Colt Lightning. The .38 Single Action is a sturdier gun but the quality of steel and the strength of the top latch may not be up to smokeless ammo.
The only exceptions S&W gunsmith David Chicoine makes are the .38 Safety Hammerless after 1907 (SN 220,000+) and the .38 Perfected which are really quite nice.
 
The ctg is on the barrel and as such it the mark of the barrel maker. I have a n airweight in 28SW that has it on the barrel. The only thing is do not use +p ammo. Smith & Wesson told me that the gun was CR and not designed for modern hot loads. I had some 38 Special +P+ I loaded it up with for years. My intent was to shoot the BG and then throw the pistol away.
 
I would buy another M&P some times called the Victory Model. I like mine it not one of my carry guns but it is a good shooer. The 200gr .38 S&W lead round nose ammo from Fiocchi is a respectable round. Muzzle velocity is +-800fps.
 
If you had a chance, would you purchase a Smith & Wesson Revolver chambered in 38 S&W ctg?

My friend has a friend that got one in trade and is mad because he thought it was a 38 Special. He maybe willing to sell it fairly cheap and I asked to look at it. I don't know what model it is or what kind of condition it is in.

With that, if it was a good sound pistol and the price is right would you purchase it?
Click to expand...

Yuppers. Even if it may not be the best self defense round as some say, it is still better than nothing. Besides, I didn't read anywhere in thar that this would be SD weapon. It will make a fun shooting plinker for sure but check it out with the guidelines in this sticky before purchasing:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=1430

Noidster
 
If you do buy it and you want components to reload for it I have found a few sources.
Starline makes .38 S&W brass, $73 for 500 pieces. Midway has .38 S&W Starline brass, $16.99 for 100 pieces. They have Nickel brass for $20.49/100.

As for bullets, Beartooth Bullets has some bullets which they will size at .360" which is what you will normally need for the .38 S&W. Their 160gr LFN bullets can be ordered in .360" for $14.75/100.

As for powder and primers, W231 and any Small Pistol Primer will do the job. You can also use Unique, Bullseye and even Trail boss but I like W231 for my .38 S&W rounds.

Hope this helps with your decision.
 
Thanks for the great replies. Especially Mr. Watson and Angel. If it worthy I'll post photos if I get it. Again Thanks to all.
 
Interestingly, the British model mentioned by Jim Watson above was in use in either Shanghai or Hong Kong (or both) during British control there. The police used that caliber because it was lower powered than some other guns, and there was less chance of shots overpenetrating in shanty towns and close, poorly constructed areas. Believe that it was in Guns and Ammo that I read that a long tome ago.
 
38Special5.gif

Not familiar with the S&W, but this is my .38 bodyguard that has the ctg on the barrel.
 
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Okay-- I inherited a 3" model 36-1, that says "38 S.&.W. Special CTG". Cleaned it up & put it in the back of the safe when I got it, & haven't fired it yet.

I assumed it was .38 Special, but now this thread has me wondering, as I haven't seen any others mentioned that have BOTH S.&.W., & Special on the barrel, along with CTG.

I know it's a newbie question, but you know what they say about assumption, & I just wanna make sure that this is indeed .38 Special, rather than find out the hard way that it isn't.

Thanks!
 
The .38 S&W will only read .38 S&W on the barrel. The .38 S&W Special will only read .38 S&W Special on the barrel. Unless of course they are Colts. :D

ECS
 
funny book flapjack:

You have it made... :)

All Smith & Wesson model 36-1 (Chief Special) revolvers are chambered in .38 Special, not .38 S&W.
 
Actually you'd be safe. The .38 S&W is too large in diameter to fit in a .38 Special chamber, and the .38 Special is too long to fit in a .38 S&W one.

Your model 36-1 will chamber two obsolete rounds, the .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt, but you are unlikely to run into either of them, and the offer no advantage.
 
Fuff,

Actually, SOME .38 Specials will chamber .38 S&W; matter of tolerance overlap, I have seen it done.

A local dealer did a brisk business selling ".38 Shorts" back about 30 years ago when you could buy a revolver and 5 or 6 cartridges to load it with.
 
old Fuff, thats was a nice gun in the auction. I'm a cheap SOB though! I hope to find a bargain priced shooter locally eventually.
 
Actually, SOME .38 Specials will chamber .38 S&W; matter of tolerance overlap, I have seen it done.
Click to expand...

In a quality revolver it's possible but unlikely. The more likely possibility is the .38 Short Colt, which looks somewhat like a .38 S&W but will fit in .38 Special chambers and are safe to shoot in .38 Special revolvers.

I don't doubt that there are some .38 Specials around where that could happen, but the .38 Special cartridges fired in such a chamber would be excessively expanded, and I'd expect cracked necks.
 
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