.38 s&w ammo black powder

[wildsofpa]

I also have a H&R 38 S&W w/auto eject. My dad gave it to me with a box of 38 colt shorts. barrel says 1887-1896 with no cal markings. I did fire a few rounds on the line and seems to work ok using this ammo, used to dispatch fox, coons and yotes.. Guy working behind the counter at boyershardware/gun shop told him he could use this in it, but now knowing i think i will not use this 38 short colt ammo knowing it is a black powder round..back to the 22 for dispatching

[RapidRoy]

I have an old Iver Johnson 38 that uses the 38 "shorts". I've used Remington 38 Short Colt 125 gr lead round nose and 38 S&W 146 gr lead round nose. Probably better off using the short colts though it's not the easiest to find or cheapest to buy. Last time I bought it, it was $30 for 50. Considering that the gun is 107 years old and has lots of blowback, it's time to retire it. We keep it because it belonged to my grandfather. Could reload them but is it worth it?

[Pete D.]

Note: the .38 Short Colt and the .38 S&W have different case and bullet diameters. While the Colt can be fired in a gun chambered for the S&W cartridge, they are not really interchangeable. The blowback is a result of different sizes most probably.
Pete