.38/.45 Clerke
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
It 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
.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
- .45 ACP
- .38 Super
- .400 Cor-Bon
- .357 SIG
- 7.63×25mm Mauser
- .38 Casull
See also
References
-
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.
- 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.