I'm curious about all the calibers with alternate ammo possibilities like shooting 38 spc through my 357. Will any other like 38 Super or 38 Long Colt work? I know with 32 H&R mag you can use 32 S&W Long, any others? I've heard 45 Long Colt in a .410, sounds iffy to me. Anybody an expert on compatibilities? Good stuff to know post SHTF for scrounging.
>38 super is a rimless cartridge and won't work unless use a moon clip (like the .45 acp moon clips) to allow shooting in a revolver.
Both just guesses .22 short in a .22 long? .22LR, .22short in a .22mag? I think you may have covered them. Some bbls are stamped .410 / 45 long colt My Contender is. Just make sure your .410 bbl isn't choked [shock]
44 spl in 44 mag is ok as noted. 41 spl is OK in 41 mag, I'm pretty sure. The guys at the handloaders Bench will have some scoop. Also, some time back G&A had an article on this subject. Can't find the issue, but it was a year or so back. Quite a few compatiblities exist, as it turned out. Be wary of 9mm, there are some good and very bad matches.
.44 Russian will fit in .44 spl & .44 mag...but not vice-vers. .38 Smith & Wesson can be fired in .38 spl & 357 mag. I do not think I'd try a .22 long rifle in a .22 mag
CARTRIDGE INTERCHANGEABILITY CHART ------------------------------------ Cartridges within the groups shown are interchangeable. Other substitutions should not be made without specific recommendation of the firearms manufacturer, since improper combinations could result in firearm damage or personal injury. ----------------------------------------------------------------- RIMFIRE 22 W.R.F. 22 Remington Special 22 Win. Model 2890 in a 22 Win. Mag Rimfire but not conversely ----------------------------------------------------------------- CENTERFIRE 25-20 Remington 25-20 W.C.F. 25-20 Win. 25-20 Win. High Speed 25-20 Marlin 25 W.C.F. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 6mm Rem. (80 & 90 grain) 244 Rem. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Automatic 25 Auto. Colt Pistol (ACP) 25 (6.35mm) Automatic Pistol 6.35 Browning ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7mm Express (TM) Rem. 280 Rem. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 30-30 Sav. 30-30 Win. 30-30 Win. Accelerator* 30-30 Marlin 30-30 Win. High Speed 30 W.C.F ----------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Colt Automatic 32 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) 32 (7.65mm) Automatic Pistol 7.65mm Automatic Pistol 7.65mm Browning (not interchangeable with 7.65mm Luger) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Short Colt in 32 Long Colt but not conversely SEE NOTE C ----------------------------------------------------------------- 32 S. & W. in 32 S. & W. Long but not conversely ----------------------------------------------------------------- 32 S. & W. Long 32 Colt New Police 32 Colt Police Positive ----------------------------------------------------------------- 32 W.C.F.* 32 Win.* 32-20 Win. High Speed* SEE NOTE A ----------------------------------------------------------------- 32-20 Colt L.M.R. 32-20 W.C.F. 32-20 Win. and Marlin SEE NOTE G ----------------------------------------------------------------- 38 S. & W. 38 Colt New Police 380 Webley ----------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Colt Special 38 S. & W. Special 38 Targetmaster (R) 38 S. & W. Special Mid-Rage 38 Special (+P) 38-44 Special (+P) 38 Special 38 Special Flat Point SEE NOTES B & D ----------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Short Colt in 38 Long Colt but not conversely; Both can be used in 38 Special ----------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Marlin 38 Win.* SEE NOTE A ----------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Remington* 38-40 Win. 38 W.C.F.* SEE NOTE A ----------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Automatic in 38 Super (+P) but not conversely ----------------------------------------------------------------- 380 Automatic 9mm Browning Short (Corto, Kurz) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 9mm Luger 9mm Parabellum SEE NOTE E ----------------------------------------------------------------- 44 S. & W. Special SEE NOTE F ----------------------------------------------------------------- 44 Marlin 44 Win. 44 Remington 44-40 Win. 44 W.C.F. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 45-70 Government 45-70 Marlin 45-70 Win. 45-70-405 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE A: *High-speed cartridges must not be used in revolvers. They should be used only in rifles made expecially for them. NOTE B: Ammunition with (+P) on the case headstamp is loaded to higher pressure. Use only in firearms designated for this cartridge and so recommended by the gun manufacturer. NOTE C: Not for use in revolvers chambered for 32 S. & W. or 32 S. & W. Long. NOTE D: All 38 Special cartridges can be used in 357 Magnum revolvers but not conversely. NOTE E: 9mm sub-machine gun cartridges should not be used in handguns. NOTE F: 44 Russian and 44 S. & W. Special can be used in 44 Remington Magnum revolvers but not conversely. NOTE G: Not to be used in Win. M-66 and M-73. ----------------------------------------------------------------- SOURCE: 1993 Remington Products Catalog Not listed in Remington's information are the following: ----------------------------------------------------------------- .38 Special and .357 Mag. in .357 Maximum, but not conversely ----------------------------------------------------------------- .44 Special and .44 Mag. in .445 Super Mag, but not conversely ----------------------------------------------------------------- .45 Long Colt in .454 Casull, but not conversely ----------------------------------------------------------------- Also, there are many examples of cartridges that can be "fire- formed" in larger chambers (eg. firing a .300 H&H in a .300 Wby) but I'll leave off here for now. . . . . . . . . .