Enfield ammo question

[mred123]

Hello Everyone...I have a question about the kind of ammo to use in an Enfield, #2 mark 1A*?
The revolver says...707"3.5 tons
NO.38.
I don't want anything to powerful for this oldie.
Thanks in advance.

 

[DWalt]

.38 S&W, not .38 Special

 

[Pisgah]

It's .38 S&W. They loaded a 200 gr. bullet, but otherwise it is the same as ours. No commercially-loaded ammo will be "too powerful" for the gun.

 

[2152hq]

The 707"3.5tons is part of the post war proof mark.
.707",,the case length of the cartridge it's chambered and proofed for.
3.5tons is service pressure (English tons),,sometimes says" /per inch squared" after it.

(.707" is actually short by nearly .070" when compared with up to date SAAMI data for the 38 S&W case)


Bullet diameter is given as commercial cartridge designation '38'. not as the actual bore/groove diameter.

 

[Texas Star]

Keep in mind that the original bullet was a 200 grain lead one at some 600 FPS. In 1938, Germany protested against lead bullets and they adopted a 178 grain jacketed bullet. The 146 grain .38 S&W may not shoot to the point of aim.

There are interchangeable sight blades, but you may have trouble finding them. If you reload, you can cast heavier bullets.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Keep in mind that the original bullet was a 200 grain lead one at some 600 FPS. In 1938, Germany protested against lead bullets and they adopted a 178 grain jacketed bullet. The 146 grain .38 S&W may not shoot to the point of aim.

There are interchangeable sight blades, but you may have trouble finding them. If you reload, you can cast heavier bullets.

146gr bullets do not shoot to POA in my Enfield revolver. I reload for my revolver and my favorite load is a LFN 170gr bullet. It shoots very well in that revolver.

Like said above, your revolver shoots .38 S&W ammo, not .38 S&W Special ammo. (.38 Special)

 

[mred123]

Thanks everyone for all your great and useful information...
THEN this ammo would be ok to use... Prvi Partizan PPU .38 S&W 145grn LRN 50rd Box AP38SW145 $17.95

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Thanks everyone for all your great and useful information...
THEN this ammo would be ok to use... Prvi Partizan PPU .38 S&W 145grn LRN 50rd Box AP38SW145 $17.95

That ammo is the correct ammo for your revolver. That is a very good price too. Since I doubt there are any commercial ammo manufacturers making 38 S&W ammo with a heavier bullet that will have to do...

 

[mred123]

Thanks everyone...just ordered some from Aim.

 

[DWalt]

I don't know if the PP ammo is Boxer or Berdan-primed, but if it is Boxer primed, don't throw the fired brass away. You may want to reload it at some time in the future. .38 S&W ammo is a little difficult to locate and is frequently $30-40 box if you do find it in a sporting goods store, gun shop, etc., at least the US brands. At that $18 price you may want to invest in as many boxes as you can comfortably afford.

 

[Texas Star]

Just for the record, there was once a 200 grain US load for this round. My father had some back in the 1950's and I think it was old then. Believe it was from Western and labled Super Police.

 

[DWalt]

It was called the Super Police, ballistically very similar to the original (pre-WWII) British .38/200 lead bullet military load. It had the reputation of being somewhat more effective against live targets than the lighter bullets. For some reason, the 146 grain load survived but the 200 grain bullet load did not.