Remington Kleanbore 38 Special Police Service 158

[sbrmike]

I was given a box of Remington Kleanbore 38 Special, Police Service, 158 Grain Lead Bullet, # 5138 ammunition.

1. Is this a mild ammo suitable for an S&W model 37 Airweight?

2. About how old is this? It is in the predominately Green box with White letters and Red sides. It has Oil Proof on each end flap and a Lot # N28T.

This is real nice ammo, Rem UMC Nickle Plated Cases with crimp marks and Lead Round Nose Bullet.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Kleanbore was Remington's tradename for ammo loaded with non-corrosive primers, a changeover that took place in the years following WW2 and into the mid-1950s or so. The Kleanbore trademark continued in use considerably longer; I recall it being used into the 1980s.

The green box with white printed brand name was in general use by the 1970s and was seen for several decades, with different label designs.

Designating the ammo as "police service" was probably a marketing ploy, planting the idea that the product was top-of-the-line or somehow endorsed by police agencies.

Probably nothing more than standard production, and standard pressure, .38 Special ammo. Higher pressure loadings were generally labeled as "high velocity" with warnings that it was to be used only in certain heavy-duty revolvers. The transition to "+P" designation and acceptance via SAAMI standards, started in the 1970s and was largely completed by about 1980.

In my opinion, what you have is standard pressure .38 Special ammo produced circa 1970 or so (+/- a few years). Assuming it has been stored properly and has not degraded (serious corrosion, cracking case mouths or walls, etc) it should be suitable for any modern .38 Special revolver.

 

[DWalt]

From the lot code, your box would probably have been loaded in the first half of 1958 or the first half of 1969. It is even possible it may be earlier than 1958, possibly 1947. I would have to see a picture of the box itself to date it with certainty, as there were several graphics differences. You said that the index code is "5138". If there is no letter R in front of that number, it is definitely from post-WWII. In any event, there is nothing unusual or collectible about what you have. Back at that time, most LEOs carried .38 Special revolvers loaded with standard velocity 158 grain LRN ammunition.

 

[Alk8944]

Kleanbore was Remington's tradename for ammo loaded with non-corrosive primers, a changeover that took place in the years following WW2 and into the mid-1950s or so. The

Actually the "Kleanbore" designation which refers to use of a non-corrosive priming in the cartridges, first appeared in 1926. Kleanbore last appears on 1962-1963 boxes and is absent by 1964. For Remington this was an across-the-board change, not transitional. Other than that Lobo's answer was correct.

If you are interested in the history of Remington boxes, a quite comprehensive article on this will be found by following this link: https://cartridgecollectors.org/documents/Remington-Cartridge-Box-Dates.pdf

The answer to virtually any question can be found by simply typing the question into the search field on your browser's home page! "Google" is an amazing search tool. That is how I found this information.

 

[Doug M.]

LRN ammo is suitable for making empties to reload. It is not at all appropriate for serious use. A target wadcutter would be better.

 

[sbrmike]

Wow! Thanks for the great link! It is the 1946-1960 style box. Yeah, Lead RN are not my first choice as I have seen Lead RN holes nearly seal back up; you can nearly close the hole completely with paper targets.

I am a LSWC fan in my model 37 and also my 4 inch model 66-1.

 

[DWalt]

Your box definitely would be from the first half of either 1947 or 1958. I earlier missed the part where you said that the box had red sides, and if it does, that would make 1947 the correct year.
Headstamps should be REM-UMC. That changed to R-P in the early 1960s. Adding pictures is always a good idea for ID questions.