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S&W Antiques S&W Lever Action Pistols, Tip-Up Revolvers, ALL Top-Break Revolvers, and ALL Single Shots


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  #1  
Old 10-12-2016, 09:23 AM
FirstTristan FirstTristan is offline
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Hi. I just recently got given some old .38 ammo. The box says," 38 smith & Wesson 145 grain lubaloy." I need help finding out when it was made, what gun, and the price. Also the same on my 44 hollow point ammo. Thanks
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Old 10-12-2016, 11:38 AM
didactic didactic is offline
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Somebody more knowledgeable might chime in, but the .38 S&W ammo looks to me like from the '60's or '70's. It is made for older revolvers; it's less powerful than .38 Special, with a case shorter and a few thousanths of an inch wider than that cartridge. It should not, and normally will not, chamber in a .38 Special cylinder.
It will fit many of the old top-break revolvers, and the .38 K-frames made for the Brits in WWII days. It would be wise to have any old gun checked out before attempting to fire it.
It's loaded with smokeless powder, but to relatively low pressure so it SHOULDN'T damage the old guns. IF IT HAS HAD GOOD STORAGE, it should be safe to fire, if you get access to one of those revolvers and care to shoot it.
I probably would, but you should be extremely cautious about checking for a clear barrel before firing a second shot if you get a suspected squib (less noise and recoil than normal) discharge.
About the .44 Special, it can be fired in any .44 Special or .44 Magnum firearm in good condition. Same caveat about a squib load, more likely if ammo looks corroded, or if it has been exposed to oil or excessive heat in storage.

Again, this info is subject to revision from anybody more knowledgeable.
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Old 10-12-2016, 11:42 AM
Arik Arik is offline
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The 38 is 38s&w also known as 38/200. It is NOT the same as 38 special. The two types of rounds DO NOT interchange. It's not a popular cartridge anymore but some companies still make limited runs of it. It was used in British Webley revolvers and S&W K frame revolvers of which many were sent to England during WW2.

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Old 10-12-2016, 11:54 AM
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elpac3 elpac3 is offline
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From the pictures of the .38 western boxes, I see three different loads with two different case types. The semi wadcutters to me, would appear to be reloads as I am not familiar with Western producing loads with that bullet style.

Last edited by elpac3; 10-12-2016 at 11:56 AM. Reason: added wording to reflect difference in case types
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Old 10-12-2016, 12:05 PM
FirstTristan FirstTristan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by didactic View Post
Somebody more knowledgeable might chime in, but the .38 S&W ammo looks to me like from the '60's or '70's. It is made for older revolvers; it's less powerful than .38 Special, with a case shorter and a few thousanths of an inch wider than that cartridge. It should not, and normally will not, chamber in a .38 Special cylinder.
It will fit many of the old top-break revolvers, and the .38 K-frames made for the Brits in WWII days. It would be wise to have any old gun checked out before attempting to fire it.
It's loaded with smokeless powder, but to relatively low pressure so it SHOULDN'T damage the old guns. IF IT HAS HAD GOOD STORAGE, it should be safe to fire, if you get access to one of those revolvers and care to shoot it.
I probably would, but you should be extremely cautious about checking for a clear barrel before firing a second shot if you get a suspected squib (less noise and recoil than normal) discharge.
About the .44 Special, it can be fired in any .44 Special or .44 Magnum firearm in good condition. Same caveat about a squib load, more likely if ammo looks corroded, or if it has been exposed to oil or excessive heat in storage.

Again, this info is subject to revision from anybody more knowledgeable.
Thanks man helped a lot
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Old 10-12-2016, 12:09 PM
FirstTristan FirstTristan is offline
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And yes the second box are reloads
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Old 10-12-2016, 12:11 PM
FirstTristan FirstTristan is offline
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Also should I sell for regular pricing or a little more expensive
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Old 10-12-2016, 12:31 PM
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The .44 specials are a current productin item so nothing really too special there.

For pricing, you might want to canvas a few sites such as Gun Broker to see what the market is generally getting.
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Old 10-12-2016, 01:02 PM
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Were they mine I would pull down the suspected reloads. There's no way of knowing just what is in there........
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Old 10-14-2016, 01:46 AM
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Your Yellow boxes are probably from the 1960s, and the top box is reloads. The .44 Box is probab;ly from the 1980s. I could date them precisely were the lot numbers provided. HOWEVER, regarding value, they would be fairly priced as just the same as ammunition made yesterday. The box condition is not good enough and they are too new to warrant any premium value to ammunition collectors. In short, their highest and best use is for playing "Shoot 'em Up."
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