38 Long Colt

[Revolver]

I found some 38 Long Colt brass in a lot of used stuff I picked up. It was mixed in with 38 special. Cute little things. They seem to be the same as a 38 special but shorter. Perhaps shooting them in a 38 special would be like using 38 in a 357 and give carbon rings?

I Searched the forum and didn't find much info. Wikipedia seems to basically say it's old **** that never worked well.

What grain boolit would one use? I have a 9mm mold that I think is 120 grain.

Anyone here loading 38 Long Colts?

Just curious.

[Mk42gunner]

Once upon a time that was our service cartridge, until the Army had trouble stopping Moros in the Phillippines that is. The .38 Long Colt predates the .38 S&W Special by several years, and I'm not sure, but it may have been loaded with heeled bullets first.

The original load was a 150 grain RN with something like 18 grains of BP, velocity was about 750 FPS.

The Cowboy shooting crowd are using the .38 LC for a lighter load in .38's and .357's. Starline is making brass for it.

Load data? I haven't seen any in print, but that doesn't mean it isn't out there. I would search the internet and use my own common sense-- if a load seems too hot, it probably is.

You might check on the SASS wire forums for load data.

Robert

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
YUP, can do. did it.

[w30wcf]

I don't think the Wikipedia information is totally correct. I don't see where it was ever offered with a 130 gr bullet, but the 38 Short Colt was.

The 1876 Winchester Catalog shows 148 gr bullet / 21 grs of b.p.
For the .38 Short Colt - 130 gr. bullet / 18 grs. of b.p.

In 1890 an inside lubed bullet (150 grs.) was first offered (Winchester) so perhaps that was about the time that the heeled bullet was obsoleted. Powder charge was reduced to 19 grs. to make room for the additional bullet length inside the case.

U.M.C. loaded a 152 gr bullet over 18 grs. of b.p.

As we know today, flat pointed bullets are much more effective than round nosed bullets at pedestrian velocities. If the 38 Colt of yesteryear used flat nosed bullets, perhaps history would have been different........


w30wcf

[rintinglen]

Perhaps not, long after the 45 replaced the 38, stopping power continued to be problematic when dealing with drugged up fanatics like the Moros. I recall reading of a lieutenant who got stabbed in 1916 by a Moro running AMOK after shooting the Moro several times.