alfon99
Member
What is the caliber .38 long ctg? A friend has one and he was shooting .38 special +P rounds and .357 rounds in it! I told him not to shoot them anymore if he didn't want to blow his hand off.
Just a brief question
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MikeJackmin
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No no no for goodness sake no.
This cartridge was designed to operate at pressures well below .38 special, and way, way below .357. Firing it with .357s is a serious, direct life threat. It will, within a very short time, explode and throw pieces of steel in all directions.
This cartridge was designed to operate at pressures well below .38 special, and way, way below .357. Firing it with .357s is a serious, direct life threat. It will, within a very short time, explode and throw pieces of steel in all directions.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
As you guessed that revolver was not designed to shoot .38 Special ammo and you shouldn't even put a box of .357 Magnum ammo near that revolver.
The pressure limits for the .38 Colt are 12,000 CUP
The pressure limits for the .38 Special are 17,000 PSI
The .357 Magnum can go as high as 35,000 PSI so your friend is very lucky he didn't destroy his gun or hurt himself and those around him when he fired a cartridge that develops pressures 3X of those allowed for use in his revolver!!!
The pressure limits for the .38 Colt are 12,000 CUP
The pressure limits for the .38 Special are 17,000 PSI
The .357 Magnum can go as high as 35,000 PSI so your friend is very lucky he didn't destroy his gun or hurt himself and those around him when he fired a cartridge that develops pressures 3X of those allowed for use in his revolver!!!
alfon99
Member
I tried it a long time ago without knowing it was a .38 LC. In fact, I didn't know my friend was capable of doing that stupidity. But you know, here in South America they shoot whatever fits the chamber. And if not, he had the great idea of cutting the lead bullet so it would fit in the cylinder.
content
Member
Hello friends and neighbors // Congrats on saving your friend from eventually having a very bad day.
Would you please tell me the make and model revolver that was used?
Is it possible these were handloads ,made for this revolver, using 38/357 brass?
If not.... how many rounds, for how many years did the ,,probably pre 1910,,,.38 LC digested the (nearly) triple charge of .357?
well done! ,,content
Would you please tell me the make and model revolver that was used?
Is it possible these were handloads ,made for this revolver, using 38/357 brass?
If not.... how many rounds, for how many years did the ,,probably pre 1910,,,.38 LC digested the (nearly) triple charge of .357?
well done! ,,content
How about posting a picture of the gun in question? Colt guns chambered for the .38 Long Colt were not marked with the word "Long". Some guns marked that way were cheap cast iron Spanish revolvers that might not be safe for firing any cartridge.
Jim
Jim
alfon99
Member
It could survive about 10-15 factory .357 rounds and with part of the bullet cut off so it could fit the cylinder. And 30-35 factory .38 special rounds (These fit perfectly, according to my friend). I will post pictures shortly.
alfon99
Member
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
That's exactly what it is.
Your friend is a lucky sucker to still have 10 fingers and two eyes!!!!
rc
alfon99
Member
Yea, and it says "Policia Oficial" That means Official Police in spanish.
content
Member
thanks for posting the stats and pics ..... 6" barrel too
,,,wow,,, just wow.
Not sure if you can get it (or want to shoot the revolver at all) but Black Hills Ammunition makes Cowboy Action .38lc @ 650 for the older revolvers.
,,,wow,,, just wow.Not sure if you can get it (or want to shoot the revolver at all) but Black Hills Ammunition makes Cowboy Action .38lc @ 650 for the older revolvers.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
That's a good idea or, is it possible to buy reloading components and equipment where you live? I know sometimes powder and primers can be hard to get, not that they are easy hear either for the past 7 months or so!!! Some Trail Boss under a LSWC bullet would do the trick quite well...thanks for posting the stats and pics ..... 6" barrel too
Not sure if you can get it (or want to shoot the revolver at all) but Black Hills Ammunition makes Cowboy Action .38lc @ 650 for the older revolvers.
alfon99
Member
May very light loads using .38 special cases work?
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I'm not sure so I don't want to give you bad information. If anything I'm guessing Cowboy Action ammo would be light enough to protect the revolver from damage. (but that's also a guess)
Before we go ahead and recommend appropriate ammo to shoot in this gun, allow me to suggest that you take it to a competent gunsmith who can look it over for any damage caused by shooting the .357mag round in it, and make sure it's still safe to shoot at all.
The last thing I'd want is for the gun to have micro cracks, cracked forcing cone, etc... and not even be able to safely shoot .38colt any more, and here we are recommending which .38colt rounds to load.
The last thing I'd want is for the gun to have micro cracks, cracked forcing cone, etc... and not even be able to safely shoot .38colt any more, and here we are recommending which .38colt rounds to load.
alfon99
Member
What about light .38 colt loads?
My issue is this. You never told us how many .38+p and .357mag loads were fired, or what the loads actually were. They could have been max loads from Buffalo Bore, or they could have been the super-weeny 135gr. SBGD from Speer. It could have been one cylinder, or it could have been a whole crate of ammo. We just don't have enough info, especially because we never got to inspect the gun in person before or after firing.
The revolver would have been proofed for .38colt loads. But if shooting .38+p and .357mag caused damage in the form of small cracks in the metal that may make it unsafe to fire even with .38colt if it is now weaker than it used to be.
I would really want to have a very good gunsmith go over it before firing anything at all in it just to make sure it's not a ticking timebomb.
Hondo 60
Member
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!
Never, never, never, shoot anything other than what the barrel says.
38 Long Colt is NOT as powerful as .38 Spl and certainly less than .357 Magnum.
A 357 cartridge will not fit an unaltered 38 Long cylinder.
So if he's using 357s, someone at some point reamed out the chambers to accept the longer cartridge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_Long_Colt
Never, never, never, shoot anything other than what the barrel says.
38 Long Colt is NOT as powerful as .38 Spl and certainly less than .357 Magnum.
A 357 cartridge will not fit an unaltered 38 Long cylinder.
So if he's using 357s, someone at some point reamed out the chambers to accept the longer cartridge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_Long_Colt
HighRoadRover
Member
Well, you read these sorts of warnings all the time -- there seem to be similar issues in .32, .38, .44 Spl, .45 Colt, etc. -- but here is a prime example from the here and now!
Modern ammo in modern guns, okay. All else, I would question and probably forgo, if I wasn't sure.
Modern ammo in modern guns, okay. All else, I would question and probably forgo, if I wasn't sure.
alfon99
Member
No, they cut the bullet a bit for it to fit.
alfon99
Member
I'm not sure about the bullet weight, but they were CBC +P loads. Not sure about the .357 though.
I know of one of those Spanish revolvers that blew up firing a blank cartridge, and others that let go with .38 Special and .32-20. I would not fire them with anything.
Your friend is lucky his guardian angel didn't go for coffee when he was firing .357 in that gun.
Hi, Hondo60,
Many of those guns had no shoulders in the chambers, so they can accept .357 Magnum. But that does not apply to just Spanish revolvers. After c. 1903, the Colt New Army/New Navy revolver was modified to fire .38 Special (it had previously been made for .38 Long Colt) by simply reaming the chambers all the way through. Those guns will accept .38 Special +P+ and also .357 Magnum. Of course at that time, both cartridges were decades in the future, so Colt didn't care.
Jim
Jim
Your friend is lucky his guardian angel didn't go for coffee when he was firing .357 in that gun.
Hi, Hondo60,
Many of those guns had no shoulders in the chambers, so they can accept .357 Magnum. But that does not apply to just Spanish revolvers. After c. 1903, the Colt New Army/New Navy revolver was modified to fire .38 Special (it had previously been made for .38 Long Colt) by simply reaming the chambers all the way through. Those guns will accept .38 Special +P+ and also .357 Magnum. Of course at that time, both cartridges were decades in the future, so Colt didn't care.
Jim
Jim
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bergmen
Member.
The first picture in post #9 shows what looks like a possible crack forming between two chambers:
I would make a lamp out of this thing or use it as a paper weight or door stop if it were mine.
Dan
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