Why not a 38 Super revolver ?

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Why not ? There have been several 9MM revolvers, a 38 Super would provide even more velocity and punch and I would think that semi-rimmed case would be easier to extract. Or use moon clips and be able to fire both 38 S uper and 9MM.

 

[Golddollar]

Why not ? There have been several 9MM revolvers, a 38 Super would provide even more velocity and punch and I would think that semi-rimmed case would be easier to extract. Or use moon clips and be able to fire both 38 S uper and 9MM.

It probably would be physically possible but may not be financially viable as it would have to compete with the .357 Magnum as to power and the 9mm revolvers on ammunition costs.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I reamed a 357 cylinder to 38 Super and cut it for moonclips. Now it will shoot 38acp, 9mm, 38 Super, 9x21, 9x23, 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38 Special and 357 Magnum, all in one cylinder.

 

[Watchdog]

It probably wouldn't be all that commercially successful. It would appeal to the Next Big Thing folks maybe.

I think it'd be more of a niche gun, sorta like the .357 Sig.

Why .38 Super when we already have .38+P, .38 Special loaded an almost infinite number of ways, and .357 Magnum already loaded from the factory with several different velocities and bullet weights/designs that are extremely effective.

What would be the advantage of a .38 Super revolver?

And when you think about it, I wonder how many people actually shoot/carry 9mm revolvers for concealed carry/self defense? I know some people do, but I personally don't know anyone who does.

 

[Matt C.]

Had Mr. Bowen take a 9mm security six to 9x23.
Shot lights out with .38 Super Silvertips.

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[OLDSTER]

Now there's an interesting thought

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have shot the semi-rimmed 38 Super+P in revolvers suitable for 38 Special +P or 357 Mag. No moon clips necessary! Extraction/Ejection in double action revolvers was about 50/50 (the rim is very small!) My Single Action 357's never had a problem. I never tried 38 Super in a lever action, but would only try it with hollow or flat points! (or limit it to 1 round in chamber and 1 round in the magazine.) But the OAL may be too short to engage the magazine cartridge stop.

I can tell you this, it is a hand full out of a J-frame, and fine out of a K-frame or larger. The velocity doesn't work well with my snubbies, but 4" barrels have been fine.

Ivan

 

[kwselke]

Why not ? There have been several 9MM revolvers, a 38 Super would provide even more velocity and punch and I would think that semi-rimmed case would be easier to extract. Or use moon clips and be able to fire both 38 S uper and 9MM.

Why would it be better than a .357 Magnum?

 

[rockquarry]

Did the S&W Custom Shop have some sort of competition .38 Super revolver available at one time, maybe ten or fifteen years ago?

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

Did the S&W Custom Shop have some sort of competition .38 Super revolver available at one time, maybe ten or fifteen years ago?

YES THEY DID! It was a competition revolver on the N-frame that was special order. I saw it in one of their catalogs many, many years ago. It looked just like the Performance Center Model 625 except it was in .38 Super.

Never saw one for real, though. But have seen the .357 Magnum versions.

 

[sipowicz]

Because unless I personally ask them to make one, they won't consider it.

 

[Protocall_Design]

They made some 627s in 38 super.

 

[Doug627]

BuckeyeSmith actually purchased several barrels from Smith & Wesson in the late 90s or early 00s for the 38 Super. He made a few revolvers. The barrels were stamped 38 Super. I saw them at a gun show we did together.

 

[huthike]

I recently bought a 686 performance center gun in 38 super that is patiently waiting in my safe for me to find the time to take it out and shoot it.


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[k22fan]

Locally one of our best revolver competitors usually shoots his 6 shot L frame .38 Super. It was a factory chambering. I have not shot it or even handled it in quite a while but IIRC it is a 4" Performance Center revolver with a slab sided barrel and an unflutted cylinder. Its owner loves and is very good with his .38 Super automatics so having the same cartridge in a moon clip revolver was a natural for him.

I'm going to offer my opinion on a few of the miscellaneous suggestions above. First, .38 Super uses the same resizing die as .38 S&W. My Lyman carbide set is marked for both cartridges. We continually get criticism of .38 S&W British surplus revolvers that importers reamed to .38 Special. The criticism is that the chamber diameter is over size for .38 Special. Reaming chambers to take both .38 Super and .357/.38 Special results in the same sloppy fit. Some unaltered .357s have large enough chambers to accept .38 Super cartridges that are on the small size but most .357s will not.

Why .38 Super or 9 MM rather than .357 in moon clips? Two reasons. While they are in moon clips the longer the cartridge the more their noses get out of alignment. Shorter cartridges reload faster. Also all the moon clips for S&W rimmed magnum cartridges are so thin that they are too easily bent. Bent moon clips act as springs that cushion the firing pin blow creating the most common revolver failure, missfires.

If you have to ask why use moon clipped cartridges in revolvers at all then I suggest trying local draw and shoot timed matches. Whehter they are realistic training for anything or not they are fun.

 

[4barrel]

I reamed a 357 cylinder to 38 Super and cut it for moonclips. Now it will shoot 38acp, 9mm, 38 Super, 9x21, 9x23, 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38 Special and 357 Magnum, all in one cylinder.

How do it chute?

 

[jcelect]

686-7

I have a 686-7 in 38 Super product code #170225! There were 213 of these made in about 2003. I might consider selling mine!
jcelect

 

[Protocall_Design]

How do it chute?

I shoots fine. I haven't shot every size of ammo that will fit, but have shot 9mm, 38 Super, 38 Short Colt, 38 Special and 357 Magnum. They were all reasonably accurate, varying from around 3" to 1-1/2" or so at 25 yds.

The 357 cases bulged slightly on the lower part due to the high pressure and larger size of the 38 Super part of the chamber. They would be OK to reload another time or 2. I would normally load 357 cases 10 to 15 times each. I'm getting about 30 reloads out of the 38 cases.

The lower pressure target type rounds didn't show much of this effect. The 9mm fit the 38 Super chamber fine, even though on paper they are slightly wider at the bottom.

 

[NYlakesider]

I reamed a 357 cylinder to 38 Super and cut it for moonclips. Now it will shoot 38acp, 9mm, 38 Super, 9x21, 9x23, 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38 Special and 357 Magnum, all in one cylinder.

Wow!!!

Sort of reminds me of a article Major Nonte made many years back about modifying a 1911 to take a whole plethora of calibers..

About 13 if I remember right!. He swapped slides, barrels, and internal parts like extractors and ejectors, magazines!

 

[huthike]

Here's my 686-7.


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