Ruined .38

by
posted on March 20, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg (2)

Guns are rarely worn out through normal use. Given reasonable care and shooting only with the proper ammunition, most quality handguns will last for decades. Abuse, on the other hand, can destroy a nice gun in very little time. And sometimes the abuse can be ill-conceived modifications to a gun that could not possibly be improved. Take the case of the Smith & Wesson M&P revolvers made for the United Kingdom forces during World War II. The British service revolver cartridge was the .38/200, which is interchangeable with the .38 S&W (not the same as the .38 Spl). Tens of thousands of these fine revolvers were made and shipped to Great Britain, used by various British Army forces and put in storage after the war. Some may have never been issued. Most of them eventually came home via the war surplus route. More than a few were absolutely ruined before they were sold to American handgunners.

That’s a positive statement but lamentably a true one. S&W was able to meet the demand for these guns because they were making them when the war started. The M&P revolver was a staple of the line in 1940, and was available in several calibers, including both .38 S&W and .38 S&W Spl. The .38 S&W is a short, thick rimmed revolver cartridge designed for the company’s top break revolvers, such as the Baby Russian model in 1877. The .38 S&W Spl. is a long, lean rimmed revolver cartridge intended for the M&P revolver in 1899. Neither is a true .38 caliber. The .38 S&W uses a .3604-inch barrel and the .38 S&W Special has a .3565-inch tube, as determined by recent measurement. Therefore, the two models not only had different bore dimensions, they also had different chamber specifications.

Of the two cartridges, the longer and thinner S&W .38 Spl. was the more powerful and therefore the more popular. When those .38 S&W revolvers came back into the country, the importers realized they would sell much better as .38 Spl. They employed technicians (undeserving of the title of gunsmith) to use .38 Spl. chambering reamers to lengthen the chambers, so that a .38 Spl. would fit. It as a loose slip fit, wide enough near the rim to cause a .38 Spl. to expand and stick in place. Worse, these bastardized chambers sometimes caused even good quality ammo to split, blowing gas and brass particles all over the place. It was a stupid thing to do and can only be corrected by installing a new .38 S&W cylinder or a new S&W .38 Spl. cylinder and barrel. These ruined guns are still in circulation—I have seen them at recent gun shows.

Latest

Robbins And Lawrence Armory Vermont
Robbins And Lawrence Armory Vermont

The Robbins & Lawrence Story: Pioneers Of Mass Production

The Robbins & Lawrence company of Windsor, Vt., was an early pioneer in the field of mass production, using machine tools and interchangeable parts to produce firearms for both the U.S. and British governments.

CMP Auctions Move To GunBroker.com

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has moved its popular auctions to GunBroker.com, an online firearm marketplace that launched in 1999, to further support the future of the shooting sports and firearm ownership.

I Have This Old Gun: The French Charleville Musket

One of the most important military arms ever made, the French Charleville musket saw use in the American Revolution and armed French troops throughout the Napoleonic Wars.

CVA Endura Series: The Modernized Muzzleloader Of 2025

CVA built on the success of its Paramount muzzleloader to create the Endura, a design that the company calls "the most advanced muzzleloader series CVA has ever built."

Review: FN 15 Guardian

FN America has sought to bring its legendary quality and reliability to an AR-15 that lists for just $999, and we believe that it has done this well with its 15 Guardian carbine.

Springfield Armory Hellcat Now Available In .380 ACP

Despite the extensive number of Hellcat models in its lineup, Springfield Armory has only offered the pistol in one chambering, 9 mm Luger, until now. The .380 ACP model offers similar capabilities with softer recoil.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.