NEW! - Jeffersonian

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"A38 S& W! Who's interested in that
old relic!"
Such was the response I got from a gun
club buddy while I was doing some work
with this old-timer. In all honesty, I can't
say that I was surprised.
This chunky cartridge was introduced
around 1876, as a result of Smith &
Wesson's desire to' develop a hull with sufficient
punch to be used for defensive purposes,
yet not exceed the limited strength
ofa small, break-top revolver they were intent
upon bringing out.
When reviewing this cartridge, it must
be constantly kept in mind that the ballistics
were hampered right up front by the
design ofthe gun for which this round was
intended. As a result, there is nothing noteworthy
about its performance, which originally
featured a l45-grain slug measuring
around .359" and pushed along at around
730 fps., which figures out to about 170
foot-pounds of energy.
Perhaps the fact that it has survived for
more than a century testifies that the round
does possess at least a minimal level of
effectiveness. Only the .38 Long Colt and
.45 Colt are older among those cartridges
still on the loading lists. Some of the .38
Colt's popularity probably stems from the
fact that it can be fired in a revolver chambered
for the .38 Special, thus providing
owners ofsuch guns a reduced power.1bading.
The .38 S&W doesn't have that
advantage; it had to hold on with nothing
more than its own merits.
A host Qf people have made revolvers
chambered for the .38 S&W, including
Colt, Harrington & Richardson; Iver
Johnson,' and Smith & Wesson. For many
years, most ofthes'e revolvers were companitively
fragile break-top guns, generally
chambered for only five rounds.
Much of this changed in the 1920s when
Great Britain switched to this cartridge as
its official service round. Webley & Scott
made a large number of excellent revolvers
so chambered, and while these
In the late 19705, Ruger made several
4-inch Service Six revolvers chambered
for .38 S&W cartridge (for Indian government),
top; another revolver chambered
for .38 S&W is H&R M925, below.
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER • JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1983
guns lacked the sleek lines of most U.S.
wheelguns, they were superbly made. The
British developed a load featuring a 200­
grain bullet, ambling along at only about
630 fps., which churned up only about 115
foot-pounds of energy. However, they
found the old .38 S&W, which they termed
the .380, to be extremely satisfactory, even
in the hands of elite troops, such as the
crack commandos of World War II fame.
For many years, the .455 was the official
British sidearm, and many ofthem were
still in use during WWII. Thus, there was
ample room for comparison between the
effectiveness of the .38 S&W and the .455.
Those troops issued the smaller gun were
reportedly well satisfied.
When WWII broke out, America's gun
manufacturers began turning out a number
of guns for British use, including the
S&W Military & Police model, which was
dubbed the Victory Model. This is found
in both .38 S&W and .38 Special calibers..
These guns flooded the market during the
1950s, and generally sold for less than $30.
For a brief period of time during that
era, I worked as a field agent for the
United States Department of Agriculture,
and my job frequently took me into remote,
sparsely settled areas. I carried a
. handgun in my jalopy, even though regulations
frowned on this practice. Quite a few
cottontails and many water moccasins succumbed
to the charms of a Victory .38
S&W with a five-inch barrel that was my
"one and only" handgun for quite a spell. I
wasn't into handloading in those days, so I
shot only the standard factory hulls.
I was newly-married in 1957, and my
wife and I were awakened one night by the
sound of someone attempting to come
through a window in our guest room, unoccupied
at that time. I investigated,
armed with my S&W Victory, and
frightened off whoever it was. I can still remember
that and although I had previously
owned .38 Specials, 9mm's, and
even a.44 Magnum and a .357, I didn't feel
at all underarmed with that .38 S&W.
My father-in-law once had a very nice
Colt Police Positive chambered for the .38
S&W, and I shot it quite a bit. I wish he still
had it, but somewhere along the line he
traded it for a .22 revolver. This brings to
mind the fact that Colts were usually
marked ".38 New Police:' which is just another
name for the .38 S&W.
SCARCE RUGER
Back in 1978, Ruger made a large number
of four-inch Service-Six revolvers
chambered for the .38 S&W and
earmarked for the Indian government. I
tried to obtain one of these revolvers, but
to no avail. To the best of my knowledge,
THE .38 S&W CARTRIDGE
Designed by Smith & Wesson for its
hinged-frame revolvers introduced
about 1876, the .38 S&W has been used
aU over the world.
England began using it as an official
service cartridge prior to World War II.
Large numbers of Spanish-made revolvers
in this caliber are used in Mexico
and South America, but it has never
been very popular in Europe.
It is also known as the .38 Colt New
Police, and with a 200-grain bullet, the
.38 Super Police.
Colt, Harrington & Richardson,
Hopkins & Allen, Ruger, Iver Johnson
and S&W have made revolvers of this
caliber in the United States.
The British service load, for Webley
& Scott revolvers, is called the
.3801200.
. The Britishclaimed that the shocking
power of this cartridge, with the 200­
grain bullet, was about the same as
their older .455 military cartridge. In
actual combat, this proved correct, thus
permuting the use of lighter revolvers.
the only remaining specimens in this country
are in the Ruger museum.
Smith & Wesson made the Regulation
Police and the Terrier in .38 S&W caliber.
The latter, a petite five-shot dead ringer for
the more famous Chiefs Special, is possibly
the best revolver ever made for this
particular hull, in view of the capabilities
of the cartridge itself. The Terrier has a
slightly shorter cylinder than the Chiefs,
and hence it weighs just a tad less than its
more famous brother. Ifmemory serves
me correctly, I have owned five Terriers.
The first was in 1959, and the last is still in
my possession. Thus, during the last
20-plus years, I have seldom been without
at least one .38 S&W.
At the present time, no American revolver
is currently manufactured in .38
S&W caliber, but a visit to almost any large
gun shop should turn up at least a Victory,
Police Positive, or Terrier. Generally, only
the Terrier fetches an inflated price, as indeed
do all S&W snub-noses in this day
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