.38 Auto use in .38 Special

[Top Draftee]

I accidently purchased some rounds by mistake. They are described as '38 Auto (Not Super) 130 gr FMJ ammo. Loaded on 38 Super brass to 38 Auto pressures'. Can this round be used in my .38 Special? Thanks.

 

[Trooperdan]

not even close! Unless you have something with a moon clip conversion possibly.

 

[OKFC05]

Personally, I wouldn't use somebody else's reloads in my guns even if they were the correct caliber.
Certainly not going to even consider an oversized semi-rimmed auto cartridge that is normally loaded (36,000) way beyond .38 Special Pressures, but in this case (allegedly) loaded to lower pressure (26,500) that is still over .38 +P pressure specs (20,000).
Do you feel lucky?

 

[gordondewolf]

As you have been advised - trying to shoot this ammo from a .38 Special is a very bad idea. If you can't sell or trade it, if it were me - I'd pull it down for components. I'm new here - and I'm sort of in the same position that you are with .38 Auto brass and bullets on hand that I can't really use.

I may well use the 130 grain bullets in my 9mm Luger pistols for plinking, and eventually find someone who wants my 185 nickel cases in trade. Heck, I've even thought about finding a conversion slide for my 1911 - .38 Auto/.38 Super used to be a popular target round. But then I'd only end up buying more dies that I'd only shoot a few times.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I accidently purchased some rounds by mistake. They are described as '38 Auto (Not Super) 130 gr FMJ ammo. Loaded on 38 Super brass to 38 Auto pressures'. Can this round be used in my .38 Special? Thanks.

Absolutely NOT.

 

[Alk8944]

I am going to play "Devil's Advocate" and pose a question for everyone who is so adamant about why .38 ACP should not be fired in a .38 Special revolver!

I will start with a disclaimer. First, the ammunition must have been loaded by a commercial ammunition manufacturer who has access to pressure testing equipment. None of my comments are intended to allow ammunition made by "Bubba" and sold at a gun show or flea market! Second, I am only including high quality revolvers, medium frame or larger, in good mechanical condition! Finally, nothing is intended to be taken by the O.P. as a recommendation to use this ammunition. This is absolutely not my intent

Now, the question. WHY NOT, since you all are so adamant? Let me explain the rational behind this.

1) .38 ACP is a semi-rimmed case. It will fit the .38 Spl. chamber and be supported adequately by the rim. No form of clip is needed. (Betcha none of you knew this!!)

2) SAAMI Maximum Average Pressure standard for .38 ACP is a bit under 26,000 CUP. While higher than .38 Spl. +P pressure this is approximately the pressure level to which .38-44 Spl. ammunition was loaded in days gone by. Concensus seems to be that much .38-44 ammunition was actually loaded to significantly higher pressure than this figure!

3) While not every .38 Spl. revolver manufactured during the period when .38-44 ammunition was commonly available was recommended for use with this ammunition, I have never seen any "Warnings" against use of .38-44 factory ammunition in any .38 Spl. revolver. The .38 M&P 2" was specifically approved for use of .38-44 ammunition in S&W advertising from ca. 1937! (Betcha most of you didn't know this euther!)

With all this considered, what conceivable, documentable, reason can any of you nay-sayers have to support your individual contentions? And, please, don't try to fall back on the old "Use only ammunition as inscribed on the barrel"! While reasonable advice for those who have little if any knowledge of the subject it is a quick and dirty recommendation that will never cause trouble. The trouble is there are many exceptions to this "rule".
NOTE: We are talking about .38 ACP, NOT SUPER.38 Auto, they are not the same!

 

[Yorkie Man]

I have fired .38 ACP ammo out of my 686. It has a semi rim so no moon clips were needed.

 

[OKFC05]

.38 ACP is a semi-rimmed case. It will fit the .38 Spl. chamber and be supported adequately by the rim. No form of clip is needed. (Betcha none of you knew this!!)

You lose. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to post, since nobody seems to read it..........................
.38 ACP shoots OK from a .357, but is overpressure for .38 special.
So the OP question was could 38 super cartridges, supposedly loaded to 38 ACP specs by who knows who (bubba bullets??)be fired in a .38 revolver, identity of make, model, and age unknown? Well?
Like I said, do you feel lucky?

 

[Biggfoot44]

Continueing in the vein of 8944 ...

Yes it will ( most probably ) fit. The (untapered ) body dia is .006 larger than .38spl , but shold fit 99.9% of .38spl chambers. The rim is .008 thinner , which will increase the headspace by like ammount. There ARE inexpensive revolvers out there with grossly excessive headspace , but if a particular gun has headspace reasonably close to being in spec , .008 will usually get by.

Double * IF * , if the ammo is loaded by a real mfg , and if it is loaded to the levels of recent decade's .38acp factory ammo ( 130gr @ 1040fps from 5in unvented test bbl ) that's pretty mild stuff. ( Yeah historically from 1900 - WWII-ish .38acp performance was all over the map , but recent decades has been very mild.) Same ball park as .38+P , less than +P+ .

I won't go out on a limb and *recomend* to do this , but I would fire a few thru a .357 Mag to chrono , and depending on results , make my personal decisions.

 

[k22fan]

For your consideration:

[...] The (untapered ) body dia is .006 larger than .38spl , but shold fit 99.9% of .38spl chambers. [...]

I doubt the percentage of .38 specials that will accept .38 ACP cartridges is that high. Even if it is, in those chambers that barely accept .38 ACP cartridges there will not be room for the case to expand and release the bullet normally. That will raise the pressure above what the manufacturer intended the .38 ACP round to produce in a .38 ACP chamber.

 

[Alk8944]

.....there will not be room for the case to expand and release the bullet normally.

Just think a moment about this remark! If the cartridge is small enough to be loaded in the chamber normally, then how do you believe it is possible that pressure could be increased because the neck could not expand? If there is sufficient clearance, even a fraction of a thousandth, that the cartridge freely enters the chamber, then there is sufficient clearance for bullet release!

You should try things out before making blanket statements about things like fit! Obviously you have not in this case. While there would be interference with a maximum cartridge in a minimum chamber, the reality is neither often exist. The actuality is that in most cases the .38 ACP will drop freely into most .38/.357 chambers, so this objection is irrelevant. This is the same situation where it has been asked "Can I shoot .38 S&W in my .38 Special?" that is frequently asked. While the .38 S&W is .004" larger in diameter that even the .38 ACP, the fact is that something over 50% of all .38 and .357 Magnum chambers will accept .38 S&W ammunition, even though it is theoretically impossible!

If you would take the time to read my first post you will see that every one of your other objections has been thoroughly handled by caveats!

 

[gordondewolf]

Boy, I'm going out on a limb here. Due to the fact that the chamber pressure is so much higher than that for a standard .38 Special, even IF you could chamber and fire one of these rounds thru your pistol, why would you risk it?

Just for grins and giggles, I tried to chamber an empty, unfired R-P nickel case in my old Model 10. Maybe 99.9% of revolvers chambered for .38 Special will chamber a .38 Auto round - but it won't in my 00.1% .38 Special. I even played with the case, and ran it thru a .38 S&W Special sizer die, and the case still would not fully chamber. The head of the case would not size down enough to chamber. I could maybe hammer the case into the cylinder and get it closed - but that ain't gonna happen.

Not sure how you fellows run things here - it's your Forum - but a question was posted and answered. Sorry if you don't like the answers, but they are correct. Don't try to fire these .38 Auto rounds from a .38 Special. Goes against one of the basic firearm rules: Only use ammunition of the proper caliber and type for your weapon.

I mean no disrespect or offense with this answer. I post it only because someone down the line may look this up in the future and think that they are perfectly safe to do this. If I get the boot for saying this, so be it.

 

[lebomm]

It's been my experience that my Models 10, 13 and 640 will freely chamber W-W, but not R-P, Aguila, or USCCo. .38 auto. The 13, of course, handles them effortlessly, and the 10 and 640 will fire them without obvious trouble (yet). No flat primers or sticky ejection, but as above, an iffy proposition, to be considered in emergency only.

Larry

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Would I shoot a 38 Auto in a 38 Special? No
Would I shoot a 38 Auto in a 38/44 sure but why waste it in a revolver when I could shoot in a 38 Super.

I am not recommending it, but I believe it will work if you have a long enough firing pin.

To me, it is a darn good reason to buy a 38 Super!

 

[jag312]

Many years ago I had a more extreme case than a .38 Auto cartridge fired in a modern .38 Special revolver. The suspect had an antique Colt New Army & Navy revolver in .38 Long Colt made in the mid 1890s; a black powder revolver. He was shooting .38 Super+P in it. What is amazing is that the barrel was split, but the cylinder held the pressure. I am not advocating using ammunition not designed for a specific firearm, but it is interesting what some people will do. In case anyone is interested, the suspect in this case died in a shoot-out with police during an attempted armed robbery.

 

[KEN L]

Why not just take it back where you got it and get the correct ammo?

 

[murphydog]

Many tears ago I had a more extreme case than a .38 Auto cartridge fired in a modern .38 Special revolver. The suspect had an antique Colt New Army & Navy revolver in .38 Long Colt made in the mid 1890s; a black powder revolver. He was shooting .38 Super+P in it. What is amazing is that the barrel was split, but the cylinder held the pressure. I am not advocating using ammunition not designed for a specific firearm, but it is interesting what some people will do. In case anyone is interested, the suspect in this case died in a shoot-out with police during an attempted armed robbery.

I'm guessing you meant to write "many 'years' ago", but tears may describe things as well.

Regarding the situation you describe, it sounds like the .38 Super round may have been fired down an obstructed bore? That might explain why the cylinder didn't rupture. Those old Colt D.A. .38s can also chamber .357 by report...definitely not recommended.

 

[murphydog]

I accidently purchased some rounds by mistake. They are described as '38 Auto (Not Super) 130 gr FMJ ammo. Loaded on 38 Super brass to 38 Auto pressures'. Can this round be used in my .38 Special? Thanks.

"Can"? Maybe.

"Should"? No. This may be an important lesson to apply in other aspects of life as well .

You probably can't return the ammo, so sell it to someone who can, or accept the $30 loss as part of your gun education and buy .38 Specials next time. If you were drafted by the NFL you can probably afford it .

 

[murphydog]

I accidentally purchased some rounds by mistake. They are described as '38 Auto (Not Super) 130 gr FMJ ammo. Loaded on 38 Super brass to 38 Auto pressures'. Can this round be used in my .38 Special? Thanks.

"Can"? Maybe.

"Should"? No. This may be an important lesson to apply in other aspects of life as well .

You probably can't return the ammo, so sell it to someone who can, or accept the $30 loss as part of your gun education and buy .38 Specials next time. If you were drafted by the NFL you can probably afford it .

 

[stiab]

I doubt the percentage of .38 specials that will accept .38 ACP cartridges is that high.

Actually it is, having done a lot of testing in that regard, and having fired both .38 Auto and Super from .357 Magnums. It's mainly an age issue, for example Super and Auto will fit my 1990's Model 60, but not a 1971 Model 60. Another poster stated it would not fit his "old" Model 10, and that is to be expected. It fits most recent Colt and S&W revolvers, including Model 65s, 66s, Python's, lots of .38s, etc. Factory ammo brands vary, with most Winchester working fine, but not Remington.

Whether someone should do it or not is another question, but it always amazes me how many people think it cannot be done because they don't realize the Super is a straight cartridge with a rim that hold it just fine.