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11-25-2018, 06:15 PM
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I've taken a fancy to 38sw....
It all started innocently enough....my son had a 38/200 he wasn't shooting. I adopted it, bought some nice little bullets for it and liked it a bunch. So I decided I wanted a top break in 38sw to go with an H&R 9-shot .22 and found a 1947 H&R Defender, and liked that as well.
Then my S&W proclivity kicked in and soon I had a 33-1, a Perfected and my newest, a post-war Terrier I bought from a very nice member here.
A Colt Police Positive and H&R 925 followed and I'm hooked.
Would love to hear some advice about "collecting" these and/or stories about this nice little round. I've pretty much concluded that shooting modern ammo out of anything made before 1900 probably isn't a good idea, but would love to be talked out of that position.
I guess I'll be looking for a Smith Regulation Police, a model 11 or British "Victory," and pre-war Terrier next.
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11-25-2018, 06:51 PM
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Collecting or accumulating? These are two very different things. The 38 S&W cartridge goes back to 1876 with the 38 Single Action spur trigger 5 shot revolver. The most popular S&W out there is the WWII Victory and British Service Revolver, partly because over a million were made. There are many S&W models out there and most are low value today. That is good news for an accumulator, since you can buy shooter grade S&Ws in this caliber at lower cost than 38 Special for example.
Most members consider collectors as those who buy the best condition they can afford which, in the case of this caliber can be had for relatively low cost. A near perfect 38 Safety Hammerless, for example, can be bought for under $400 today.
Lastly, it is a pure falacy that pre-1900 guns cannot be shot with smokeless powder. I have shot dozens of them and own many. Standard factory ammunition made today is lower pressure and less stress than original full-boat black powder rounds. One must consider that 38 Double Actions and 38 Safeties were the exact same gun before and after the advent of smokeless powder, so should perform just as well. I will agree that shooting black powder is a pain and cleanup is time consuming and extensive, so many years ago I tried to confirm the old-wives-tale that smokeless powder was dangerous in antique arms. Outside of muzzleloaders and low quality brands out there that were dangerous to shoot with any powder, well made S&Ws and some other brands were and are perfectly safe to shoot with modern ammunition. No hot-rodding is allowed or suggested, but current ammunition manufacturers are well aware of the fact that millions of top-break 38 S&Ws, 32 S&Ws and other calibers are out there and take that into consideration when designing their standard loads for sale.
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Gary
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11-25-2018, 06:56 PM
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Hello .
Perhaps not as common in the U.S. , the Webley mark IV in 38 S&W has proven to be very accurate . When I got mine I was told by war vetrens that you cant hit any thing with that . Someone who worked in a gun shop told me that they were junk . When I tried this out , I put up a big paper at 15 yards . WhenI fimished I had a big paper with a one inch hole were all ten shots went through .
I have shot and gotten good results at 25 meters . The mark IV's that are here came from India , when they bought new guns from Ruger in 38 S&W . The guns sold for about $75.00 ea , some very primo , carried a lot . fired not much.
A 158 grain swc bullet works for me .
Regards .
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11-25-2018, 07:18 PM
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Oh Mr. Red, you swallowed the hook. Line and sinker.
Welcome to the club. Your days at the horse track are over.
Welcome.
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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member
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11-25-2018, 09:39 PM
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I am NOT a "collector" in the sense I only buy the best examples of whatever I'm interested in. So I guess that makes me an "accumulator."
What I can afford are "shooter" grade examples of the guns I'm interested in. So my 39-2 has an elecro-penciled "MPD" and rack number and my Luger has replacement grips from Sweden. Same with most of my older guns (38/44 has replacement cylinder, which ruins collector value but I love that big ole gun.)
And I've read a bunch of folks saying it's okay to shoot modern ammo in pre-1900 Smiths, so I think I'm gonna try it. 'Course first I gotta get a pre-1900 .38sw. Think a "Baby Russian" is ok to try?
There's a bunch of stuff available on GB....so maybe I'll cyber-Monday and find something fun.
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11-25-2018, 10:24 PM
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I'm shoot my 38 Single Action, 2nd Model. Simple gun, spur trigger, but don't expect high accuracy. They have a short barrel, simple non-adjustable sights and small stocks, but they are fun. The 2nd Model is much more affordable than the 1st (Baby Russian) and pretty much the same gun. I started out buying ammo for these guns, but availability and price got me reloading the 38 S&W. reloading opens up many possibilities with various bullet styles and weights along with being able to load several velocities with different powders to find the most accurate loads for a particular gun.
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Gary
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Last edited by glowe; 11-25-2018 at 10:26 PM.
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11-26-2018, 12:04 AM
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If I can ever clear away the Thanksgiving decorations that need to go back into storage, and put out the Christmas decorations that are piled high, I might, just might, be able to get to the reloading bench. But I'll probably have to rent a fork lift and dumpster to clean all that junk out.
Plus the spiders and birds that have made nests and webs in and under the Lee press stand...I hate to displace them around the holidays.
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