Why a .35" Boolit is Called a 38

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Dave Skovill's new book "Colt's Single Action Army Loading and Shooting the Peacemaker" explains on page 4 the .38 Colt was introduced in 1886 as an outside-lubricated, heel crimped cartridge. The .38 Colt revolver chambers were drilled straight through to accommodate the .376+" outside lubricated boolit. In 1905 this cartridge was changed to an inside lubricated boolit at which time the boolit and barrel diameter was officially reduced to .357". The new cartridge was called the .38 Long Colt. .38 Long Colt revolver chambers were bored with a stepped chamber to accommodate the new design. Mr. Skovill goes on with a long description of the history of the development of boolits and cartridges between Colt and S&W into what comes to be our .38 Special of today. Hope you find this interesting as I have.

[historicfirearms]

I've often wondered about that. Seems like a plausible explanation.

[NoZombies]

Yes, but S&W had been making the .38 S&W for decades prior to 1905, with a nominal bullet diameter of .360, and introduced the .38 special in 1896 with a nominal bullet diameter of .357.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I goes back to the heel type boolit, the diameter of the boolit was the same as the outside dia. of the cartridge case like a .22 S-L-LR. So, the .38 Colt was a .38 in the beginning. I think it goes back to when Colt converted their Navy models to cartridge and the .38 rf.

[rintinglen]

^^^^^^Winner! Winner! Winner!^^^^^

[9.3X62AL]

Tale Of The Tape Time. 38 Special and 357 Magnum use a casing diameter of .379". 38 S&W case diameter is .386". None of this nomenclature is required to make sense, and little of it does.

Calipers and micrometers--the reloaders' polygraphs.

[robertbank]

Tale Of The Tape Time. 38 Special and 357 Magnum use a casing diameter of .379". 38 S&W case diameter is .386". None of this nomenclature is required to make sense, and little of it does.

Calipers and micrometers--the reloaders' polygraphs.

Ah .386 the diameter of my .41Long Colt bullets. How we doing so far. Early attempts at upping the competition with marketing.

If you want to get dizzy trying to get boolits to work try casting for your Great Grand dads Colt .41 Long Colt. What a screwed up cartridge fi there ever was one. I have two molds for the heel based boolits, one designed for the .41 Long Colt and the other for the .41 Short Colt and another conventional mold for the .41 LC.

Take Care

Bob

[Piedmont]

Dave Skovill's new book "Colt's Single Action Army Loading and Shooting the Peacemaker" explains on page 4 the .38 Colt was introduced in 1886 as an outside-lubricated, heel crimped cartridge. The .38 Colt revolver chambers were drilled straight through to accommodate the .376+" outside lubricated boolit. In 1905 this cartridge was changed to an inside lubricated boolit at which time the boolit and barrel diameter was officially reduced to .357". The new cartridge was called the .38 Long Colt. .38 Long Colt revolver chambers were bored with a stepped chamber to accommodate the new design. Mr. Skovill goes on with a long description of the history of the development of boolits and cartridges between Colt and S&W into what comes to be our .38 Special of today. Hope you find this interesting as I have.

Is that a reissue of the same book I bought long ago, or is it truly new in material?

[runfiverun]

Tale Of The Tape Time. 38 Special and 357 Magnum use a casing diameter of .379". 38 S&W case diameter is .386". None of this nomenclature is required to make sense, and little of it does.

Calipers and micrometers--the reloaders' polygraphs.

Allen beat me to it.
cartridge nomenclature is often confusing sometimes it's bore size [ 270 win,303 brit]
sometimes it's groove size [308/358 win].
sometimes it's kinda close [7x57 mauser is really 7.21 x 57]
sometimes it's somewhat close 430 diameter is called a 44??
and sometimes it's all backwards 38-40 is a 40 cal, but a 44-40 is a 44 err 427 diameter.
and 32 cal handguns are 31 caliber rifle diameter.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Piedmont, Is that a reissue of the same book I bought long ago, or is it truly new in material?

I'll let you know when I finish reading it. Copyright 1996 "Loading the Peacemaker Colt's Model P" by Dave Scovill and Copyright 2013 "Colt's Single Action Army, Loading and Shooting the Peacemaker" by Dave Scovill are two different books by the same author.