Tell me why you buy a .38 if they have .357 in that model.

[40calruler]

I was given a S&W 360PD Titanium/Scandium ultra light revolver. It weighs just slightly over 11 oz.
It's a .357 Magnum, but it really hurts to shoot full power loads, so I only shoot .38 spl. + P defensive ammo in it and even then it's a handful.
The trade off is the low weight vs. comfort when firing. You hardly know it's in your pocket it's so light.

And given a situation you run out of that +p and you scavenge some .357 you can still fight! Good to know about the recoil. The LCR is a bit of a beast with .357 but easily shoots +p with comfort. I like the way the smith looks better but have yet to shoot one of the ultra lights.

 

[40calruler]

How much is 38 ammo and how much is 357? If you want to hit your target then you practice so what is it going to cost to be good with a 38 compared to a 357? So what is that magnum muzzle blast in decibel in a short barrel, and what will the muzzle blast be like in a building? Most defensive use of the guns are in low light so how about the muzzle flash of a 357, will you loose your night vision in the fight?

Magnums are basically an overload with lots of pressure that wears out guns faster. Timing will go first then probably the barrel throat of a small frame gun. On the positive side that energy does make for a more efficient round.

Yeah the .357 is more but 90% of my practice is with that low cost .38. I shoot a few .357s so I am comfortable with how the gun will handle with them.
Just punching paper I almost always use .38. Each range session I put maybe 10-20 rounds of .357 through any of my guns I bring with me. Honestly I feel most accurate with the .357 at the end of shooting than I do with those .38s I shot all day. Seems like it just wants to shoot much straighter and right where I put the sights.

 

[jbett98]

Two rounds and you'll be handing it back.
It truly feels like the Magnum round went off in your bare hand.
It's comparable to a Black Cat firecracker vs. an M-80

 

[Just Jim]

So if you are planning to practices with mostly .38 and some .357 to know how it handles them you are not really doing any harm to your gun. Yet you have a more powerful gun. If you shoot nothing but .357 out of it...Who does that?!? You may wear it out faster.

OK so the answer to my question is that a bunch of guys that know a lot more about guns than me cannot give me an answer that would make me think about EVER buying a .38 over a .357.

Just pointing out the trade offs, people will buy what they think will work. If it doesn't work then what do you lose?

The smith 19 was dicontinued because the cops were wearing them out train with full power loads. Smith brought out the L frames to handle the pressure but gun was too heavy. A light 357 with a training diet ain't going to last long in my opinion and with the short barrel it tends to make the shooter learn a flinch.

Train with what you can hit with, if 357 works for you the 125 grain has a great one shot stop record.

 

[40calruler]

You can pretty much rest assured that your new 11oz .38 won't shoot loose as fast as one in .357 magnum. lol. Unless you only shoot .38's in that magnum but why on earth would you (many do) do that? lol
If you wanted to, you can load those .38's we're talking about to magnum pressures but just make sure you don't use them in a 100 year old gun.. to put it mildly.

This is not the first time you have mentioned high pressure rounds that you might load. You are a dangerous man. Remind me to NOT get off your lawn since there is a chance the gun pointed at me might blow up in your hand.

 

[Just Jim]

Yeah the .357 is more but 90% of my practice is with that low cost .38. I shoot a few .357s so I am comfortable with how the gun will handle with them.
Just punching paper I almost always use .38. Each range session I put maybe 10-20 rounds of .357 through any of my guns I bring with me. Honestly I feel most accurate with the .357 at the end of shooting than I do with those .38s I shot all day. Seems like it just wants to shoot much straighter and right where I put the sights.

Sometimes you have to match the 38 ammo to the 357. You can have bullet jump because the 357 chamber is longer than 38. Plus if you practice with 38 that chamber becomes dirty enough it makes it hard to load 357.

If I carry a 357 handgun I put 357 in it but I only use mine to hunt with as its a bigger gun. I won't carry a short barrel 357 for defense because all that power adds a large assortment of problems. If I carry a revolver it won't be a magnum for self defense.

 

[Just Jim]

Just to add to the insanity, cheap 38 ammo doesn't shoot straight in all guns. If I carried a revolver I would find the best bullet weight and design to give me the greatest accuracy. Most people won't do that, they just buy what's on the shelf and declare it "good enough".

 

[transittech]

I am still waiting for Ruger to make an LCRx in .357 with an exposed hammer. A light weight sp101.

'Course I mostly use .38 cause they are cheaper and more pleasant. I mostly like .357 for the "excitement" and because variety is good.

 

[Papercidal]

I only have .38 j frames because they did not make 357 j frames back when they made the ones I am interested in,new revolvers just don't interest me.

 

[Certaindeaf]

This is not the first time you have mentioned high pressure rounds that you might load. You are a dangerous man. Remind me to NOT get off your lawn since there is a chance the gun pointed at me might blow up in your hand.

I don't (nor never have) do that with the .38, but like I said, it can be done safely, given our/your said parameter.. the only danger being, as I mentioned, those rounds being used in a "standard" .38.
And yes, in my youth I did load hot in 9 and .44 Special and Magnum.

 

[40calruler]

I don't (nor never have) do that with the .38, but like I said, it can be done safely, given our/your said parameter.. the only danger being, as I mentioned, those rounds being used in a "standard" .38.
And yes, in my youth I did load hot in 9 and .44 Special and Magnum.

I believe YOU can load them safely. However I know I cannot at this point. I would make someone else shoot the first few .38s I loaded hot. Mostly that is because I am set up to load 40...and 40.

 

[trainsktg]

With the 38 vs 357 LCR you are looking at a 4oz difference in weight. Not much except if you are trying to reduce encumbrance like on self-supported multi-day camping/hiking/biking/kayaking trips where extra weight needs to be cut to the bone. Other than that I don't see any real reason to go with a .38 only.

I bought a Smith Bodyguard back in the 80s and it sat in my bedside drawer for years but it always bothered me that I was limited to .38 only, even though I almost never shoot .357. The .357 that replaced it is loaded with the same .38 ammo.

Keith

 

[Certaindeaf]

I believe YOU can load them safely. However I know I cannot at this point. I would make someone else shoot the first few .38s I loaded hot. Mostly that is because I am set up to load 40...and 40.

I hear what you're saying about buying the magnum.
It's the smart and normal thing to do.. save for odd circumstances or whatever.. namely that 11 oz Smith... I chose the hammerless .38 model (long ago) because I knew I'd only VERY rarely (if ever) stoke it with mags.. even for fun. And the price difference was substantial.. but moot to me. Great little pistol.
I've sure had a lot of great .38's but don't know for a fact, heat treat-wise etc., that there's that many, historically, that are actually the same save for that added 1/10" boring of the cylinders.
I know the Rugers were just that but not sure on a lot of the Smiths, especially the classic-age K frames.

 

[IronMonster]

I have owned a couple of Scandium J frame sized .357's. I can tell you not a single person who ever shot it with .357 mag's wanted to shoot it a second time. Freakin brutal. 10-20 shots out of that thing was enough to wreck you for the day.

 

[trainsktg]

Heck even cheap 158gr. .38 plinkers in the .357 LCR starts to hurt after a box or two.

Keith

 

[40calruler]

The LCR feels a lot better with new grips for sure. The factory grips will ruin you with .357. Crimson trace are spendy but feel a lot better.
I hear you all on the pain with a .357 in some guns. Just makes sense to me to have the option even if you do mostly stick with .38.

 

[IronMonster]

I agree. If I was buying a J frame I would buy one in .357 even though it costs almost double. However I own a Taurus .38 that I have had for 20+ years and never once have I wished it was a .357

 

[Just Jim]

Another thing to point out is the 357 is so loud you will damage your hearing for the rest of your life should you use it in a gunfight.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I use a 1/4" dowel with a slit abt 3/4" in length down one end. Into this slot I slip a length of 3M or Uline scrub pad (pretty aggressive), sized to fit in the chamber when rolled. Chuck 'er up in the drill motor and scrub away.

 

[Joe13]

Another thing to point out is the 357 is so loud you will damage your hearing for the rest of your life should you use it in a gunfight.

The deffensive rounds tend to be a bit lighter and supposedly have a reduced flash.

I only have a GP100 with a 6" barrel and it eats hot mags no problem; .38's are much less, not like a .22 but super managable for beginers.

I wouldn't want a .357 or .44 mag in a small gun, thats what .9mm is for IMO.