The .38 short colt was originally a heeled bullet

Heeled bullet

A heeled bullet is an archaic design of bullet where the internal diameter of the barrel is the same diameter as the cartridge case, and the bullet has a step at the rear to allow it to fit inside the case...

 cartridge intended for cartridge conversions of the .36 cal cap & ball revolvers from the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

-era.

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

Remington Arms

Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....

 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 looks like a .38 S&W

.38 S&W

The .38 S&W is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1877. Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Smith and Wesson Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger bullet diameter....

 but dimensions are different. The .38 SC (short colt) case is the parent to .38 Long Colt

.38 Long Colt

The .38 Long Colt is a cartridge introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1875, and was adopted as a standard military pistol cartridge by the United States Army in 1892 for the Colt New Army M1892 Revolver. It is slightly more powerful than the .38 Short Colt, or .38 SC. The .38 Long Colt...

 and .38 Special

.38 Special

The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...

.

There is no problem firing this cartridge in .357 revolvers

.357 Magnum

The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...

, but the long bullet jump makes accuracy difficult.

For reloaders

Handloading

Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...

, this is a useful cartridge to make squib load

Squib load

A squib load, also known as a squib round, pop and no kick, or just a squib, is a firearms malfunction in which a fired projectile does not have enough force behind it to exit the barrel, and thus becomes stuck...

s and train novice shooters. It can be loaded down to 400–500 ft/s range, giving it the noise and recoil of a .22.

Often confused with the 38 Smith & Wesson.