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38 S&W

PEZHEAD265
I bought a Marlin combination mold and reloading tool in 38 S&W M.

I had hoped to be able to cast and reload the 38 S&W round in it. The mold, bullet sizer and priming parts work fine. However, it will not seat a bullet. The cavity is just too long. Any work arounds to make it work?

So what's the difference between the S&W and the 38 S&W M? Is the 38 S&W M a rifle cartridge? Is there a 38 S&W Short, Medium and Long?

Thanks

Jim
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • PEZHEAD265
    32 S&W can it be shot out of a 38 SP??Are 38 short Colt the same as the 38 S&W?Can someone explain the differances in these 38 cals 38 S&W 38SP 38 long and short Colt.
    Thanks
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  • 11b6r
    .38 S&W and .38 Special do not interchange. The S&W is fatter (about .38 caliber) than the Special (about .357 caliber) and the Special is longer. The .38 Short Colt WILL usually fit and fire in a .38 Special- it is shorter, but same diameter. .38 Long Colt and .38 Short Colt are basically obsolete cartridges.

    You may have had a typo at the start of your questin- .32 S&W does not interchange with ANY of the other rounds listed.
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  • WinMike
    You mean 38 SW, right? Not really....although I'm sure, with some effort, it could be done. .38 SW (aka .380 Rim and .38 S&W Corto) bullets are .359-.361,in a shorter, larger diameter case. The British used it in Webley and SW M&P revolvers as 38-200, and claimed it killed almost as well as their .455 (?!).

    Anyway, a friend has a WWII M&P and was complaining how inaccurate it was. He was shooting 38 Spl. (which will fit in what is essentially a K-frame S&W), and hadn't noticed that the longer 38. Spl case, when shot in the shorter chamber, was creating a flare in a fired case (the "reverse-bottle-neck" was formed in the portion of the chambers designed to hold .38 SW bullets). When we ordered proper cases and lead bullets, it shot quite well, thank you. We even re-created the 38-200: the gun shot to the point of aim @ 25 yds. And no, they won't fit into 38 Spl nor .357 revolver chambers.

    Then you asked a lot of questions about 38 Short/Long Colt. I'll refer you to some good Wiki write-ups: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_Long_Colt, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_S&W
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_Special

    The bottom line is, the only two cartridges designed to be somewhat similar are 38 Spl. in a .357 Magnum (but not the reverse, of course).

    EDIT: if you plan on reloading for the Mdl 32, as you know, it's a break-top and thus doesn't have the higher strength of the M&P/K-frame. For our M&P, we used starting loads for a 38 Spl; there are 38 S&W break-top loads in various manuals and on-line that would be more appropriate for your revolver. Use lead bullets, light loads. A Mdl 32 is a pretty cool revolver, though.
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  • PEZHEAD265
    Thanks guys I was thinking about a S&W model 32-1 in 38S&W.Thats where the 32 came in but I changed that
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  • 5mmgunguy
    I thought the Model 33 was the 38 S&W...I think the original S&W Model 32 was a 32 S&WL, but I think that you are right about the 32-1, it is in 38 S&W with a 2 inch barrel.
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  • savage170
    The 38 colt new police is the same as 38 S&W as is the british 380/200. I have a model 33 it is my wife's favorite gun to shoot
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  • 5mmgunguy
    I really like my Model 33 too. Got it for only $150. It shoots great once you find a source for the .361 diameter bullets.
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