A friend of mine has a Colt revolver and the barrel is marked
COLT ARMY 38
SPECIAL
The book shows them to have been chambered in 32-20,38 Colt,38 Smith&Wesson and 41 Colt. The serial number is in the 450000 range which is correct. Is this gun chambered for a 38 Special or something else?

There are effectively two cartridges the same: 38 Smith & Wesson Special and 38 Colt Special.

These were lengthened versions of the black powder cartridge that failed in the Phillipines I understand. Lengthened to be able to take more black powder.

38 Colt or Long Colt and 38 Smith & Wesson are, I think, two different cartridges. 38 Smith & Wesson using traditionally a 146 grain inside lubricated bullet. (The Colt equivalent being the 38 Colt New Police).

So 38 Colt or Long Colt is the cartridge that was replaced after its failure by the 38 Colt Special Identical to the 38 Smith & Wesson Special. So I think that a cut down 38 Special would fit in it as otherwise it is the same case.

However I may be totally wrong! What is for sure is that someone on the Military Firearms Forum part may know?

I might have figured it out. A S&W 38 will not chamber in a 38 Special so will try it out on my friends gun this weekend. Thanks

Be damn careful w/these chamberings! Bad things can happen!

I'm not sure if the above post is correct. I'd research alot before I shot anything like that!

That's why I am checking; dont want to blow up a nice gun. I have seen some pictures where someone has chambered an incorrect round and bad things happen then.

Yes! The original 38 Long Colt is not the same as the modern 38 Special it is less powerful.

I owned one of these in .41 Long Colt. Nice little revolver, fun to shoot, but locating ammo was a bit of a problem. The .41 LC surely wasn't an overly powerful cartridge itself, although it reputedly gave respectable stopping power because of its heavier, hollow-based bullet.

I would suspect that the one in question is chambered in .38 Special, but you'd better get confirmation on this. I didn't think a .38 Long/Short Colt version of the Army Special was made, but I could be wrong.
If it is in .38 Special and you want to shoot it, then you're probably aware that this gun should shoot only standard (light) loads, and probably with a lead bullet.