Looking for “.38 s&w special” ammo. Not 38 special.

[Dgwiniger]

Thanks for all the comments. Here are some pics

Ok. This is my scenario. The bullet fits to this point which is just after the load. Every chamber is same. No buildup is visible.

Hope the pics help.

Cylinder matches gun butt. Not sure what the L number is on the frame.

 

[Malysh]

Your picture of the ammo box clearly shows 38 S&W Short with a 145gr. projectile.
That is NOT what your revolver appears to be chambered for. You bought the wrong ammo.
You need 38 S&W Special, aka 38 Special ammo.

 

[LVSteve]

I've never seen a box of ammo marked "38 S&W Short" before. Have you tried stuff marked "38 Special"? Either that ammo you have is oversize, or there is some Khyber Pass shenanigans going on with the gun.

 

[Dgwiniger]

Your picture of the ammo box clearly shows 38 S&W Short with a 145gr. projectile.
That is NOT what your revolver appears to be chambered for. You bought the wrong ammo.
You need 38 S&W Special, aka 38 Special ammo.

Lol. Exactly what I stated in my post… good grief.

 

[Dgwiniger]

Scroll up to see barrel pic. Thanks.

 

[HKSmith]

You did indeed buy the wrong ammunition for your revolver. The ammunition you showed above is .38 S&W, not .38 Special. The .38 S&W cartridge is slightly greater diameter than the .38 Special, which is why it will not fully seat in your chambers. Any .38 Special ammunition will work in your revolver and is not difficult to find. There is no difference between .38 Special and .38 S&W Special, other than S&W's desire to associate their name with a cartridge designed by D.B. Wesson in 1899 and for which they still chamber revolvers.

If you want to shoot the type of ammo that was being sold in 1951 for your gun, the 158 grain lead bullet loadings are still being made by several manufacturers. Jacketed bullet loadings will also work well and are available from 110 to 158 grains. I would avoid +P loadings, which are slightly higher pressure and much higher cost.

 

[murphydog]

.38 S & W (Short): case diameter .386", length .760", bullet diameter .361".

.38 S & W Special: case diameter .371", length 1.155", bullet diameter .357".

So you will find the .38 S & W rounds stick out about .400" from your .38 Special cylinder.

The good news is - .38 S & W ammo should be easy to sell, it is made in batches and months to years can go by before it is available.

 

[reddog81]

Lol. Exactly what I stated in my post… good grief.

That’s not correct.

 

[DWalt]

If the box label does not say "Special" or "Spl" somewhere, it is not .38 S&W Special ammunition. .38 S&W Short = .38 S&W.

 

[otis24]

.38 S&W Special is commonly referred to as .38 Special. One and the same. This is not to be confused with.38 S&W, a shorter more anemic round.

 

[BAM-BAM]

.38 S & W (Short): case diameter .386", length .760", bullet diameter .361".

.38 S & W Special: case diameter .371", length 1.155", bullet diameter .357".

.

I never knew that ; always more to learn!

 

[handejector]

The pic of your cylinder clearly shows chambers for the 38 Special, also know as the 38 S&W Special.

I've never seen a box of ammo marked "38 S&W Short" before.

I have never seen that either.
I suppose they are trying to make it clear it is not 38 Special ammo.
Did not work very well, did it?

Not sure what the L number is on the frame.

That stands for 'LISTEN' to these guys. They know what they're talking about.

 

[target tech]

I vaguely remember someone said .38 s&w short was something made for the gamers for quicker reloads. There is a thread here somewhere I think. Of course I could be thinking of something else.

Did some thread searching, it was .38 special short I was thinking of.

 

[offrdmania]

OP, I know you are frustrated and please dont take this the wrong way but in your original post, you said the ammo was hard to find. .38 special is not hard to find so I think this is what confused people until you posted a pic of the ammo box. No need to get short, everyone is here to help but sometimes its hard for us to comprehend what is typed out.

 

[pharmer]

This is .38 special "short."
38 SPL-Short 125GR LRN - Magtech
Different from:
Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 38 S&W Short Ammo 145 Gr FMJ - Ammo Deals
Joe

 

[LVSteve]

Waiting for somebody to start a thread on what "8mm Mauser" really means.

 

[AJ]

Waiting for somebody to start a thread on what "8mm Mauser" really means.

JS or what?

 

[shawn mccarver]

Final answer. OP has revolver chambered in 38 S&W Special, also known as 38 Special. OP purchased incorrect ammunition. Solution: purchase correct ammunition.

 

[Dgwiniger]

Final answer. OP has revolver chambered in 38 S&W Special, also known as 38 Special. OP purchased incorrect ammunition. Solution: purchase correct ammunition.

For the record I was admitting that I bought the wrong ammo and was trying to make sure I didn’t repeat. Thanks

 

[LostintheOzone]

Well, it is Fiocchi ammo so maybe the Italianos got a little confused when they labeled that box, or maybe that's what they call it in Rome. It should be just 38 S&W, which is actually a cartridge from the dark ages when they were loaded with black powder.

Here's a pretty good history of the 38 S&W cartridge, which is what you purchased. The designations are all over the place.

The .38 Smith & Wesson: History And Performance | An Official Journal Of The NRA

And no, it won't fit in a 38 S&W Special chamber. The cartridge case diameter is greater. So the mystery is solved. Just buy some 38 S&W Special ammo and you're GTG.