Hi Guys,
This will probably be a DUMB question,

but I'm well known for that.

Can a 38 s&w Terrier J frame shoot 38 special ammo?

I saw a guy on the internet demo shooting differen't frame s&w revolvers.

The first one he shot was the J frame (hamerless) and he was shooting 38 special ammo.

I have an older J frame Terrier and I would sure like to use the
38 special cartridge.

Many thanks for any info!!!

No. The Terrier is 38 S&W. The chief special is 38 S&W Special. Two different cartridges that do not interchange.

Charlie

Welcome from Wisconsin! Would that be a C130 that I jumped out of at least a half a million times? By the way - there are no dumb questions. Only those that go unasked.

__________________
Former USN, Retired US Army

So, you were one of those crazy guys that jump out of a perfectly good airplane? I wasn't allowed to. Every time I went up, I had to sign a note promising to bring the airplane back.

Thank you for your service Msg

Thanks Charlie.

Welcome aboard from the great state of Pennsylvania! FWIW - my brother joined the Air Force hoping to be trained in something he could use on the "outside." It was during Viet Nam and he ended up being a Gunner on the AC-130 Spectre Gunship! The funny part is after he got out he went into the National Guard as a civilian (and reservist) and used his training for the next 30 years to retirement. Amazing how things work out.

__________________
.:God Bless America:.

The .38 SMITH & WESSON cartridge is shorter than the .38 S&W SPECIAL. The .38 Special was the improved version after many unhappy people complained about the .38 S&W's lack of stopping power.

Even though the S&W .38 is obsolete in terms of self defense, the Terrier is somewhat collectible and if you did not want to keep it you could sell it if in good condition. If it is a family heirloom you could just keep it for memories or just shoot it with the S&W .38's - - - paper targets won't know the difference.

Once again, Welcome to the FORUM! If I had an attachment to the gun, and desire to shoot it, I would look into the possibility of reloading 38 S&W. There have been some pics of Terriers posted, that look quite nice. Just a word of advise.... get your Smith questions answered here. Bob

For the very reason you cite, i.e. ammo, the Terrier turned into a sort of "red headed step child" in the S&W lineup. It is the same size as the Chief Special but fires a less powerful round. The earlier (pre-Chief Special) I-frame versions of the Terrier carried the cachet that they were the smallest solid frame 38 caliber revolvers Smith made, but when the I-frame production ceased, that "advantage" was lost.

A funny thing has happened now, though. Collectors seek out the odd and unusual variations to complete their collections, so the popularity of the Terrier seems to have gotten a bit of a bump. If you want a small 38 Special, the Chief Special or its hammerless and/or light weight variants are what you want, but if you want to shoot your Terrier (along with us other shooters of odd Smiths) you'll need to seek out some 38 S&W ammo. Welcome to the madness!

Froggie