38 S&W to 38 special

[zacharoo]

I inherited a smith and wesson 38S&W victory model. It belonged to my father-in-law. Someone had it cut down to a 2 in.barrel and drilled out the cylinder to 38 special. Is it safe to shot with light 38 special ammo or should I stick to 38S&W. I bought the dies for 38S&W but I can't find any .360 dia. bullets.  The barrel has English proofs but I didn't slug it. ANY HELPFUL ADVICE WILL HELP! THANKS! Zacharoo

[John Traveler]

Your .38 S&W Victory model was WWII British Army surplus.  Surplus importers in the 1950s and 1960s reamed out the chambers to .38 Special to make them more saleable.

It can be safely fired with mild 148 grain WC or 158 g RN or SWC standard velocity ammunition.  It's not suitable for high performance JHP or +P ammunition.  The slightly larger diameter of the .38 S&W part of the chambers means your fired brass will be bulged, or even occasionally split.  However this does no harm.

It's possible to get .361" diameter bullets from custom casters for reloading your .38 S&W or .38 Special cases.  The nominal .358" Special bullets may or may not shoot well in your gun.  It's worth a try to see how they group.  Remember, standard velocities ONLY in this gun.

[GatCat]

Another thought would be to buy and install the correct cylinder. I've seen them for not too much money. Many of the revolvers brought in and sold as surplus before the GCA of '68 had the cylinder chambers lengthened for the special, thinking they would sell better, but were notoriously inaccurate with the under size "special" bullet.
Lee Harvey Oswald use one to murder Officer Tibbets. Conspiracy buffs insist it was an "assassins" gun, since little or no rifling marks were on the recovered bullets. No, it was simply a poorly conceived attempt to convert a good revolver.

Mark