.38 Short Colt

The .38 Short Colt (or .38 SC) was a heeled bullet cartridge intended for cartridge conversions of the .36 cal cap & ball revolvers from the American Civil War-era.

Later, this cartridge was fitted with an inside-lubricated bullet in the 125–135 grain range.

Remington is one of the few producers of this cartridge today with a 125grs LRN bullet. Magtech also produces this grain weight and Ten-x manufactures a 95gr load, as well as blanks.

Visually, it resembles a .38 S&W but dimensions are different. The .38 SC case is the parent to .38 Long Colt and .38 Special.

There is no problem firing this cartridge in .357 revolvers, but the long bullet jump makes accuracy difficult.

It is often confused with the .38 S&W.