Safe load for an old "US Revolver Co" .38 S&W?

[fatelk]

This is an old, inexpensive revolver, probably sold for a couple dollars a century ago. Mechanically it looks to be in perfectly good condition.

Yes, I know it should be relegated to "wall Hanger Status", but anyone else have an oldie like this, and load for it? What's a safe load to put some lead downrange, other than maybe black powder?

[cwheel]

I have one as well, I collect the old turn of the century $2 pistols. That said, I don't think there is a safe load for these, they are made with what looks like pot metal frames very cheaply. I'll download 38 S&W for my old top break Enfield, it's more than strong enough. US Revolver is another story. Move it to your non shooting collection and avoid the risk. Just my opinion, safety first.
Chris

[robertbank]

2 gr of Bullseye under any 150 gr bullet sized .358 /.359 isn't going to blow your hand off. I used this load in a Webley I had. Seemed to work ok. Strictly a plinking load at short distances. If you must shoot it a load of 2gr shoot work.

Take Care

Bob

[fatelk]

Thanks, guys. I'll take both of your suggestions. I understand it was pretty low quality when it was made, and certainly hasn't gotten any better in the last century or more. I suppose a few really light loads might be OK, then something like a shadow box might be the best use for it. A friend wanted to shoot some modern ammo that he had in it. I knew that wasn't the best idea. I did think about loading a few rounds up with black powder just for fun, or maybe some blanks.

[9.3X62AL]

I have an old Iver Johnson "Owl Head" x 3.25" barrel. I sized down a .375" roundball in a .363" Lyman H&I die, seated these over 1.0 grains of WW-231, and shot the first five with the revolver (minus grip panels) clamped in a vise from a table top. A long string was used to pull the trigger, from behind a building corner.

The old roller stayed in one piece. I shot off the remaining 45 cartridges I loaded, switching back and forth with an old partner from work. The rounds at 15 yards hit in a fair approximation of center-mass on a B-27, all inside the 8-ring. My impression was that the bullets were barely getting through the target's cardboard backer, but they all went thru & thru. I have 3 better revolvers chambered in 38 S&W, and they get the rest of my attention in this caliber from here onward. The Owl Head will never be mistaken for a Camp Perry-capable artifact.

[rintinglen]

I have my grandfather's Forehand and Wadsworth 38 S&W. I loaded RCBS 38-150 SWC's over 2.1 grains Of WW-231 or 2.3 grains of Unique. Those low velocity boolits hit very close to point of aim.
Iver Johnson made the U. S. Revolvers as a discount version of their "Name" revolver line. They were reasonably well made for their day, but lacked the "hammer-the-hammer" feature of the better guns. I believe that the US revolver line was discontinued about in 1916. It is interesting to note that in the period 1870-1917, Iver Johnson made more Revolvers than Colt, S&W, and Remington combined, over 5 million, the majority of which were 22's, and 32's. Guns made after 1903 were much better than earlier guns, or so I've read. My only experience with them has been with post-WWII guns.

[robertbank]

It is worth remembering something my late friend Felix Robins said to me. "There is only so much energy in a grain of powder". I too was concerned about loading for my Grand-dads old 41 Long Colt. As it turned out I got the old girl working fairly well but care had to be taken. The gun has probably had less than 150 rounds through it in the last 100 years so the gun is in pretty good shape. It has been handled to near death though from a number of eager children's hands. Mine likely the most.

Take Care

Bob

[JHeath]

If you want to be period correct: load all chambers with commercial. Fire one round and don't eject. Wipe it down, wrap it in a cloth handkerchief, and keep it for when you use your real pistol. That's authentic.

[Vulcan Bob]

I hate to quote Ralph Nader but I think "Unsafe at Any Speed" pretty much covers it.

[dubber123]

If they were indeed made by Iver Johnson, they should be reasonably safe to shoot with mild loads. I have had a few, and never managed to injure myself or the guns with smokeless loads. My loads ran in the 550-600 fps. range with a 150 gr. boolit. Probably about what factory loads would produce. Small game hunting with one is a challenge, but super fun.

[fatelk]

I have another one also, of very similar design and vintage- a "Forehand & Wadsworth" .38 S&W. It seems to be missing some various spring and pins so is not in shootable condition. Someone gave it to me long ago. I've often thought about finding some springs and figuring out the pins I need to make, just never did because I wasn't terribly interested in shooting it.

Anyone have any thoughts about the safety of some black powder loads for this type of "throwaway" revolver?

[BUFFALOW RED]

i have several of these 38 S&W's one in I Johnson they all shoot BP or 2.3 g of 231
got a SW made in 1903 thats like new its my ccw in an ankle holster

[Patrick56]

Hello, I used 2,7gr of Vihtavuori N310 in my Enfield with 158gr lead bullets. It duplicates about the .38 Spec. wadcutter load with a little bit less case volume.

[9.3X62AL]

The Webley-Enfield is of higher strength than the other top-break 38 S&W revolvers spoken of earlier in this thread. These mil-spec British service revolvers shot a 178-200 grain bullet from 620-700 FPS, and while not a "Magnum" handgun the loads will put quite a THWOCK on steel targets at 25 yards. I assemble a NEI #169A 200 grain RN casting atop 3.0 grains of Unique or 3.3 grains of Herco into Starline 38 S&W cases with small pistol primers for a fair replication of the old 38/200 British service load. These go where the sights look from both my Webley-Enfield and a S&W K-frame Lend-Lease M&P. The curiosity here is that the bullet at .810" length is longer than the casing it is seated into (.775"). Like many things British to the American mind, it appears to have been designed by committee action--but still works in spite of its derivation.