evets_56_98
Member
Passed on an 1901 US Army Colt revolver today because I couldn’t find 38LC ammo anywhere.Asking price was $500.00.All original,clean barrel and body w/good working mechanics.Sure wish ammo was easier to come by for it.
If 38 Special brass will chamber, would 38 Special factory wadcutter ammo be acceptable?
That starts to cross into no-mans land. While the external ballistics of the factory standard .38 Special wadcutter is almost identical to nominal .38 Long Colt, actual pressure is somewhat unknown. Of course, any form of "enhanced" wadcutter loads, like Buffalo Bore or Atomic, would be right out.
lol, twice the price of .38 Special.
But if it’s on the shelf and .38Spl isn’t then maybe it’s worth it. Maybe.lol, twice the price of .38 Special.
Can't disagree with that, but you could say the same for .45 Schofield, .44 Russian, etc. This isn't about whether it's worth it to pay twice what .38 Spl costs for .38 LC to shoot in a .38 Spl or .357, it's about buying a revolver in .38 LC knowing that factory ammo costs, even during normal times, twice what .38 Spl does.But if it’s on the shelf and .38Spl isn’t then maybe it’s worth it. Maybe.
Good point. I guess I'm so used to thinking as a reloader I didn't consider someone who buys ammo just to shoot.Can't disagree with that, but you could say the same for .45 Schofield, .44 Russian, etc. This isn't about whether it's worth it to pay twice what .38 Spl costs for .38 LC to shoot in a .38 Spl or .357, it's about buying a revolver in .38 LC knowing that factory ammo costs, even during normal times, twice what .38 Spl does.
I reload, so it's not an issue for me, but for those who don't and buy guns to shoot and not own, there's little reason to buy a .38 LC revolver over a Special and that's just on price alone, if it's an issue with availability, that's even worse as we've all found out with ammo the past 12 months.
Passed on an 1901 US Army Colt revolver today because I couldn’t find 38LC ammo anywhere.Asking price was $500.00.All original,clean barrel and body w/good working mechanics.Sure wish ammo was easier to come by for it.
IIRC US Army troopers during the Moro war didn't think very highly of that cartridge!
They knew about it with muzzleloaders, but round ball was abandoned after the Minie bullet was made commonplace. Also, I doubt you would have gotten good results with two round balls loaded over black powder and no lube.TTv2 I agree they were probably not trained well at all on handgun shooting. I doubt if they fired a hundred rounds from their guns and at that time double handed shooting was not the fashion. Single handed double action was probably the rule of the day.
They new about multi ball loads. George Washington thought Buck & Ball was the proper load for the Revolutionary soldier long ago. Did they ever load two balls in one case? I have no idea but it wouldn't surprise me but I have never seen it in writing.
The multi ball load in a case is really a smokeless only proposition and by 1900 semi autos were already on the radar.
The.38Special is a more powerful .38Long Colt lengthened so it will not chamber in lower pressure designs.Good point. The funny thing is that if they would have just held on to the 38 Colt a little longer until smokeless powder came along it could have been loaded to the same speed and power of the 38 Special if the guns would have took the added pressure. If not they could have just heat treated the cylinders and loaded up with new smokeless ammo. But then a worry would have been someone getting ahold of the new smokeless load and firing it in a gun not able to take the pressure.