If you were to design a new cartridge for concealed carry!

Not a new design that I am aware of, but I would like to see a "J" framed revolver chambered for a .25 caliber rim fire based on the .17 Winchester super mag case.

 

Easy, if they cared, the .17 WSM started out as a necked down .25 industrial.

 

A rimmed 38 cal about the same case length as 9x19. Wait, it exits, or did. That would be the old black powder 38 Short Colt. Apparently the basis for the 38 Long Colt and 38 Spl.

So I loaded some up using a fast powder, Starline brass and 125 grn bullets. Had 3 different loads and found one just right for my S&W model 36. Using this case a J frame could become substantially shorter.

I don't have any chronograph data but I'm working on it.

I also don't have any hopes of anyone actually building a revolver for it either.





Short Colt, Long Colt, Special and 357. For comparison.

 

There are folks loading .38 SC for USPSA and ICORE for easier reloading.

Federal and Charter Arms had the 9mm Federal, but it
1. Didn't catch on commercially.
2. The Frightened Experts pointed out that it would chamber in a .38 S&W top break but at three times the chamber pressure.

 

I've been saying for years that I want that in a rifle.

 

https://john1911.com/9mm-federal/

 

I'd pass up the cartridge and go right to a phased plasma pistol in the 40 watt range. Battery tech has advanced enough that a pocket sized unit could hold enough charge for 16 to 20 bursts in the semi auto mode.

 

That's like shooting +P or +P+ 38 Spl. ammo in an old J frame. They weren't designed for those pressures as those were introduced around 1950. I'm not seeing a problem here however. A person needs to know the ammo they put into a firearm.

I understand the liability issues but those exist with more than just the 38 Spl. Lots of other things we use daily have warning labels on them. Nobody seems to get too worked up over those. Put the information on the box of ammo. I'm sure somebody is going to drink Clorox but I doubt they can win a lawsuit if they do because it says not to do that on the container.

Bottom line is 38 S&W is a totally different cartridge than a 38 Short Colt. The case dia. for 38 S&W is .386" where the 38 SC is .379". Yeah, it will fit. So will 25 people in an elevator but they have load limits posted.

 

I would just build a gun around 7.62 tokarev or 32 NAA. They are what makes sense even though they aren’t very popular.

 

"New"? A semi auto .44 cal (.429") cartridge that fits 45/10mm Auto sized guns.

 

You didn’t derail anything. All good it’s an opinion question, no wrong ones.

 

We have the .38SC cases, just not a modern gun with shorten cylinder to match.

We could dream of a .44 equivalent. Call it a .44 Short Sauve. Then we’d need a shorten frame and cylinder to match.

 

Everything that can or should be designed already is. Some calibers that were not widely used are mostly gone, some have experienced a pendulum swing in popularity and will come and go.

New cartridges needed? Nah it's already out there unless lead is outlawed then the casing may need re-thinking to accommodate materials like bismuth, copper/zinc or other "non-toxic" alloys.

 

Reminds me of the old joke about the ideal hunting rifle-it weighs 3 ounces when carried, 30 pounds when fired, kicks like a 22, has the range and accuracy of a 30/06, hits like a .458.

 

Besides what the majority thinks the 40 S&W is close to perfect for a fullsize or compact pistol…

 

I think 'the' cartridge has already been invented. Developed would be more accurate. The .41 Special. A .41 magnum with the case shortened. The reverse, more or less of the development of the .357 Magnum from the .38 Special. A revolver in a K frame size would be most convenient, probably with five rounds.

Probably never work. Not enough impulsive buyers who actually can hit the target.

 

One of my favorite carry revolvers
Charter 40 S&W
Less recoil and fuss than a 357 mag
Much more punch than a 38 Spl and larger diameter
and a 180gr bullet

 

@Archie i always thought of the .40 S&W as the auto version of the LE .41 Mag and what it was originally meant to be.

 

I think the resurgence of the 10mm will boost the
40 S&w
People will want a more compact 10mm for EDC … that 10mm is the 40S&W

 

No one else wants to see a 50 Special? 300 grain bullets at 800 FPS?
That or the other end of the spectrum, a 5mm magnum with 70 grain projectiles at 1500 fps?

40's and 10's are great, but this question is about imagining something new not acceptance of the status quo.

 

Frederick Pohl armed corporate security with the .25 Ultra High Velocity in one of his dystopian SF stories.
So we could do to the .25 what the .30 Super Carry did to the .32 family.

The 7mm Pena and 7.9mm VBL were meant to fill the small calibre service pistol niche in Europe, but did not catch on.

 

Lehigh Defense bullets aren’t working?

https://lehighdefense.com/our-technologies.html?all_caliber=3329

What about the poly bullets?

https://www.avient.com/idea/polycase-launches-revolutionary-polymer-based-ammunition