US Caliber .38 Revolvers After World War II
Pistol team of the 141st Air Refueling Wing, Washington Air National Guard firing .38 Cal. revolvers in the 1950s. The man to the far right is identified as Clinton Cooper.
The "Revolver, Caliber .38 Special" was procured from commercial manufacturers with at least six types in Army and Air Force inventory, as documented in TM 9-1005-206-14P/1 dated February 1971. The models listed are:
| Model | Stock Number |
|---|---|
| Colt, Detective Special, 2-inch Barrel | 1005-726-5786 |
| Colt, Police Positive, 4-inch Barrel | 1005-716-2838 |
| S&W, K-38 Masterpiece, M14, 6-inch Barrel | 1005-830-2497 |
| S&W, Military & Police, M10, Square Butt, 4-inch Barrel | 1005-214-0934 |
| S&W, Military & Police, M10, Round Butt, 2-inch Barrel | 1005-937-5840 |
| S&W, Military & Police, M10, Round Butt, 4-inch Barrel | 1005-937-5839 |
The same TM had a later edition dated August 1985 that covered only two .38 pistols, presumably the only ones still officially in inventory:
- S&W, Military & Police, M10 (3 models, see MP in NSN list)
- Ruger Service Six, 4 inch Barrel M108 (3 models, see S6 in NSN list)
The Ruger pistols were brought into the U.S. military in the 1970s.
Cal. .38 Revolver National Stock Numbers
It is often useful to know the National Stock Number in order to locate manuals, parts or other references to a specific weapon. There have been a confusing number of NSNs assigned to .39 Cal. revolvers, as shown in this table of NSNs used up to August 1985. Photo to right is a Cal. .38, Smith & Wesson Model 10, with 2-inch barrel.
- 1005-00-133-9280 Revolver, Cal. .38, M37, S&W
- 1005-00-214-0934 Revolver, Cal. .38, MP, 4-Inch Barrel, Square Butt
- 1005-00-630-7120 Revolver, Cal. .38, M-Off/Spec., Colt
- 1005-00-630-7147 Revolver, Cal. .38, K-38, S&W
- 1005-00-630-7153 Revolver, Cal. .38, M-Off/Spec., Colt,
- Match-Conditioned
- 1005-00-726-5659 Revolver, Cal. .38, MP, S&W, 4-Inch Barrel
- 1005-00-726-6220 Revolver, Cal. .38, S&W
- 1005-00-840-7304 Revolver, Cal. .38, S&W
- 1005-00-897-8447 Pistol, Cal. .38, Colt
- 1005-00-937-5839 Revolver, Cal. .38, MP, 4-Inch Barrel, Round Butt
- 1005-00-937-5840 Revolver, Cal. .38, MP, 2-Inch Barrel, Round Butt
- 1005-00-971-5039 Pistol, Cal. .38, M52, S&W
- 1005-01-040-8989 Revolver, Cal. .38, Ruger S6, Square Butt w/o Lanyard Loop
- 1005-01-040-8990 Revolver, Cal. .38, Ruger S6, Square Butt w/ Lanyard Loop
- 1005-01-094-7045 Revolver, Cal. .38, Ruger S6, Round Butt w/ Lanyard Loop
MP is the Smith & Wesson Military and Police, Model M10. S6 is the Ruger Service Six, 4-inch barrel, Model M108.
Recommended Books about .38 Cal. Military Pistols
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