The .38/.45 Clerke (pronounced "clark"), aka .38/.45 Auto Pistol, .45/.38 Auto Pistol, or 45/.38 Hard Head, is a wildcat semi-automatic pistol cartridge developed by Bo Clerke and introduced in Guns & Ammo in 1963.[1]
| .38/.45 Clerke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 .38-45 Clerke cartridge with metallic effect | ||||||||
| Type | Pistol | |||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||
| Production history | ||||||||
| Designer | Bo Clerke | |||||||
| Designed | 1963 | |||||||
| Manufacturer | Armory Gunshop | |||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||
| Parent case | .45 ACP | |||||||
| Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |||||||
| Bullet diameter | .357 in (9.1 mm) | |||||||
| Base diameter | .470 in (11.9 mm) | |||||||
| Rim diameter | .471 in (12.0 mm) | |||||||
| Rim thickness | .050 in (1.3 mm) | |||||||
| Case length | .880 in (22.4 mm) | |||||||
| Overall length | 1.22 in (31 mm) | |||||||
| Primer type | large pistol | |||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||
| ||||||||
History and design
editIt is essentially a .45 ACP case, necked down to .357, resulting in a cartridge similar in form to the earlier 7.65×21mm Parabellum and 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridges. It was created to be a low recoil target cartridge that would function reliably with multiple bullet types, FMJ to cast lead wadcutters without the feeding problems that straight walled pistol rounds sometimes exhibit.[2] The cartridge can be used in standard .45 ACP magazines.[3]
Ammunition and reloading
edit.45 ACP cases can be resized to handload .38/.45 Auto cartridges [4] using form and sizer dies still available from the RCBS Corporation, p/n 56468.
Nearly any M1911 pistol and pistols of the same pattern can be converted to the .38/.45 cartridge with a replacement barrel, from a 38 Super barrel reamed out to .38/.45 dimensions.[1][3] During the round's initial popularity, drop-in barrels were available from makers like Bar-Sto.
Related rounds
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b
Guns and Ammo Magazine. October 1963.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - ^ Campbell, R. K. (2011). Shooter's guide to the 1911. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-4402-1894-1. OCLC 777016421.
- ^ a b Sweeney, Patrick (2009). Gun digest big fat book of the .45 ACP. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. pp. 329–332. ISBN 978-1-4402-2632-8. OCLC 774392873.
- ^ Barnes, Frank C. (2006). Cartridges of the world : a complete and illustrated reference for over 1500 cartridges. Stan Skinner (11th ed.). Iola, Wis.: Gun Digest Books. pp. 140–143. ISBN 978-0-89689-297-2. OCLC 70173636.