Why is .38 Special so long?
- Thread starter Brass Rain
- Start date
- Status
herohog
Member
By the way, a rimless 38 Special is a 9mm Magnum (9x29) and DOES exist! They are rare as hens teeth though. I was lucky enough to own 2 of them!
halfmoonclip
Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2011
- Messages
- 2,764
It is a clever idea, and something like that new revolver that fires the bottom chamber would be an ideal way to go. It should be possible to engineer a blast shield so that the cylinder gap gas goes up and away from the fingers. Attach the shield to the crane, so it rolls out with the cylinder when you reload.
Because an odd caliber is apt to be an orphan (tried to buy any .45 GAP lately?), why not chamber our new wonder gun in 9mm and offer it set up for moon clips? The cylinder need not be much longer than the nine round itself; number of shots would be predicated by the most convenient cylinder diameter.
It would take some clever engineering to get the ergonomics and the trigger right, but recoil should be easy to control due to the low bore axis. Because of the short cylinder, it would be possible to use a longer barrel, or keep the barrel short for minimum size.
Who says nothing new under the sun?
Moon
Because an odd caliber is apt to be an orphan (tried to buy any .45 GAP lately?), why not chamber our new wonder gun in 9mm and offer it set up for moon clips? The cylinder need not be much longer than the nine round itself; number of shots would be predicated by the most convenient cylinder diameter.
It would take some clever engineering to get the ergonomics and the trigger right, but recoil should be easy to control due to the low bore axis. Because of the short cylinder, it would be possible to use a longer barrel, or keep the barrel short for minimum size.
Who says nothing new under the sun?
Moon
Jim Watson
Member
Because the ones already offered did not sell well enough for the manufacturers to think a new frame good only for 9mm would be worth setting up for.
sm
member
Just me mind you, and my feelings go back 5 decades and some...still...and most appreciated now that I am older...
Darn things are easier to get ahold of when fingers and hands are injured, or numb with cold, or with gloves on, and so forth and so on...
Add-
Easier to get into bifocal seeing distance when you drop the cartridge, or spent case on the ground too.
You whippersnappers, if'n you live long enough, will unnerstand some day.
*grin*
Darn things are easier to get ahold of when fingers and hands are injured, or numb with cold, or with gloves on, and so forth and so on...
Add-
Easier to get into bifocal seeing distance when you drop the cartridge, or spent case on the ground too.
You whippersnappers, if'n you live long enough, will unnerstand some day.
*grin*
jhvaughan2
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2009
- Messages
- 182
RC model hit it. Revolver cartridges will never get smaller because there is no way of stoping them from going into an older gun.
On the other hand this gives the revolver shooter so much more flexibility with multiple cartridge guns.
Also stepped or tapered cartridges have not worked that well in a revolver (Yes there are some exceptions), so something like a 357 sig would not take off.
Automatics can handle this with magazines and feed ramps that. only use one cartridge
On the other hand this gives the revolver shooter so much more flexibility with multiple cartridge guns.
Also stepped or tapered cartridges have not worked that well in a revolver (Yes there are some exceptions), so something like a 357 sig would not take off.
Automatics can handle this with magazines and feed ramps that. only use one cartridge
Jim Watson
Member
Hmm.
How small could you make a .40?
That would about eliminate any chance of a modern hot round getting in an old weak gun.
And have you shooting the leading police cartridge in the country. Might be able to sell some backup guns to make the tooling worthwhile.
How small could you make a .40?
That would about eliminate any chance of a modern hot round getting in an old weak gun.
And have you shooting the leading police cartridge in the country. Might be able to sell some backup guns to make the tooling worthwhile.
jhvaughan2
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2009
- Messages
- 182
I'd love to see a 10mm auto-rim (new cartridge) with a shortened cylinder. You could shoot 10mm or .40S&W with moon clips. While we are at it make it in an airweight L-frame. With a 2.5" barrel.
Jim Watson
Member
.41 LC is right around .408" case diameter. I could not find the chamber dimensions but doubt they are sloppy enough to take a .424" diameter .40 S&W round.
Guillermo
member
genetics
Peter M. Eick
Member
Its all relative.
My 357 SuperMag rounds make the 38 special look short!
My 357 SuperMag rounds make the 38 special look short!
gamestalker
member
It would make me very nervous to shoot a revolver that puts my fingers any where near the cylinder gap. Those pressures are so high they cause pressure cutting in the top strap of revolvers and would certainly do some serious harm to flesh. I know a guy who works for a bullet manufacturer as an expert who said he was missing part of a finger the result of getting the path of the DANGER ZONE. I would think shortening the cylinder on a revolver would probably lead more injuries than would be worth the reduction in weight or size.
1KPerDay
Member
Just for fun I tried chambering .40 S&W in my Colt .41... the bullet enters but the case mouth will not. .38 specials drop in and are stopped by the rim of course, and rattle just a bit, and 9mm and .380s drop right through the cylinder.
Lucky Derby
Member
They did. 9mm Federal. It didn't sell.
halfmoonclip
Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2011
- Messages
- 2,764
Jim, I fear you are right about the 9mm moonclip guns, tho' I've been keeping an eye open for one myself.
It may take Chiappa or another oddball manufacturer to come up with anything really different in a wheelgun. I keep hearing that their bottom firing revo has easily controlled recoil but a trigger straight from hell. Too bad, it's a neat idea, along with the similar auto-revolvers. Saw one in a gunshop the other day, and it would make a great movie prop with an exotic flavor.
A lot of the trouble is aesthetics; we wheelgunners tend to be more than a little hidebound.
A forty with a short cylinder might make sense. I don't think we can rule out calibers because some lunkhead puts the wrong cartridge in the gun. It is really hard to make something foolproof, fools being as creative as they are.
Moon
It may take Chiappa or another oddball manufacturer to come up with anything really different in a wheelgun. I keep hearing that their bottom firing revo has easily controlled recoil but a trigger straight from hell. Too bad, it's a neat idea, along with the similar auto-revolvers. Saw one in a gunshop the other day, and it would make a great movie prop with an exotic flavor.
A lot of the trouble is aesthetics; we wheelgunners tend to be more than a little hidebound.
A forty with a short cylinder might make sense. I don't think we can rule out calibers because some lunkhead puts the wrong cartridge in the gun. It is really hard to make something foolproof, fools being as creative as they are.
Moon
- Status
