Shooting .38 spl out of .357 magnum

[revjen45]

Note that S&W designed the M19 specifically to use .38 most of the time. Being built on the K-Frame, the more .357 used in it the faster it would go out of tune: DCU, end shake, etc. The L-Frame 586 & 686 were designed from the git-go for use with .357.

 

[DirectDrive]

This has been touched on above, but I'll highlight it.
When you go to the range with your .357 Magnum revolver...

The 38 Special ammo uses a shorter case and will leave a carbon ring that has to be cleaned out before the longer .357 cases will chamber.
Solution:
Shoot your .357 ammo first.

A fun, ultra-accurate target bullet is the HBWC (hollow base wadcutter).
And they punch the most beautiful holes (in paper).
Best in a 38 Special case because of the small amount of powder used to drive them.

 

[Pandaz3]

Shhhh... I can't say. One of you all might swipe it out from under me.

Devil, you are nearly as bad as NWwoodsman, he sneaks around reloading the 38 speed loaders of his buddy's and puts 357's in them, rotten to the core!

 

[Pandaz3]

Okay I'll stand for Taurus. I have a Taurus 605, my one and only 357 Snubby. Mine is a all STEEL five shooter and I do shoot 158 and 125 grain rounds and carry it rarely. I like six shooters for carry so that leaves my two Detective Special's or my 327 Federal Magnum LCR, the LCR getting the nod mostly. I also have a great Taurus Model 66, a SS 4" seven shooter. I don't like it better than my GP-100 6", but I like it pretty darn good.
.
Normally I carry a 40 S&W auto, often a Taurus G2C chambered in 40 S&W. I trust it or would not carry it.

 

[AK0perator47]

So I am getting a 357 next weekend, unless something drastic happens.

But part of the reason for my arsenal is to step up between calibers to ease new shooters into it.

I was reading online and it said that because .38 spl and .357 are the same diameter, you could shoot .38 out of a .357 but not the reverse.

Has anyone actually done that? I know you can't do it 357 out of a 38 due to higher pressure and longer cartrige and all that. But I was always told that you never shoot anything under than what the gun says.

Oddly I trust you randos on the internet more than other randos on the internet.

Bonus question: do you think that a good step up plan to fill in the gab between 22LR and 45LC?

Like 22, 38, 357, 45?

Everyone here has been great in helping you out. There's a lot of things that can be misunderstood. Please be mindful of the ammunition manufacturer as well. Buffalo Bore has certain rounds that are only to be fired in certain manufacturers firearms. Let's not forget that you can always get a 460 S&W revolver and shoot 460 S&W in it, 454 Cassull, 45 Long Colt, and 45 ACP lol. But for an intermediate caliber round 38 special is nice and 357 magnum will allow for a good understanding of more felt recoil.

Another extremely important thing is the weight of the pistol and barrel length. I took my youngest daughter shooting a couple years ago and the 1 7/8" barrel on the S&W 642 is very snappy even though it only shoots 38. She didn't like it at all. I told her that she now understands that even though she doesn't like it she could still use it if needed.

 

[Flopsweat]

Let's not forget the fun factor. A full sized revolver with a 4" barrel can be great fun to shoot .357 from. You'll definitely feel the recoil but if you have a decent grip - both kinds, the gun's grip and yours - it's a real hoot. .357 is loud! But it's very controllable in a full size gun and with a decent single action trigger most of them are very accurate. Enjoy!

 

[raindog]

The 38 Special ammo uses a shorter case and will leave a carbon ring that has to be cleaned out before the longer .357 cases will chamber.

I can visualize what you're saying but I've switched back and forth between 38 and 357 in a 6" revolver on the same range trip without incident.

I thought the issue was that if you shot a lot of 38 over a long period and didn't clean there could be a buildup but I didn't think it happened that fast.

 

[Flopsweat]

I can visualize what you're saying but I've switched back and forth between 38 and 357 in a 6" revolver on the same range trip without incident.

I thought the issue was that if you shot a lot of 38 over a long period and didn't clean there could be a buildup but I didn't think it happened that fast.

That's the only way I've been able to replicate it. Even then I could still get the cases in and out - it just took more effort. A little CLP and a round brush took care of it in no time. Now with older, less clean burning powder I could see it happening faster.

 

[NobullSKS]

So I am getting a 357 next weekend, unless something drastic happens.

But part of the reason for my arsenal is to step up between calibers to ease new shooters into it.

I was reading online and it said that because .38 spl and .357 are the same diameter, you could shoot .38 out of a .357 but not the reverse.

Has anyone actually done that? I know you can't do it 357 out of a 38 due to higher pressure and longer cartrige and all that. But I was always told that you never shoot anything under than what the gun says.

Oddly I trust you randos on the internet more than other randos on the internet.

Bonus question: do you think that a good step up plan to fill in the gab between 22LR and 45LC?

Like 22, 38, 357, 45?

Absolutely ideal really... practice.38s save the magnum...... same weapon. But try plenty of magnums to be sure how it's gonna feel, big difference.
If you like the wheel gun..... 38/357 only way to go on that in between caliber.... IMO
SEMI AUTO..... better luck trying to acquire 9mm (is close to the middle cal. )... than .380 auto those really got pricey and I see more 40s on shelf available to purchase at my local range than 9s.

 

[Flymph]

I can visualize what you're saying but I've switched back and forth between 38 and 357 in a 6" revolver on the same range trip without incident.

I thought the issue was that if you shot a lot of 38 over a long period and didn't clean there could be a buildup but I didn't think it happened that fast.

It all depends on how tight the tolerances are on the chamber, and the problem is easily solved with a little light polishing.

 

[DeanMk]

My girl's guns were .357 Magnum for a long time. I reload the calibers. You can shoot .38 Special out of the gun but do NOT overdo it (we are talking 10,000 to 15,000 +rds) because it can score the cylinder and make .357 extraction more difficult. In normal use this is not an issue

If RevBadger reloads, he can use the .357 case and load it to .38 special levels.
That will get around the carbon build-up at the end of the cylinder.

 

[orygun]

If RevBadger reloads, he can use the .357 case and load it to .38 special levels.
That will get around the carbon build-up at the end of the cylinder.

I read somewhere of a shooter doing this. He noted nickel cases for one level, brass cases for another. This way it was easy to tell which power level at a glance and no worry about the chamber fouling.
For the most part I've never shot enough 38 Specials out of a 357 to have anythin to talk about. I've had as much trouble shooting a bunch of 357s out of the gun and getting it filthy, then having a little trouble clearing cases.

My grandson shoots 38's out of my Model 60, then I load some 357's and take my turn. Bullet weight and powder charge make a huge difference in a little gun. I have some 357 handloads that really hurt, but the Remington 158JSP and 180s aren't too bad.

The best way to get a snubbie to throw lead is to pick a moderate weight bullet and push it with a quick powder. I'm going to chrono a bunch of ammo before I start reloading, but I'm shooting for around 1100fps with a 125gr XTP and a Magnum case (3" barrel).

 

[tac]

Just for bubblegums and giggles, load the cylinder with two .357 loads and the rest in .38 Special and hand it off to your shooting buddy. Fun to watch the expression on their face when they unexpectedly fire the .357

I guess that your sense of humour diverges from mine considerably. I'll be charitable and assume that your one-time 'buddy' is an experienced shooter, right?

Trying it with a noob is a sure-fire way of persuading them to take up another sport where there are no sadists.

 

[tac]

If RevBadger reloads, he can use the .357 case and load it to .38 special levels.That will get around the carbon build-up at the end of the cylinder.

Yups. that's what I did from 1984 to 1997, often between 300 and 500 rounds a week. 'snot just the crud build-up, it's the erosion from gas-cutting at the case neck, too. I once went to look at a Python that was going quite cheaply [for here, that is] and found out that it had a frosted ring, almost a groove, around the inside of each chamber from thousands of .38 Spec-level shots using .38 Spec cases. I passed and bought the S&W 696 Trophy with the spiff four-position sights instead.

Still got it - even though it's dead I just can't bear to part with it.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I guess that your sense of humour diverges from mine considerably. I'll be charitable and assume that your one-time 'buddy' is an experienced shooter, right?

Trying it with a noob is a sure-fire way of persuading them to take up another sport where there are no sadists.

 

[Robear]

So I am getting a 357 next weekend, unless something drastic happens.

But part of the reason for my arsenal is to step up between calibers to ease new shooters into it.

I was reading online and it said that because .38 spl and .357 are the same diameter, you could shoot .38 out of a .357 but not the reverse.

Has anyone actually done that? I know you can't do it 357 out of a 38 due to higher pressure and longer cartrige and all that. But I was always told that you never shoot anything under than what the gun says.

Oddly I trust you randos on the internet more than other randos on the internet.

Bonus question: do you think that a good step up plan to fill in the gab between 22LR and 45LC?

Like 22, 38, 357, 45?

38 special is perfectly safe to use in a 357 mag. However, the 38 won't be as accurate as it would be if fired in a 38 revolver, since the bullet has a longer distance to jump and will deform before it reaches the barrel. If you reload, use 38 loads in 357 brass. Cast bullets and light charges work well for practice. This also solves the problem of the "crud ring" that can form in the cylinder from many 38 rounds, that might make 357 brass hard to fit.

 

[Mikej]

Note that S&W designed the M19 specifically to use .38 most of the time. Being built on the K-Frame, the more .357 used in it the faster it would go out of tune: DCU, end shake, etc. The L-Frame 586 & 686 were designed from the git-go for use with .357.

I'll go out on a limb and say that is simply not true. Smith & Wesson designed a gun that literally said on the barrel ".357 Magnum" not "Mostly .38 Special but sometimes .357 Magnum is OK". As I understand the issue with the S&W M19 was the use of lighter bullets (125gr) and magnum velocities. The forcing cone in the barrel wasn't built appropriately to handle the impact from the lighter bullets ,(at higher velocities?) and could crack. I'm guessing here, but it was probably that.357 Mag came on the scene using 147 and 158 grain bullets. After awhile 125 grain became popular to load in .357 mag. Because of lighter recoil maybe and being able to get higher velocity out of the lighter bullet? That's not to say that if 125gr had never been used that somewhere down the line the m19 wouldn't have had forcing cone cracking issues.

 

[revjen45]

OK. I worked as a gunsmith at a factory warranty shop, but I don't really know much about it...

 

[Mikej]

OK. I worked as a gunsmith at a factory warranty shop, but I don't really know much about it...

So your saying we should ignore the stamping on the barrels of Smith & Wesson revolvers? Okay...

 

[orygun]

I'd say this one is about like talking "cast" frames with Ruger guys (like me), but let's not go there!

I rankeled up some feathers when I made a similar statement about the K-Frame forcing cone splitting a while back. Apparently the original Super-Vel ammo in 125 gr was hotter'n Hades and caused some problems with torched and cracked forcing cones. Was/is it possible to recreate that problem with any ammo considered "normal", I don't know. But the commotion stirred up by this issue is the reason the L-Frame was introduced. More weight to handle recoil and a slightly larger frame to better handle the stresses of consistently shooting Magnum ammunition. That's not a quote, but that's what I remember being the gist of the advertising when the L-Frame came out.