.38-44 s&w
- Thread starter jethunter
- Start date
achtanelion
Regular
- Location
- Edmonchuck
Handguns:
* manufactured before 1898 that can discharge only rim-fire cartridges, other than 22 Calibre Short, 22 Calibre Long or 22 Calibre Long Rifle cartridges;
* manufactured before 1898 that can discharge centre-fire cartridges, other than a handgun designed or adapted to discharge 32 Short Colt, 32 Long Colt, 32 Smith and Wesson, 32 Smith and Wesson Long, 32-20 Winchester, 38 Smith and Wesson; 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38-40 Winchester, 44-40 Winchester, or 45 Colt cartridges
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/antique-historique-eng.htm
* manufactured before 1898 that can discharge only rim-fire cartridges, other than 22 Calibre Short, 22 Calibre Long or 22 Calibre Long Rifle cartridges;
* manufactured before 1898 that can discharge centre-fire cartridges, other than a handgun designed or adapted to discharge 32 Short Colt, 32 Long Colt, 32 Smith and Wesson, 32 Smith and Wesson Long, 32-20 Winchester, 38 Smith and Wesson; 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38-40 Winchester, 44-40 Winchester, or 45 Colt cartridges
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/antique-historique-eng.htm
yes indeed.
I'll rephrase the question - is .38-44 similar to or interchangeable with any of the non-allowed cantique chamberings (.38 S&W, 38 short or long colt, etc) that would disallow it as an antique chambering? Does anyone have experience obtaining an antique letter for a .38-44 chambered revolver?
The short answer is that a No.3 in .38-44 Target would be classed as an antique.
There are actually two .38-44 cartridges. The first was used in target version of the No.3 top break revolver. It has a long case with the bullet seated entirely inside it. The second was simply a high velocity .38 Special load developed in the 1930s for N-Frames in that calibre. Needless to say, the two are not interchangeable.
It is interesting to note that .38 Special is not on the list of calibres that aren't antique regardless of age. Supposing that an antique firearm could be made to safely fire .38-44 High Velocity load (and thus .38 Special), it would still be an antique.
There are actually two .38-44 cartridges. The first was used in target version of the No.3 top break revolver. It has a long case with the bullet seated entirely inside it. The second was simply a high velocity .38 Special load developed in the 1930s for N-Frames in that calibre. Needless to say, the two are not interchangeable.
It is interesting to note that .38 Special is not on the list of calibres that aren't antique regardless of age. Supposing that an antique firearm could be made to safely fire .38-44 High Velocity load (and thus .38 Special), it would still be an antique.
He is talking about the Smith & Wesson 38/44 Heavy Duty model Hand Ejector. If I recall it was a 5 screw hand ejector large (44) frame as used on the New Century Triple Lock hand ejector...I should also note it was a clone in frame size to the Smith & Wesson 455 MKII purchased by the Canadian Military in WW1. It closest current relative is the Model 29, 44 Mag...an N-frame.
The 38/44 Heavy Duty was chambered for the 38 Special in a "High Velocity" loading, which was unsafe for the standard K-frame 38 Hand ejectors of the era. There were reports of the K frame revolvers bending cylinder pins and stretching frames when fired with these high velocity rounds...some even came apart. It is rumored that the loadings for this cartridge/ gun combination evolved into the 357 magnum
The 38-44 Smith & Wesson and the 38/44 high Velocity are two totally different cartridges
I had one of these revolvers and it had the official Smith & Wesson model designation of 38/44 Heavy Duty...and I will say it was Heavy...for a 38 special
No, I didn't think .38 Special would fit into a #3 in .38-44. I was thinking more along the lines of a hypothetical pre-1898 gun converted to .38 Special having antique status, just like converting a pre-1898 SAA from .44-40 to .44 Special would change it from a restricted firearm to an unrestricted antique, despite the fact that .44 Special wasn't even introduced until 1907.
Incidentally, there was also a .32-44 cartridge made for the #3. Like the .38-44 Target, it also had a case that ran the entire length of the cylinder and had the bullet seated entirely inside it.
tactical870
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