Target Shooting - Ammunition Choice

[tac]

Pro Tip:
If you are shooting both 38 Special and 357 Magnum out of the same revolver, shoot all your 357 first.
Should you forget, you'll find out why.

And when the OP gets reloading, stick with using .357Mag cases, even for the lower-powered .38 Spec loads. Reason is that shooting a lot of .38Spec in the .357Mag revolver leads to gas-cutting where the shorter case (by 1/10th of an inch) lies in the chamber. It takes a while, but back in the day when I was allowed to haver a regular revolver, I passed on a beautiful Colt Python that had had the bejabbers shot out of it for around twenty years on a diet consisting solely of .38Spec ammunition. The gas-cut rings were not only visible, but would 'click' a piece of metal dragged over them.

YMMV.

 

[Jonnyuma]

Avoid Tula, shoot brass!

I wouldn't let my worst enemy run Tula
It's Putin trickery I tell ya !

No, it's just steel-cased revolver ammo. But thanks for adding some drama where it was obviously needed...

 

[Certaindeaf]

FMJ's will feed the best.




















lol

 

[Flymph]

No, it's just steel-cased revolver ammo. But thanks for adding some drama where it was obviously needed...

You're welcome, I just figured I would let the OP be aware that it caused extraction issues in my revolver, which is impressive. Pretty sure the OP is getting a similar if not the same revolver, so I felt it relevant.

Tula worked in the CDS I used, still dirty tho.

 

[Mike97124]

Lots of good information, I really appreciate it. I didn't realize wad cutters were hard to find locally. I'll save those until I order ammo if I ever do. To kind of generally answer some of the comments, I did know that most ranges like to collect the brass, even if you bring it in. I'm ok with that since I'm not a reloader and I probably won't be shooting enough to justify starting to reload... at least for the foreseeable future.

I have also read about shooting .357's first and then shoot the .38's and why this is advisable. I have a S&W .38 Special that I'll do most of my .38 shooting from and my .357 revolvers I'll mostly shoot .357's out of them but will shoot some .38's just so I can shoot them more and my wife can shoot them to get use to the weight without the recoil.

Frank, thanks for the info on the Newberg range. I hadn't run across it in my searches of firing ranges in the area. I might have skipped over it but I don't recall the name in my searches. It does sound like a good place to shoot, other than the shooting schedule. I'd have to keep a calendar marked up to keep it straight. Do they allow two people in a lane? Some don't and if my wife and I wanted to shoot could we take turns in the same lane or does she need to be in her own lane? Thanks for mentioning them.

And it's ok to go off topic, I've got some good information for my initial questions.. I checked and Putin gave his ok... as long as you only say nice things about him.

Mike