38 spl in semi auto

I doubt it.. the Desert Eagles seem to have a rep of being very ammo sensitive in the calibre they are chambered for anyways. I would think the .38 would be to short.
 
S&W made their model 52 semi-auto in .38 Special caliber. It looked a lot like a model 39 except that it was a single-action only gun. It was designed to shoot the mid-range 148 grain wadcutters, and this it did with aplomb. S&W made them from 1961-1993 so it should be possible to find one if you're interested.

-Zimms
 
bps540 said:
can you fire 38 spl ammunution from something like a desert eagle chambered in 357?
i know it works for revolvers but how about a self- loader?
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The first problem would be the gap in the magazine. You would have to put an insert in the front in order to keep the cartridges back. This may not be that big a problem. High Standard made magazines of the standard size with a filler so the gun (early rapid fire gun) could shoot .22 shorts.

The second problem is that the power of the cartridge would have to be powerful enough to work the action. I have a Desert Eagle in 44 magnum. I load down as far as I can in order to get the gun to work. Still needs a decent load in order to work the action.

I doubt it would be worth the effort to try and get it to work.
 
Hitzy said:
There are 1911's chambered in .38sp as well, same deal as the S&W though, full wadcutters only.
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Yes, there are a few guns that use revolver cartridges in a semi-auto but I don't think that was the question. I think bps540 was asking if you could shoot a shorter cartridge in a gun designed for a longer one. Shoot a 38 special cartridge in a gun designed for 357 magnum.
 
Zimms said:
S&W made their model 52 semi-auto in .38 Special caliber. It looked a lot like a model 39 except that it was a single-action only gun. It was designed to shoot the mid-range 148 grain wadcutters, and this it did with aplomb. S&W made them from 1961-1993 so it should be possible to find one if you're interested.

-Zimms
Click to expand...

I have a S&W model 52 for sale in the Exchange of Pistols & Revolvers section of this forum.

Rod.
 
Always kind of liked the model 52,(there were rumours about the CIA using them in Viet Nam) I even found a box of full wadcutter Hydra-Shok designed for it.
 
They'll work in my Coonan357, with an adapter in the Mag with a shortened follower, and a lighter recoil spring , those are the only changes to the gun to swap cartriges.
My .02
 
thanks for all the replies..a good eye opener.
i thought that if perhaps a lighter recoil spring were used, it would work.
i never thought of the magazine being a problem untill you brought it up.
good call.
i just came into LOTS of 38 spl(no full wad cutters for the m52 fans) & perfer shooting pistol over revolver these days.
not to worry, i still have a pair of s&w 38's & a 357 to digest it all.
thanks again
 
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