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Old 11-19-2020, 11:49 AM
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Absalom Absalom is offline
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Originally Posted by Scharfschuetzer View Post
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I've also always wondered why the 38 Long Colt was loaded to less power than the 38 S&W Special, even though the cases for all intents and purposes were the same.
The .38 Long Colt was developed from the .38 Short Colt as a black powder load a few decades before the .38 Special, and frame dimension and strength of the guns was designed accordingly.

The .38 LC guns survived the transition to smokeless (in the US military in 1900) without modifications, and Colt even advertised their suitability for Special, but for the actual sustained shooting of .38 Special-level pressure loads, a stronger frame was necessary.

S&W designed that along with the cartridge, as the K-frame. Colt followed in 1908 by replacing the old D.A. frame with the newly designed Army Special.
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