Thread: What to shoot?
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Old 01-14-2017, 10:13 AM
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TripleLock TripleLock is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glowe View Post
My only question about the text of the book Alk8944 referenced is why would the government send 38 Special ammunition to S&W if that was the company that invented the caliber??
It was not the government that sent cartridges to Smith & Wesson, but - as stated in Alk8944's post - U.M.C. (Union Metallic Cartridge Co., for those who don't know). Yes, the cartridge was invented by Smith & Wesson, but they had no ammunition production facilities - you don't see ammunition boxes marked "Manufactured by Smith & Wesson".

Smith & Wesson built the revolvers and created the .38 Special cartridge, but it was U.M.C. that actually manufactured the first ammunition. A situation not unlike the development of the .357 Magnum in the 1930s and the .44 Magnum in the 1950s - S&W built the revolvers, Remington (interestingly, a descendant of the U.M.C.Co.) produced the first ammunition.

Jim
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