Quick question... if you can fit a 38 special into the chambers of a BSR that is suppose to be 38 S&W... has the gun been converted to 38 Special?

The pistol has no markings for conversion and has no import marks.

Thanks

Yes. That's the standard test for a rechambered BSR. But you can still use .38 S&W in it.

1. BSR revolver converted back to .38 special. Cylinder chambers are reamed to accept the .38 special and the S&W barrel was replaced with a .38 special barrel.

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2. Four rounds of Aguila 130 grain .38 special

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3. Next step is to shoot some .38 S&Ws through it. The bullet is .002 inches wider than the .38 special bullet. My gunsmith said go for it.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

You should have no problems in using .38 Special, at least I never have. Some have experienced case splitting. I have not. .38 Special-diameter bullets will work fine in a .38 S&W barrel.

Thanks..... that is what I figured but wanted to confirm it.

Unlike my Chrome BSR this BSR has performed flawlessly in shooting .38 Specials.

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All 27 of them.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Some converted BSR's will have "CAL .38 SPECIAL" stamped into the left frame below the cylinder latch. And conversions done in Britain like those by Cogswell & Harrison or Parker-Hale will show the proof case length as 1.15 (instead of the much more common .767 of the .38-200) stamped on the barrel.

But generally, most conversions and re-workings like refinishing, removing the lanyard loop, etc. appear to have been done (with various levels of expertise and exactitude) after re-importation, and no markings were applied when the caliber was adapted.

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Perhaps three years ago, there was a posting here by someone who said he had been a gunsmith at some shop which did many conversions of BSRs for an importer. He didn't provide much detail, and I requested that he put together a better treatment of exactly what and how the conversions were accomplished, as many here would like to know. But he never did.

I believe quite often it was simply running the chamber reamer through the chambers and that was all.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

H Richard is correct. I'm not a gunsmith, however I converted quite a few BSRs to .38 Spl with a chamber reamer in years gone by. Not rocket science. Ed.

This one has no British proof marks, no import marks and no extra marks other than the "United States Property", the flaming bomb proof and the letters "WE" or WB" and a very small "P" (the last 3 are all on the other side of the lanyard ring from the serial number which is in the 981XXX range. Also the standard S&W marks. The only exceptions are the Austrian Police marks which consists of the Ostereich eagle Polizi mark and unit number stamps.

I fired off 12 rounds of 38 Special with no issue. 4 of the chambers ejected easily with 2 needing some slight force. There is some slight bulging... but not bad at all. I need to load up some 38 S&W and give those a try for good order.

Oddly enough... 357 Magnum will also chamber into this gun. I will make sure I never make that mistake.

Thank you for all the help.

The markings you describe are all standard and to be expected on a late "pre-Victory" Lend-lease BSR from likely late spring 1942. It's WB for Waldemar Broberg, the US ordnance inspector-in-charge until June 1942. And the Austrian police stamp explains the absence of British proofs, since those were all applied upon being surplused out for commercial sale in Britain; a gun retired by the Austrians could have made its way back here by different routes.

As for the .357 fitting, not too odd if someone just ran a reamer into the chambers without bothering too much with micro-measuring; the length difference isn't that dramatic. Just remember never!