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The Darksider's Den / Re: How did we get these "Calibers"?
« Last post by FriscoCounty on Today at 10:19:12 PM »Let's start with the 1851 Colt. It was a .36 caliber pistol because the convention was to use the bore size of .36". The groove was about .375" and the cylinder bore diameter was .380" (this is for originals not modern copies). So far so good? Now, when cartridge conversions came about, the rear of the cylinder was milled off and than was it. The cartridges used heeled bullets so the case diameter, the bullet, and the cylinder bore were all .38".
The first cartridge was the .38 Colt for use in 1851 and 1861 conversions. The name was based on the diameter of the bullet. It was later renamed the .38 Short Colt.
The next cartridge in the series was the .38 Long from UMC. It was a .38" heeled bullet cartridge with the case lengthened to allow more powder capacity and was developed by UMC for Colt's Newline revolvers and centerfire conversions of the 1851 and 1861 Colt revolvers requested by the US Navy. Because it was developed for this contract was also known as the .38 Navy.
The came the .38 Long Colt. It was used in the Colt M1892 revolver. This black powder cartridge was internally lubed. As such the diameter of the bullet was now the same as the inside diameter of the case and not the outside. Its bullet diameter was now .357". The case of the .38LC was 0.14" longer than the .38L to allow the case to cover the lube grooves and still have the same overall length and powder capacity. This was also known as the .38 Army.
After the .38 Long Colt came the S&W .38 Special. The case was again lengthened to 1.15" and reduced in diameter to .379". It was transitional in that it was introduced just before smokeless became common and was loaded with smokeless soon after it introduction.
Next came the Remington .357 Magnum. The case was lengthened again and was a true smokeless cartridge.
The first cartridge was the .38 Colt for use in 1851 and 1861 conversions. The name was based on the diameter of the bullet. It was later renamed the .38 Short Colt.
The next cartridge in the series was the .38 Long from UMC. It was a .38" heeled bullet cartridge with the case lengthened to allow more powder capacity and was developed by UMC for Colt's Newline revolvers and centerfire conversions of the 1851 and 1861 Colt revolvers requested by the US Navy. Because it was developed for this contract was also known as the .38 Navy.
The came the .38 Long Colt. It was used in the Colt M1892 revolver. This black powder cartridge was internally lubed. As such the diameter of the bullet was now the same as the inside diameter of the case and not the outside. Its bullet diameter was now .357". The case of the .38LC was 0.14" longer than the .38L to allow the case to cover the lube grooves and still have the same overall length and powder capacity. This was also known as the .38 Army.
After the .38 Long Colt came the S&W .38 Special. The case was again lengthened to 1.15" and reduced in diameter to .379". It was transitional in that it was introduced just before smokeless became common and was loaded with smokeless soon after it introduction.
Next came the Remington .357 Magnum. The case was lengthened again and was a true smokeless cartridge.