38 Short Colt

[LostintheOzone]

Anyone loading these for a model 36? I found them to be quite pleasant to shoot and easy to load. Shooting standard 38 Spl loads was unpleasant so I loaded some of these with 125 grn bullets. That's my standard load now for the range. Not sure why the ammo manufactures haven't caught on to this load.

 

[fredcoyote]

Heck yes. I shoot them in most of my 38/357 just because they are so much fun! Same with 44 Russian in my 44 mags. Cheap cheap and super fun. Short cases eject pretty smooth too! Starline brass lasts forever with these too if kept mild. Growing up coveting any .22 shorts I could get my little hands for my single shot Cooey probably gave me a liking for those stubby bullets... Partridge, rabbits, squirrels, and occasional fox were taken with the tiny little lead pills. Good ol' days.

Happy shootin,

Fred

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

For extended speed shooting They reload fast with full moon clips or even speed loaders.

There is an extinct modern round that similar. 9mm Federal, is 9 Lugar length with a 38 Special rim, uses 9x19 loading data. Juice up the second cylinder in the session. (They killed this round because they will fit in a Top Break 38 S&W so, Having Morons around is the only downside, unless you subscribe to Darwinian Evolution.)

Ivan

 

[DWalt]

The .38 SC deserves to be much more popular than it is. Many ICORE shooters like it as the shorter fired cases extract better and don't hang up. Especially in snubbies with short extractor rods. That's what I use. One other thing. The .38 SC (factory load) can be used in .38 S&W revolvers.

 

[.455_Hunter]

The only downside is the extended bullet jump in
38 Special or .357 Mag chambered guns. My preference is to shoot ammo that fully fills the chambers, buts that's more of a OCD thing than a real problem if proper cleaning procedures are followed.

 

[glenwolde]

Once upon a time, I made a rimmed version of the .380 for the Taurus .380 revolver. I tested to see if they would headspace correctly and they did so I used .38 Short Colt cases and trimmed them to .380 length. I made some from .38 Special also but it was a lot to trim off. The Short Colt cases were easier. Sort of a .38 "Shorter" Colt.

They worked quite well and avoided dealing with the super-thin Taurus half-moon clips. Then I gave up on the revolver.

 

[Bullet Bob]

There was a good article about the Short Colt in the Feb. 2023 Shooting Times, with reloading data.

 

[Model19man]

This link explains some of the challenges of using a shorter case : Handloading The .38 Short Colt For Competition | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal

Basically there are two issues.

One, 38 Short Colt was designed to use outside lubricated heel type bullets. If your barrel is designed to use modern inside lubricated bullets be sure to use those.

Two, many shooting sports require loading to 38 Special pressures in order to make a minimum power factor. Meanwhile, 38 Short Colt is only rated for 12,000 PSI. Loading it to higher pressures in order to make power factor numbers makes the ammunition unsafe for guns originally designed to use 38 Short Colt.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

Anyone loading these for a model 36? I found them to be quite pleasant to shoot and easy to load. Shooting standard 38 Spl loads was unpleasant so I loaded some of these with 125 grn bullets. That's my standard load now for the range. Not sure why the ammo manufactures haven't caught on to this load.

I have a 686 that I built that shoots 9mm, 38 short and 38 suppers. My other load I like is the 32Long, it has less recoil than my 22lr. I loaded the short colt for my J frame when we were doing gun shows. If I had to shoot someone I didn't want to hurt the one behind them. They can't sell more power and equipment is why the don't produce more.