.38/.45 Clerke

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]

The cartridge is sometimes confused with the 38/45 Hard Head invented by Dean Grennell around 1987. 38/45 Hard Head is based upon shortened and necked down .45 Winchester Magnum or .451 Detonics cases, operates at a much higher pressure and its load data should never be used for the 38/45 Clerke.

.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.

• .45 ACP
• .38 Super
• .400 Cor-Bon
• .357 SIG
• 7.63×25mm Mauser
• .38 Casull

• List of handgun cartridges