Colt Army Special 1922 38 Spl or Long colt ?
I just inherited a Colt Army Special made in 1922 I think and it is marked 38 nothing else. Can it shoot .38 Special or do you have to use 38 long colt?? a 38 Special fits perfectly but I want to be sure before I fire it. Thanks! Harry
0
-
The older Colt revolvers have a bad rep for internal problems, if they have seen a lot of use and/or abuse. Best to have a knowledgeable gunsmith check it with a range rod for timing, and be sure it locks up correctly in both single and fast double action.
That said, it's 38 Special. Colt quit making the 38 Long Colt chambered, New Army and Navies prior to 1910.0 -
I inherited my Grandfathers Army Special 20 years ago. You can fire .38 Special as well as .38 Short Colt & .38 Long Colt if you happen to come across any. .38 S&W will not chamber in them. Stick to non +p ammo and you should be fine. Mine loves standard 158 grain semi wadcutters and 148 grain full wadcutters. These guns have never been particularly collectible but they make decent fun shooters and they are plenty fine for their original intended job...defense. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ruger41
I inherited my Grandfathers Army Special 20 years ago. You can fire .38 Special as well as .38 Short Colt & .38 Long Colt if you happen to come across any. .38 S&W will not chamber in them. Stick to non +p ammo and you should be fine. Mine loves standard 158 grain semi wadcutters and 148 grain full wadcutters. These guns have never been particularly collectible but they make decent fun shooters and they are plenty fine for their original intended job...defense.
I thought that non high velocity, low pressure loads were prescribed. instead of just "any" non +p .38 spl. Smokeless stuff that has about the same pressures as the old black powder loads. Am I mistaken?0 -
quote:Originally posted by Fatstrat
quote:Originally posted by ruger41
I inherited my Grandfathers Army Special 20 years ago. You can fire .38 Special as well as .38 Short Colt & .38 Long Colt if you happen to come across any. .38 S&W will not chamber in them. Stick to non +p ammo and you should be fine. Mine loves standard 158 grain semi wadcutters and 148 grain full wadcutters. These guns have never been particularly collectible but they make decent fun shooters and they are plenty fine for their original intended job...defense.
I thought that non high velocity, low pressure loads were prescribed. instead of just "any" non +p .38 spl. Smokeless stuff that has about the same pressures as the old black powder loads. Am I mistaken?
You may be thinking of a different model.
The army special was designed for modern smokeless 38 special. It will handle standard 38 special loads it's entire life, but shooting +p is not a good idea. While the gun itself is strong enough, the recoil plate is only pressed flush with the frame and can be pushed into the frame by the primer. When that happens, even just a tiny bit, every time the gun is fired the primer will back out and lock up the gun.
It's also best to just stick with the 38 special because the later 38 colt used a .357 diameter bullet, which is safe, but the earlier version used a .375 diameter bullet.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Fatstrat
quote:Originally posted by ruger41
I inherited my Grandfathers Army Special 20 years ago. You can fire .38 Special as well as .38 Short Colt & .38 Long Colt if you happen to come across any. .38 S&W will not chamber in them. Stick to non +p ammo and you should be fine. Mine loves standard 158 grain semi wadcutters and 148 grain full wadcutters. These guns have never been particularly collectible but they make decent fun shooters and they are plenty fine for their original intended job...defense.
I thought that non high velocity, low pressure loads were prescribed. instead of just "any" non +p .38 spl. Smokeless stuff that has about the same pressures as the old black powder loads. Am I mistaken?
You're prob thinking of the 1892 Colt DA Army which was in .38 Long Colt. The 1905 Army Special was in .38 Special which was always a smokeless round. (it also came in .32-20 WCF and .41 Long Colt.)0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
5 comments