Doubt about my .357 Magnum

[jfbbfj]

Hi everyone.
I'm looking for information regarding my .357 Magnum Colt Python 6 In. because I know it can safely fire .38 Special, but I don't know if it can fire .38 Super, and if not, why ?
Thanks

[novice]

Someone will answer who knows better than i do, but .38 super is a semi-rimmed auto pistol cartridge--it isn't the same as a .38 special, which is rimmed and longer.

The photo from hipowersandhandguns.com shows .38 supers on the ends with 2 9mm's in the middle.

[Rule10b5]

Yes, it'll likely chamber in your revolver. It'll also headspace (barely), and fire if it chambers.

But, honestly, why would you want to? .38 Super is expensive, it's weaker than .357 magnum, it's hard to find, and accuracy is going to be lousy (the bullets are usually .356, not .358).

You really should stick to just shooting what the gun is chambered for, honestly. .357 magnum and .38 Special.

[Frenchy]

Did you mean to say 38+P rather then Super?

Most modern 38 will shoot .38 +P you might look at the specs on your gun to see if it will handle them. If it says .357 on it, then it can definately handle the 38+p but 38 Super is a whole different animal. To my knowledge 38 Super is a pistol only type of bullet, mind you i know you can shoot 9mm in some revolvers, this does not make it a rule, the 9mm revolvers are made specially for this.

Re read the post, you do say iti s a .357 so with 38+P you are good to go, as for the 38 Super, it is not meant to be shot in any revolver and could cause much damage even if the gun is technically made to shoot .357. to bring it to shoot a rimless round, you would need to change the cylinder and probably the barrel as well, not sure why you would want to do this.

[Rule10b5]

To my knowledge 38 Super is a pistol only type of bullet, mind you i know you can shoot 9mm in some revolvers, this does not make it a rule, the 9mm revolvers are made specially for this.

.38 Super will chamber and in some .357 revolvers -- it depends on the revolver. If you have relatively loose chambers it'll fit.

The .38 Super case is .382-.384 inches in diameter.

The .357 Magnum case is .379 inches in diameter. Manufacturers will typically go a few thousands of an inch over that, to account for variations in case size.

If you happen to have a .357 Magnum with chambers that are a bit overbore, it'll slide right in, headspace off of the extractor, and fire.


Edit to add: S&W made a few limited runs of revolvers that were specifically set up to run .38 Super. I don't recall why, but I know they did. Maybe easier than converting .357 guns that were already sold to run on moon clips? Who know -- competitors do funny things when they're competing.

[jfbbfj]

Thanks to novice, Rule10b5 and Frenchy !
I just happen to have some extra .38 Super and I didn't understand exactly why it couldn't be fired from my gun, and now I know.
To prevent any damage to my Python I will not fire anything else than .357 and .38 Special.
Here in Mexico .357 is very difficult to find.

[knight0334]

Absolutely DO NOT shoot 38 Super in a Colt Python, and for that matter any 357 Mag revolver with exception of that Medusa multi-chamber revolver. The 38 Super is designed for autoloaders.

Shooting 38 Super in the Colt Python can result in turning your $800-$2500 handgun into $.25 worth of scrap weight steel. Why? Why should I even have to ask why???

Just shoot 38spl, 38spl +P, and .357 mag in it like it was designed. Hell, if you can even find some .38-44 ammo you can shoot it too..

[Bert4045]

In my opinion you can load a .38 special to max load of any reloading manual and fire it safely in your .357. If you have problem getting .357 load.

[Mity2]

OKay. little history and information about .38super, and .38 special is needed here.

The .38 Super is a pistol cartridge that fires a .356 inch diameter bullet. The 38Super was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP. Not .38Special.

The .38 Super is dimensionally identical to the older .38 ACP but is loaded to higher pressures. It was intended that the cartridge would headspace on the semi-rim, however all new .38 Super pistols headspace on the case mouth as with other cartridges in this class. Because the semi-rimmed case can cause some feeding trouble in magazines, especially double stack magazines, rimless variants of .38 Super like .38 Supercomp, .38 Super Lapua and .38 TJ (.38 Todd Jarrett) have been developed.

.38 Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson, was introduced in 1902 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt cartridge which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power during the Philippine-American War. It is most commonly used in revolvers. The .38 Special was the standard service cartridge of most police departments in the United States from the 1920s to the 1980s. In other parts of the world, particularly Europe, it is known by its metric designation 9x29mmR.
Today, versions of this cartridge loaded to slightly higher pressure are available, called .38 Special +P; these are usable in .38 revolvers rated +P and in .357 Magnum revolvers.

The .357 Magnum was developed over a period of time in the early to mid-1930s in a direct response to Colt's .38 Super Automatic. At the time, the .38 Super was the only pistol cartridge capable of defeating automobile cover and the early body armor that was just beginning to emerge in the post-World War I "Gangster Era
Today, versions of this cartridge loaded to slightly higher pressure are available, called .38 Special +P; these are usable in .38 revolvers rated +P and in .357 Magnum revolvers.

Because the .38 Special also works in .357 Magnum revolvers, it is popular with users of the .357 Magnum for the reduced recoil, lower noise, and lower cost. A number of lever action rifles are also chambered in .357 Magnum and .38 Special

So answer to your question is
NO 38Super would not be able to fire from gun designed for .367Magnum.
May be someone "COULD" make one off moon clip so that it'll fir in cylinder, but like someone above said, why would you want to? .38Super is harder to find, more expensive, choice of defence load is very limited, while .357magnum or .38special defence load is dime a dozen?
While I never tried, I think .38Super would "fit" in cylinder, but would go in to far for firing pin to hit it.
If .357magnum is hard to find, there are plenty of 38+p and 38+p+ around to get most out of your 38spcial.

If you look at the pic below, you can clearly see that .38Super has no rim that extracter can grab on to, like that of .357Magnum and .38special.

[Pukindog]

I believe the .38 Super was very popular in Mexico at one time. Something about not being able to own firearms in military calibers. ( eg 9mm Parabellum ).
Jeff