Palm "Triplex" 38spl ammo by Constitution Arms

#1

I just today noticed some new & interesting triplex ammo in 38spl. This type of load hasn’t been marketed by any manufacturer in years in pistol calibers, and most of this type of stuff was only around in the 70’s and 80’s. Today the only equivalent would be the .410 stuff made for the Judge pistols, like the PDX1 that Winchester makes.

Anyway, the company is Constitution arms, and the guy (Matthew Carmel) is the creator of a new palm pistol, and these triplex rds just came out for it. He only ships straight to FFL dealers, but he will do individual packs:

http://www.palmpistol.com/triplex.html

The spec sheet is here:
http://www.palmpistol.com/links/TriPlexSpecification.pdf

It is was built for, and intended for his Palm pistol or any little Derringer type gun since it is low recoil. The lead projectiles are nickel plated, and the bottom one has a copper gas-check. I spoke with the owner today and he said he will have some video done on Monday. He said that packs will ship as ordered and get out in about 2 weeks.

Looks like this:


#2

hello
in the past i have a 357 round with three conical lead bullets very similar to your picture (i buy the round under the label “357 multiball” ,nickel case and lead bullets)
i would know if that the same round a your post ?

#3

That load you mention would not be this one, since this guy has only just started to release these this in the past month. Yours is probably some variation of the “38 quad” which usually had 4 lead conical discs, but there were also some other short-lived outfits that did this type of load in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Here is what the Quads looked like:

#4

hello
thank for your response
my cartridge is the same on the left on your picture
nickel case headstamp: r p 357

#5

I have found several posts in which information about the manufacturer of Quad Custom Ammo is asked. Voilà:

There is also a National Criminal Justice Reference Service document dated october 1975 mentioning .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .45 ACP loads. Text says “The author states that the Quad Ammunition offers a substantially greater impact shock than conventional loadings, while providing less penetration than a single high velocity, expanding projectile. At fifteen yards, the group size was found to run about four inches, while accuracy was both consistent and predictable. The author concludes that Quad loadings could prove to be invaluable to officers, especially in congested areas where maximum stopping power is required and yet minimum penetration is a must” (sic).

The author cited in this document is “M. Williams” from “Copp Organization, Inc.”.

#6

Quad Custom Ammo rounds offered during 1978:

#7

Thanks Fede! I had no idea they had .45acp and .44mag offerings in that type. I wonder if they got into production with them, or if they were just experimental at the time of that article printing?

#8

Hello Matt, article says “At the present time these are the only calibers and loads being offered”.

#9

I just received 2 packs of the Palm “Tri-Cor” 38spl triplex ammo from Constitution arms. The owner told me that they had to change the name from Triplex to Tri-Cor due to a trademark issue, so that original pack photo shown in the first post is definitely a collector’s item now.

I pulled the 3 projectiles from a cartridge and took the following photos. The projectiles are all about 52gr, and the bottom one in the stack has a copper gas check affixed to it. I haven’t shot any yet, but judging by the recommendations on the back of the label, you had ought to be within 10ft for effective results. The brass is all nickeled commercial R-P stuff, and the promotional info claims that the projectiles are nickel coated as well, but I can’t tell:

palmtricor.jpg1023x758

IMG_0001-1.jpg752x1023

#10

You may / may not know this but Triplex is a safety glass company. I would think it was them who the trademark problem was with.

#11

I noticed that the website www.palmpistol.com is down and after emailing the owner, he informed me that both the palm pistol, and the Tri-Cor ammo are now canceled projects.

#12

As the pics from FEDE went away, due to the “good Photobucket props”, here my box and the inside packing
.

38%20quad%20ammo
38 quad ammo.jpg2308x1182 327 KB
38%20quad%20ammobox
38 quad ammobox.jpg4128x5010 2.41 MB

38%20quad%20ammo%20inside%20pack
38 quad ammo inside pack.jpg1024x1256 124 KB

Peter

#13

I notice that the website link above for Palm Pistol is back up, and up-to-date even. They are now offering a new product called the Palm-Carbine, which looks like an AR, but it has the palm squeeze trigger setup. I guess this is marketed towards those with a hand disability, or those with a missing index finger perhaps? I can’t find anything on the Tri-Cor ammo though, so that is still a dead project.