38 S&W and 38 short colt

[kyle623]

are these two cases the same? seems to me I read somewhere that its the same cartridge but colt wouldn't put S&W on theyr guns. Am I right or wrong? thanks, Kyle

[rond]

38 S&W and 38 Colt New Police are the same, 38 Short Colt is a different cartridge.

[kyle623]

thanks rond. after I posted this i remembered it was the new police that was the same.

[9.3X62AL]

Yup, Ron D nailed it.

I cranked off 50 rounds from my Colt Police Positive/38 S&W/4" yesterday. I've begun calling it "The Kit Gun From Hell". Gotta refill these empties and 50 others from a prior range trip with Lyman #358477 sized at .359" to match the Colt's snug dimensions. The little critter shoots accurately, but the points of impact vary widely between the 121 grain RN (#358242) and 163 grain SWC (#358429) I shot yesterday--well below and somewhat above point-of-aim, respectively. I'm hoping that the 150 grain SWC splits the difference at ~725-750 FPS.

[Bret4207]

You're a lucky man to have that .359 Colt Allen. That little Perfected Model Smiff of mine seems to like a mucho fatto ( a little Spanish lingo there my Californian friend!) boolit. No sense blaming my gun for any large groups I get since the owner is half blind and those abysmal sights don't help much.

[TAWILDCATT]

the colt short/long are the same dia as the 38 special.
the standard bullet for the S&W is 158 gr so your impact area would be right with it and up and down with the other two.:coffee:

[Catch]

As to the sights, you might try this old man's trick with a piece of black paper with a small hole punched in it with a pencil. Place this in the right position on your glasses with a plastic paper clip. You may find out that the sights are clear as a bell now. If it works for you, you can make up your own version, or buy one of the expensive models. Try different size holes for better results.
I have an old top break S&W (weak action) that I have been using two grains of Unique behind a 100 grain slug and it hits right on the point of aim at a reasonable distance (for an elevator gun).
A snakes head at 6 to 8 ft. would not have a chance. I practice on bottle caps.......
Hope the sight trick works for you............Catch