Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Star
Jim-
Thanks for the data on late .38 Long Colt cylinders having stepped/shouldered chambers. I didn't realize that. Clearly, my pal had an earlier gun.
1. When did that change take place? The Army Special, later called Official Police, had replaced the New Army by 1908, and it was already chambered for 38 Colt Special. Surely, they didn't make any in the shorter .38 LC caliber? It could be used in .38 Special guns.
2. Re an earlier post of yours, I knew that .44 Special came out with the New Century/Triple Lock of about 1908. I wasn't inferring that it was contemporary with .44 Russian in older revolvers. The only question I had was whether Special could be loaded accidentally in old .44 Russian chambers.
3. Thanks for the info about early smokeless powders, but Unique is a very old powder. I'd have to look up when it arrived, but it may not have been typical of factory-loaded smokeless in those days.
And I think Unique arrived just as the Triple Lock did, so S&W wouldn't have tested it in the gun yet.
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1. The 38 Long colt changed to an ILB design at about the end of the century but the bullet had a hollow base to expand enough to work in the old .374" barrels made for the old style heeled bullet version of the cartridge. So all guns were not converted for the new bullet design.
But Colt changed their SAA gun design for it in 1905. 38 Colt Special came out in 1909 and their SAA introduced a dual caliber marking on the barrel. S&W's 38 Special pre dated the 38 Colt Spl in ~1899, and also dual caliber marked their barrels: 38 S&W Spl/38 US Service Ctg (which of course was the 38 LC).
2. No, the 44 spl case was too long for the shouldered chamber.
3. I believe you're right. Unique has its roots in Ballistite from 1888 and may have been originally like the other early 'semi-smokeless' powders. It didn't became Unique until 1912 (and in the back of my mind it was a successful cannon powder) so wasn't around yet for the intro of the 44 Spl.