Registered Magnum revolver sighted in at the factory with .38 Special

[mrcvs]

Why, as per my factory letter, and others I’ve seen were Registered Magnum revolvers sighted in using .38 Special when the round of choice to be used in them, presumably the new owner, would have used .357 Magnum? How often, percentage wise, might Registered Magnum revolvers have been sighted in at the factory using .38 Special vs .357 Magnum?

Attached is a copy of the factory letter and obligatory photographs of my Registered Magnum revolver (of course!).

 

[Doc44]

The ammunition to be used, as well as the distance (up to 200 yards), were the choice of the purchaser. Why some did not chose .357 Magnum ammunition is anyone's guess.

Bill

 

[LPD256]

I always find the optimism of folks impressive. A .38 sighted in at 100 yards would be a shot that most folks will never take and even if they tried it most would fail. But it’s cool to be able to say “ My gun is dead on at 100 yards”. That’s fun.

Great gun by the way!

 

[mrcvs]

The ammunition to be used, as well as the distance (up to 200 yards), were the choice of the purchaser. Why some did not chose .357 Magnum ammunition is anyone's guess.

Bill

Yes, I forgot! You would have completed a card as to what your specifications were when you ordered the revolver.

I’m guessing the reasons for .38 Special might be the following, in order of probability, from greatest to least: Availability of .357 Magnum vs .38 Special; Familiarity of .38 Special vs .357 Magnum; Cost of .38 Special vs .357 Magnum (it was the Depression); Familiarity with .357 Magnum and a desire for less recoil.

 

[Tom K]

....

Attached is a copy of the factory letter and obligatory photographs of my Registered Magnum revolver (of course!).

And not only is your gun sighted in at 100 yards with .38 Special ammunition, it's wad-cutters which are typically low velocity and low ballistic coefficient. I would expect that the rear sight would be sticking up as high as it would go! Presumably they installed a shorter than normal front sight to compensate?

 

[mrcvs]

And not only is your gun sighted in at 100 yards with .38 Special ammunition, it's wad-cutters which are typically low velocity and low ballistic coefficient. I would expect that the rear sight would be sticking up as high as it would go! Presumably they installed a shorter than normal front sight to compensate?

I don’t know as I have nothing else to compare it with. So you tell me if you can tell based on the photographs of the front and rear sights, as attached.

 

[505Gibbs]

It's interesting to note that it sighted with wadcutter ammo!!!!!!!!!! OMG.

 

[Muley Gil]

Over the years, I'm sure someone has changed the rear sight setting.

 

[Jack Flash]

My guess would be the original purchaser wanted to use it for some type of competitive target shooting. That's all I can think of to explain 100 yds, long barrel, center hold, and .38 Spl target loads.

 

[lestert357]

How often, percentage wise, might Registered Magnum revolvers have been sighted in at the factory using .38 Special vs .357 Magnum?

Based on RM certificates as recorded by kwill1911, 16 of 103 RM’s (approximately 16%) were sighted with one of the .38 caliber ammunition options as listed in the below page from the 1939 catalog……

However, certificates were not issued for most police orders, and some police orders called for sighting with .38 caliber ammunition; for example the first large order for 250 Magnums from the KCPD as noted in the below factory letter for REG 5008……

 

[DARE]

Imagine some people just wanted the gun. The .357 Magnum. There was a lot of talk about what a great gun it was. Top quality, special order the features you wanted.
Maybe the ammo for sight in not that important. Or maybe ammo you would use most often.

 

[mrcvs]

Over the years, I'm sure someone has changed the rear sight setting.

The letter calls for a Call gold bead front sight and that doesn’t appear to be the case (I think it’s white, but I don’t have it in front of me right now) but I think it’s a King rear sight.