.38 Long Colt

[drache]

What guns are we talking about?

The Uberti 1851 Colt Navy with the Howell .38LC Cylinder compared to the Cimarron 1851 Colt Navy "Man with no name" conversion.

 

[9mms2k]

Both would be fine shooting spl in.

 

[fraserdw]

Track of the Wolf in the USA sells everything needed to load 38 Colt and 44 colt.

 

[drache]

Both would be fine shooting spl in.

Howell cylinders state they are not designed to handle the pressures of the smokeless powder of .38 Special and to use black power only though. The Cimarron cylinders supposedly are and state that both can be used. So I'm a little shy of running the Howell cylinder Uberti models with .38 Spl.

 

[9mms2k]

.38spl is super low pressure...

 

[41 Colt]

What about blackpowder in .38spl? My Lyman BP manual lists .38spl from 7,500CUP up to 11,600CUP depending on bullets and powders used. The highest pressure load is 17.5gr Goex FFFg under a 158gr bullet yielding 11,600 CUP.

 

[jethunter]

Sounds like the 1877 Lightening/Thunderer model. Those have THIN cylinder walls.

The Thunderer is .41 LC.

 

[drache]

What about blackpowder in .38spl? My Lyman BP manual lists .38spl from 7,500CUP up to 11,600CUP depending on bullets and powders used. The highest pressure load is 17.5gr Goex FFFg under a 158gr bullet yielding 11,600 CUP.

I'm just going by what Howell says. I know nothing about .38LC or .38SPL

 

[41 Colt]

The Thunderer is .41 LC.

I know, I stated it as reference as I doubt too many people specifically know the lightening (.38Colt)...and then there is the rainmaker (.32Colt).

 

[guninhand]

I once had a box of the Black Hills 38 long colt and bench rested it in my 1903 run of the mill Colt New Army. Gave me the tightest group I ever got with any revolver which includes S&W 610, 625, 14, 18, 19, 66, Diamondback and Anaconda.

 

[tokguy]

I've got a '95 New Army with a 6" bbl that is the best pistol I have accuracy wise too.

 

[Sharps '63]

I've got a nickle Colt .38 Lightning in which I shoot cut down .38 Spl. brass - but, it has a replacement barrel in .357 diameter. The 'smith did a great job matching the finish on the new barrel to the rest of the gun.

 

[jethunter]

Ps. Where did you get the 5,000 number? Max pressure is 12,000? Seems mighty low for a 700fps cartridge.

12000-13000 psi is about max for a most of the black powder pistol cartridges made back in the 1800s. 455 webley, 41 Long Colt, 476 Enfield, 44 Russian, 45 schofield, 45 colt, etc., all of which were 700 fps+ cartridges. Pressure doesn't relate directly to velocity - volume matters, too.

38 S&W Special was designed in the smokeless era - 17,000 psi.