Help with markings, date and serial on S-W .38

tiriaq said:
Many of these revolvers had a .38Sp reamer run into the chambers so that they could use the more popular .38Sp cartridge.
The .38S&W is slightly larger in diameter, even though shorter. Fired .38Sp cases will have a slight expansion where they have expanded to fit the .38S&W portion of the chamber. Not a problem.
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That's what had me curious. I was reading that the longer .38spc should be protruding out the end of the cylinder, inhibiting closure of the cylinder. Which is not the case here, lots of room. So hence the head scratching.
 
sphen said:
That's what had me curious. I was reading that the longer .38spc should be protruding out the end of the cylinder, inhibiting closure of the cylinder. Which is not the case here, lots of room. So hence the head scratching.
Click to expand...

No, that is certainly not the case, the K-frame was built around the .38 Special round and generally the cylinders are always long enough for a round to chamber. The exceptions to this would be earlier I-frame S&W's and Colt Police Positives chambered in .38 S&W which was pretty close to the maximum cylinder length. If bored out, what you describe would certainly happen here.
 
Colt and Smith & Wesson used the same tooling and parts for their .38 Special guns when they made the Victory Model contracts (and the Colt Police Positive Special in .38 S&W), which also means the bores are .357, not .360.
 
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