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05-08-2022, 10:33 AM
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38 Special Aircrewman military ammunition
What is the military designation for the 38 Special Aircrewman (Model 13) revolver ammunition please? Is it M41?
What are the specs on this ammo?
Riverok
Last edited by riverok; 05-08-2022 at 10:35 AM.
Reason: Add description
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05-08-2022, 10:47 AM
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Yes, M41. They made a lot of it and it came in a variety of boxes. 130 grain bullet, 950 FPS out of a 6 inch barrel.
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05-08-2022, 04:57 PM
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If you shot a round into the ground, and were very lucky, you might
kill a worm with that ammo.
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05-08-2022, 05:21 PM
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"Yes, M41. They made a lot of it and it came in a variety of boxes. 130 grain bullet, 950 FPS out of a 6 inch barrel."
While the milspec MV for the M41 is shown as 950 ft/sec, that was highly likely to have been fired from a special test barrel (possibly unvented) somewhat longer than that of a typical revolver. My MV tests of GI M41 ammunition from two different revolvers both having 6" barrels indicate that the average MV is more in the 800 ft/sec range. The SD is only around 25 ft/sec, so an MV of 950 ft/sec would be mathematically impossible to achieve from a 4" or 6" revolver barrel using M41 ammunition. The spec peak chamber pressure is given as 16,000 PSI. I have seen stories that a special lower velocity M41 round was made for use in the USAF revolvers having aluminum alloy cylinders, but I have been unable to find any reliable evidence in support of that. Does anyone know better?
One could truthfully say that the M41 round's ballistic performance from an actual revolver is somewhat below that of many 9mm pistols. Some may know that later on, the USAF adopted a much more powerful .38 Special round with ballistics more like those of the .38-44 using the same 130 grain bullet as the M41.
Last edited by DWalt; 05-08-2022 at 05:59 PM.
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05-09-2022, 05:27 AM
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The original 130 gr load went about 700 fps in a 4 inch barrel.
The PGU-12/B went about 950 fps. Looked to me that they just pushed the bullet farther down into the case. I saw somewhere that the original load was 3.5 gr of Bullseye. Seating the bullet deeper will raise pressure.
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05-09-2022, 08:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevada Ed
If you shot a round into the ground, and were very lucky, you might
kill a worm with that ammo.
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This cracked me up. I've never been a crazy, high power freak but anytime I've seen those rounds I had to wonder, Why? I think I bought some at a gun show once and wasn't impressed.
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05-09-2022, 08:58 AM
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I’d like to snag an original box of it for the Victory Model my grandfather returned from Europe with in the fall of 1945.
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05-09-2022, 09:42 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Valmet
I’d like to snag an original box of it for the Victory Model my grandfather returned from Europe with in the fall of 1945.
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M41 would not be the correct ammo for a WWII Victory Model. You need this:
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05-09-2022, 10:01 AM
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I’ll keep my eyes peeled, thanks Kwill1911...
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05-09-2022, 11:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kwill1911
M41 would not be the correct ammo for a WWII Victory Model. You need this:
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A box of the WWII-era .38 Special GI ammunition is not the easiest to find today, especially the red tracer variety. As seen, the military issue Ball .38 Special ammo came packed in a civilian-style box. The mention of a steel bullet jacket on the front label and the absence of an index number in the lower right corner are what you should look out for. Every box of the WW II GI Ball ammo I have ever seen has been in somewhat less than high condition, and I imagine that a very high condition full box would probably be considered a genuine rarity, with a price to match. I believe that Remington was the sole manufacturer during the war.
Last edited by DWalt; 05-10-2022 at 08:58 PM.
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05-10-2022, 09:07 AM
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Thanks everyone. Fortunately, I could load my own ammo if necessary.
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05-10-2022, 10:34 AM
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Now that's a crimp!
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05-10-2022, 08:45 PM
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There is a reason for that, Check this old thread.
PGU-12/B .38spl anyone got pictures?
Last edited by DWalt; 05-10-2022 at 08:51 PM.
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