.38 S&W convert to .38 Special?

[gbw]

Is this conversion safe and doable on an older revolver?

The revolver was given to me and is in only fair cosmetic condition.

It seem mechanically good. Probably a WWII version lend-lease gun.

K-frame .38 Special barrels and cylinders are widely available, would they fit this frame?

I'm assuming it's not particularly collector grade and the conversion wouldn't hurt the value. Is this correct?

Just thinking about it. .38 S&W ammo is costly and I reload .38 Special.

Than ks

 

[Tyrod]

Generally, I would say no. However, you threw other variables into the mix that I just don't know the answer to. I don't believe S&W was still making 38S&W caliber guns by the beginning of WWII. So, unless GB was requesting revolvers in that caliber, I can't imagine S&W would be shipping them that caliber. However, If that IS the case, it's quite possible that that frame & cylinder is heat treated to handle 38 Special. In which case there exists the possibilty that your conversion could be done. However, I don't know if there is a way to verify the heat treatment your gun received. I think we need a historian here.

 

[murphydog]

If you are referring to a 4-6" (probably 5") barrel K frame Victory Model in .38 S & W, two possible scenarios but neither particularly nice. One, many of these were converted to fire .38 Special by reaming the cylinder bores to accept the longer cases; the problem is the Special is of smaller diameter than the S & W case, so upon firing the Special cases may crack. As you noted, the other option of changing out the cylinder and barrel is possible, but you may be looking at spending close to the cost of a complete/original gun in doing so. The .38 Special bore is .357 and the S & W is .361, but some report an S & W to Special cylinder change alone allows for decent accuracy. Hope this is helpful.

 

[lebomm]

Possible? Yes. Safe? Probably. However, Alan had it dead on - the cost of such a conversion would soon exceed the cost of a comparable original gun in .38 Spl and would destroy any remaining collectibility in your .38 S&W, not to mention it probably wouldn't shoot as well. My recommendation would be to clean it, oil it, shoot it as is, and go find a .38 Spl.

Larry

 

[Waidmann]

I agree with lebomm's comments. But if you have no attachment to the gun and it still in correct condition, i.e. smooth grips, butt swivel; it should cover the cost of a pedestrian .38 Special.

 

[brucev]

I agree with lebomm's comments. But if you have no attachment to the gun and it still in correct condition, i.e. smooth grips, butt swivel; it should cover the cost of a pedestrian .38 Special.

JMO, but this is about the best solution to the matter. Find a nice S&W in .38 Special that you like and trade, or sell your revolver and buy what you want. Trying to adapt what you from .38 S&W to .38 Special is unlikely to produce a good result. JMHO. Sincerely. brucev.

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
I swapped cylinders on a "Victory". The 38spl cylinder required negative fitting. I loaded .360 cast bullets in the .38spl cases with 2.8gr Bullseye
powder. I enjoyed acceptable accuracy with negative problems.
Jimmy

 

[revolverdave]

38 sw to 38 spl. conversion

Was reading this thread and one hiding in my gun case is one of these. The barrel is marked 38 s&w and the cylinder is 38 spl., and 38 s&w cartridges do not fit in the cylinder so it has not been reamed out. It shoots quite nicely. At some point in it's life it was nickel plated.

 

[robertrwalsh]

If I recall correctly Lee Harvey Oswald used a similarly converted .38 revolver to murder a Dallas police officer after he shot JFK. I believe his was simply a ream job on the cylinder and a barrel cutdown. Pretty common I understand. As far as the original question I would be inclined to simply load for .38 S&W as well and shoot it as is. Otherwise you will have a lot of money invested in a gun of modest value.

 

[walnutred]

Was reading this thread and one hiding in my gun case is one of these. The barrel is marked 38 s&w and the cylinder is 38 spl., and 38 s&w cartridges do not fit in the cylinder so it has not been reamed out. It shoots quite nicely. At some point in it's life it was nickel plated.

Yes, check the serial number on the cylinder and the frame to make sure it didn't have a cylinder swap. My biggest concern would be barrel length. As long as it was not cut down enough to remove the locking lug and everything locked up properly I would at least shoot it to see how it functions.

 

[Dvus]

The most economical solution to me, with what is also most likely to give the best results, is to invest in a set of .38 S&W dies. Many of these old revolvers were chambered for .38 S&W, or .38/200 as the Brits liked to call it. I had a Victory that had been converted (i.e. rechambered) by Cogswell and Harrison across the pond, and it was not the best of either world. Accuracy beyond 10 yards was just a myth, and the .38 special cases swelled to the point that they were not safe to reload. It is a combination that is iffy at best with factory ammo.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I was about to say the same thing as what Dvus said above. Since you already reload why not load 38 S&W ammo. Dies and 100 cases won't cost you anywhere near what a conversion will cost you. Clean it up, oil it up and have some fun. I shoot the 38 S&W and it's a fun cartridge to shoot. You can use the same powder and primers you use to load the .38 Special. Bullets are no more expensive either. Missouri Bullets has them at a fair price, $37.50 for 500 145gr cast bullets.

 

[.38SuperMan]

I was about to say the same thing as what Dvus said above. Since you already reload why not load 38 S&W ammo. Dies and 100 cases won't cost you anywhere near what a conversion will cost you. Clean it up, oil it up and have some fun. I shoot the 38 S&W and it's a fun cartridge to shoot. You can use the same powder and primers you use to load the .38 Special. Bullets are no more expensive either. Missouri Bullets has them at a fair price, $37.50 for 500 145gr cast bullets.

I recently bought a model 32-1 in 38 S&W and bought a set of dies, 300 rounds of Starline brass and 500 missouri hullets. I did a test run last week using bullseye and chronographed them at 565fps. They clocked right with my factory ammo and are very mild shooters even out of my 2" J frame.

Yesterday I sat down and loaded 300 rounds and highly recommend this route.

 

[AlHunt]

Just thinking about it. .38 S&W ammo is costly and I reload .38 Special.

Than ks

I, too, was wondering why a reloader would even consider converting calibers.

 

[old tanker]

Sounds like you might have a British Service revolver. As noted by others many of them were reamed to accept .38 Special when they came back to the United States after WW2.

An unmolested one is a nice piece of history. Like others, I'd be inclined to advise you to trade for a Model 10 and let someone who appreciates it for what it is have it.

Here is a Lend-Lease gun, denoted by the "US Property" marking on the frame. It shoots ammo loaded to duplicate the .38-200 service cartridge quite nicely, as the B-16 shot offhand at 25 yards shows well enough.

 

[Heinz]

Leave it alone. That old veteran is just going to go up in value and "cosmetic problems" are more acceptable with age. You can find the correct ammo and the 38-200 is a respectable round. And no worries about shooting it.

 

[murphydog]

Guys, the OP is still around every so often (about 9 months from his last post), but this thread is 9 1/2 years old. No indication that he did, or didn't, do the conversion.

 

[NewSport]

Good info, but the original post is 10 years old...