.38 Colt Long

[Llance]

Does anyone have any information they'd like to share with me concerning this ammo. I have a NOS full box. I'm not so interested in the history (i know this is why the gov went to 1911's) I'm more interested in how they shoot compared to .38 S&W and .38 spl.

 

[Greyman50]

Don’t shoot it, way more valuable as a collectable. What mfg? IIRC, been about 55 years since I shot any from a Colt D.A. revolver. Have 1 round in the collection somewhere.

 

[Drm50]

I have some full boxes and a partial. From 50s or 60s, Winchester Western in the Yellow box. I also have a box of Peters probably pre 1950. It’s all clean as new. Problem with ammo like that is it costs to much to ship and when you add that on to price, makes it to expensive for practical sell.

 

[s&wchad]

I wouldn’t shoot it either. You might want to sell it online. It seems full boxes are bringing over $100 plus shipping…

Winchester Staynless .38 Long Colt CF Revolver Cartridges - Vintage Ammo at GunBroker.com : 901495474

 

[Breakaway500]

Id shoot it..that's really what ammo is for.
I don't collect ammo..I amass it and shoot it.
One less thing my estate won't be getting rid of after Im gone..

 

[2152hq]

Trade it to some one that can't live w/o it for 3 or 4 boxes of 38special.

It shoots just the same.

 

[Llance]

The box says: Remington Arms - Union Metaillic Cartridge Co.

It appears, if the numbers stamped on the base are correct, the cartridges were manufactured in 1918. Hard to read. I've looked at them randomly and I don't see any discolouration to cause worry, just dirty as I would expect for cartridges this old.

Pictures

 

[glenwolde]

I'm with the "trade it for .38 Special ammo" plan.

 

[Llance]

I'd rather trade for .357 mag.

If you live in IL and are a member of the 40&8 I'll even bring them to you, says the Grand Chef

 

[DWalt]

I have one full box of W-W .38 LC in like-new condition I bought in the late 1970s at a store going out of business (I think I paid about $5 for it), and an earlier box of Remington-UMC, from around 1914, in VG condition. It has a price of 66 cents written on the label in pencil. At least that is how I interpret it. .38 LC is indeed collectible if you can find a local buyer you don't have to ship to or someone to barter with.

 

[BearBio]

Had a Colt Lightning and handloaded 38 LC. PITA!! I like/love the 41 LC, which is a better "man-stopper" with heavier bullets (Have had five; still have two). One Army Special and one 1900 Colt Bisley, lettered to Mexico City.


The 38LC is a weak sister!

 

[murphydog]

It started out with a heeled bullet, like .22 rimfire, then changed over to a standard inside lubricated pattern like modern ammunition.

Dimensionally the case is a short .38 Special, just as the Special is a short .357 Magnum. It will fire just fine in a .38 LC, Special or .357 but I would hang onto it. I bought a modern box of ammo of this type a few years back.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

That is old stuff Llance, could even be black powder loads. Pic is too blurry to read the lid info. Collectors prefer complete boxes of ammo with all cases the same, not a mix of brands so I wouldn't try shooting a round or two. Probably wouldn't go bang anyways because of the age of the primers. Save it for trade fodder or keep as a curio for your man cave.

John

 

[glowe]

38 Long Colt was the accepted military ammunition going back to the 1890s when it replaced the 45 Colt caliber. The military rounds were not black powder, but earlier use of this caliber dates back to 1875 for use in the 38 Colt Lightning. Unfortunately, there are very few styles of boxes that have any value and often can be bought for less than current manufacture ammo, maybe $20 for a full box in the condition you show. I think the main reason why this caliber is valued rather low is because there was a very large amount of ammo manufactured. I bought the box I show below for around $20 last year and the military packets from the early 1910's for less than $20 each.

There were a ton of Colt military revolvers made in this caliber, but only a total of 3,000 S&W revolvers made to accept this cartridge, the US Army Model 1899, the US Navy Model 1899, and the US Navy Model 1902. Those that remain unaltered will only chamber the shorter 38 LC.

 

[DWalt]

"The military rounds were not black powder,"

.38 LC cartridges, at least those manufactured for military use by Frankford Arsenal, used black powder (15.4 grains) until early 1900. The last Frankford-made lot using black powder was loaded in late 1899 and early 1900. The very first BP loadings used 18 grains, which Army Ordnance later decided was too heavy. The only .38 LC loads using the heeled outside lubricated bullets were those early ones (beginning in 1889) made by outside contractors for the Navy and they also used black powder. From 1892 onward, all .38 LC produced for the Army used the inside-lubricated bullets. From 1909 onward, most .38 LC military procurements were made from outside contractors (USC, Peters, Rem-UMC, Win, and Western). Presumably, all those used smokeless powder.

 

[glowe]

Yes, there are various opinions on the introduction of smokeless powder in US military guns. I think it was Pitman who stated that the 38 Long Colt was loaded with bulk DuPont smokeless, 16 grains with a 152 grain bullet for the Colt Model 1894 revolver. He called the powder small arms powder, which was understood to be bulk smokeless. His first plates describing that caliber was October 1892 and December 1896. The earliest I can find references to DuPont smokeless is they acquired rights to Hudson Maxim's smokeless powder patent in 1896. It was stated that he first use of smokeless in military firearms was around 1892 when the 30 Army Krag smokeless ammunition was introduced. The case was charged with was called "Peyton" smokeless powder which filled the case in 1894, produced by California Powder Works.

I made an error in which revolver first used the 38 Long Colt. It was not the Lightning, but rather the Colt New Line, but the date of introduction should still be 1875.