40-38 Pistol

[Marshall Trimble]

My Friend Frank Cutler sent me an interesting e-mail about his 40 caliber pistol. Let's let him tell it:

You of course have heard of the 44-40 and 40-65 and the 32-20 and 45-70 etc etc The caliber is always the 1st figure and the grains of powder the 2nd.  Well I have a 38-40 Model 1896 Colt that belonged to a lawman from Casper Wy from 1896 to 1914 according to Colt records. I always though that the 38-40 was a necked down 44-40 until one day I took a closer look at the bore and saw that it was much larger than a 38 which is really a 357 cal. While the 38 special cartridge is a bit longer the 38-40 is much bigger around so I checked into it. The 38-40 is the only cartridge that is just the opposite and it really should be called 40-38 so the gun is really 40 Cal and not 38 or 357. I understand it was a really popular caliber in the old west and used by many gunmen.

Frank Cutler

 

 

 

[Sue Cauhape]

Do the records show who the lawman was who once owned the gun?

[John R Wice]

I have had several 38-40's and yes, they should have called it 40-38.  The round was not bad to handload and had better velocity than the 44-40.  Almost as popular in the day as the 44-40.  It made a nice combo, a single action Colt and a '73, or '92 carbine or rifle.  If you look back a few issues of TrueWest, you'll see Tom Horn carried a Colt S A in 38-40.

[Marshall Trimble]

Here's more from Frank: "No I don't know who the officer was. The only thing that Colt letter mentioned that it was shipped to the Sheriffs Dept. in Casper and returned once for a repair then sent back but no name.
   I have several boxes to ammo for it and just holding a round in your hand you can see the bullet is larger than one in a 38 special.  I never could under stand why a 38 is called a 38 because its really 357 cal. The only thing is all Ball and cap pistols of that era were call 36 cal but in reality they all fit the .357 ball
  If you think about it all 44 ball and cap  pistols fit the .451 to .457 ball that is why when the cartridge gun came out they became the 45 colt."