Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

[Rundownfid]

As an IDPA SSR shooter I have put many thousands of lead .38 loads through my K frame .357s in the last few years. They still shoot .357 just fine after cleaning (and usually without cleaning). If you have a .357 and want to shoot .38s that is fine. If there is some crud left in the chambers that interferes with the .357 seating just clean it out and go to it with the .357s. Got to love them wheel guns.

[Just1more]

Thanks for all the help ! I dont field strip my Smiths but do clean them pretty darn good (actually usually my husband) I watch ! We also sometimes load a 38sp plus p or 357 random in the cylinder for practice.

Tonight i welcome my girlfriend into the gun owners club !! She bought a Smith & Wesson J frame revolver 38sp! I was glad to be there with her too! I warned her this is only the beginning ......

[FCRPhila]

Everyone has their own opinion, but if you ONLY will be shooting .38's, there is no good reason why you shouldn't buy a wheelie built to only shoot 38's.

I disagree. If you buy the .357 then you have the option of shooting the .357 or .38spl, so in a life and death situation, if you run out of .38's you can at least use .357. Also, since the .357's are built to handle the more powerful cartridge, the recoil from .38's will be less noticible and the gun will age better only being subjected to the .38's. But as you say, everyone has their own opinon cheers!

[Just1more]

That was originally why i bought the 357 - having the option of either bullet. And assuming that if I only shot 38s that it would not be taxing the gun to the limit as it is built to take the extra power of the 357. I was just taken aback by the comment in the book re shooting 38s not a good idea in a 357 re leading.

[509thsfs]

As stated, the only problem with .38's in .357's if if you shoot a lot of lead bulleted .38 loads. You can get a lead ring built up in the chambers if you don't clean it well. You can get an idea of what it looks like if you look at the top strap of the frame above the forcing cone if you have not cleaned that area good in a while (can scrape/flake the lead off if you let it build up).

Jacketed bullet will just leave a carbon/fouling build up. My main target/practice .38 load uses gas checked bullets and I get very little build up. Plus the chambers get a good scrubbing after a range trip anyhow so no problem. .357 ammo I only use for hunting. 98% of the time it's .38 ammo.

[JMP]

We always take the revolvers to the range. We finish each trip with our version of Russian Roulette; load the wheel with 4 rounds of .38 and one .357. Everyone participates by firing off their five rounds in succession. We spin the wheel and as stated, bang, bang BANG, bang, bang (or what order lady luck has selected)! A fun way to end the day,

[Delerius]

I rarely shoot 357s as i dont like the recoil

And here I thought the power of the 357 made people even want bigger calibers! I have a Colt Trooper MK III and absolutely love the thing. I have never had a problem shootin 38's out of mine as long as you keep it clean...

[diesel]

fire enough 22 shorts in a lr chamber with out proper cleaning and the lrs will not chamber. this was happening long before the 357 was born. fouling build-up at the end of the longer chamber.

[johnfritz]

What is even more fun than shooting 38's out of a 357 is chambering one of the rds with a 357, then spinning the wheel.

Bang, bang, bang, Ka-BOOM!!!

It'll test your nerves!

That's gonna be the new game next trip to the range.

[Xringshooter]

Because the .38 is a bit shorter than the .357 by about .135 inches, when firing .38's extensively, you can get a build up of fouling just ahead of the case mouth in the cylinder chamber. If you don't keep this clean, it makes loading a .357 round very difficult to impossible to do. If you do get them loaded, because of the fouling, it may be extremely hard to extract them after firing. As long as you keep the chambers clean, there is not problem shooting .38's from a .357 Mag gun. On the plus side, most guns chambered for .357 Mag are beefier and typically a bit heavier than their .38 counterparts, which will help the control and recoil when shooting .38's and shooting .38's won't take a toll on the gun like a steady stream of .357's.