Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    At Borders, i was reading some books and came across a book with an article that stated that if you prefer to shoot 38sp in your revolver - than you should purchase a gun designed for 38sp not 357. Reason being something about leading more around the forcing cone and other areas.

    I was told by some getting a gun designed for 357 (which have now) and shooting 38sp is no problem. In fact a J frame is not the best frame size for 357 power cartridges and very hard on the gun. But shooting 38sp out of a 357 is good because you are not at the max of the guns ability thus a little easier on it.

    I rarely shoot 357s as i dont like the recoil or the price and understand a good 38sp plusP is a fine defense load, actually preferable to the overpowerful 357.

    So does anyone knowledgeable in guns really know if this is true - i do know that marks from the shorter cartridge show on the inside of the cylinder and took awhile to figure that one out! Is there a negative to shooting 38s out of a gun chambered for 357 if you clean it properly?

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    It is safe to shoot 38's in a 357. The problem is debris building up in the chamber wall difference between the end of a 38spl casing and the .357 casing.

    If you keep the chambers scrubbed clean it is NOT a problem.
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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    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. There are many beefy .38's from Colt and S&W that have way better accuracy than most people that would ever pick them up. In addition, these revolvers will need to see many tens of thousands of rounds before appreciable wear could be measured. I'm not talking about J-frames because they only serve one purpose, IMO, and that's as a defensive gun for people that might carry a gun for defensive purposes. Don't get me wrong, even J-frames are fun to shoot, but I much prefer using a K frame or larger for "fun" types of shooting. J-frames built to handle .357 should last a long time shooting .38's through them. From what I've read, it's the smaller, full-powered .357 rounds like the 125 grainers that seem to create the most wear.

    Other than the carbon build up, I don't know of any negatives to shooting .38's out of a .357. Even then, it's not really a problem unless you want to shoot .357's.
    You can never have enough horsepower or ammunition.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    Quote Originally Posted by Just1more View Post

    I rarely shoot 357s as i dont like the recoil or the price and understand a good 38sp plusP is a fine defense load, actually preferable to the overpowerful 357.



    Correctamundo. The problem with full house .357 loads is a bit too much power. You don't wanna shoot through the bad guy. You wanna shoot into him. Know what I mean?
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  5. #5
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    If you keep the firearm clean there will be no problems shooting .38 Specials through a firearm chambered for .357 Magnum.
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  6. #6
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    If you chuck a standard bronze bristle brush sized for a 0.38 (which is 0.357") into an electric screwdriver's chuck, add a little "Ed's Red" or other relatively viscous cleaning fluid and simply run the brush at low rotational speed through the cylinder of a 0.357 Magnum pistol (you do field strip to clean don't you?), then you can flush out all of the accumulated powder debris after a few pass-throughs. As mentioned earlier, the problem comes with the full load 125 gr 357 Mag loads in K frame guns. +P 38s are not a problem. Dave_n

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    Personally, I rarely shoot .357s out of mine because it hurts shooting them out of a J-frame. However, it's perfectly fine to shoot a .38 SPL out of a gun chambered in .357 mag.

    I question the validity of extra leading/fouling at the forcing cone with .38 SPL rounds as opposed to .357s due to the shorter OAL. The reason I have trouble believing this to be true is because neither round sits on the forcing cone. If they did, the cylinder would be locked. They both must travel a bit of a distance until they reach the forcing cone. If anything, I would think the .357s would cause more fouling and especially more leading because of the increased velocity.
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  8. #8
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    We've had this discussion about 15 times.

    In the final analysis the answer is: maintain and clean your revolver properly and it will not be a problem.

    And the leading from the shorter cartridge is not going to be at the forcing cone (just to make sure, the forcing cone is the extension of the barrel separated from the clylinder by the cylinder gap.)

    But where unwanted leading can occur that might cause a problem is at the "step" within each individual chamber. This is located at the approximate area where the brass .357 magnum case will end not far from the chamber throat. But it takes a lot of neglect and improper cleaning to cause the problem.

    Use an oversize brush to clean your chambers. For example a cal. .40 bore brush or one of Brownells stainless chamber brushes.


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  9. #9
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    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!
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  10. #10
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    Default Re: Shooting 38sp in a 357 Magnum Load Wheelgun

    Quote Originally Posted by Gun View Post
    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!
    Beyond being fun to test your nerves, this is a valid training tool as well.I do this on occasion to control flinching. I will also load empty cases in some cylinders. For autos, I have some dummy rounds I've loaded that I do this with. I have a heck of a time taming my urge to flinch. If I don't periodically work on it, it'll start to creep back into my shooting. I guess it also doesn't help that I like big calibers and big recoil...
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