.38/.45 Clerke

• Name —.38/.45 Clerke / 9.1x22mm • Origin — United States • Type — Pistol • Designer — Bo Clerke • Design Date — 1963 • Manufacturer — Armory Gunshop • Parent —.45 ACP • Case Type — Rimless, bottleneck • Bullet —.357 • Base —.470 • Rim Dia —.471 • Rim Thick —.050 • Case Length —.880 • Length — 1.22 • Primer — large pistol • Bw1 — 130 • Btype1 — FMJ • Vel1 — 1245 • En1 — 445

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. The cartridge can be used in standard.45 ACP magazines. 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 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. 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