38 Special - 357 vs 38

[rduchateau2954]

Something that has been bugging me for a while. One of the next guns on my list is a 4" revolver. I'm thinking in 38 special.

In your opinion which is better? Buy a 357 and shoot 38 or buy a 38?

I already have a 7 1/2" Ruger Super Black Hawk in 44mag so I've got my big gun fix. I also reload.

 

[GRIZ22]

I would get the 357. A 4" 357 is just about the most versatile handgun there is. You can do just about anything with it. Wide range of power loadings from wadcutters to full magnums. Not too big to conceal bUT big enough to shoot well easily.

I would hazard a guess that most 357 revolver see a lot more 38s than 357 ammo. It leaves you the option.

 

[rduchateau2954]

True, but...

I really have no ambition to shoot 357, won't carry it, and I can load my 44 from bunny fart loads all the way up to the "Ruger Only" loads.

Let me put it like this; say I had two identical revolvers. One in 38 and one in 357 and I shot identical 38 round out of both. Which would perform better?

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[ThomasT]

For just shooting 38 specials I would rather have a straight up 38 revolver. They are normally lighter in weight and it has been shown that 38s lose a little accuracy when fired from a 357 chamber.

Since you reload you can help that by using 38 loads in the longer 357 mag cases. One of the best 38s you can own is the Smith & Wesson model 15s.

Its just too bad pure 38 special revolvers are not as common as they used to be. Thankfully S&W and Colt and many others made a boat load of them and nice ones for a fair price can still be found.

 

[Walkalong]

I really have no ambition to shoot 357, won't carry it,

Then buy one of the many fine used .38s on the market. I shoot light loads in .357, but in .357 brass. I shoot .38s in my .38s, from light to full power.

If you could only have one, the .357 would be more versatile.

 

[adcoch1]

Been asking myself this question, even ran a thread about it, and I'm not sure it matters if you reload. Get a 38 if one shows up for cheaper than an equivalent 357, but with handloading you're gonna customize your ammo anyway, so why worry.

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[MAKster]

I bought a S&W 66 357 magnum because I thought the ability to shoot both loads would be a good idea. I shot a few boxes of 357 magnum when I first bought the revolver but didn't care for the recoil. I have been shooting only 38 special ever since. At that time you could still buy 4 inch 38 specials so I regret not buying a lighter 38 special model. But now I think the only new 38 specials sold are the 2 inch snub nose models so you probably have no choice but to buy a 357.

 

[shiftyer1]

I like my 38 snubbies, but if it's going to be a full size gun I prefer 357 due to the options it gives me. If I could only choose one it would be in 357.

 

[rduchateau2954]

it has been shown that 38s lose a little accuracy when fired from a 357 chamber.



Its just too bad pure 38 special revolvers are not as common as they used to be. Thankfully S&W and Colt and many others made a boat load of them and nice ones for a fair price can still be found.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Factory ammo is expensive and I've already got a magnum. So if I want to shoot 38 I'll load for it. To buy another set of dies for 357 just doesn't make much sense.

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[rduchateau2954]

. But now I think the only new 38 specials sold are the 2 inch snub nose models so you probably have no choice but to buy a 357.

That I did not know. Interesting.

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[beag_nut]

The dies are identical. Only their adjustment differs.
You seem to have your mind made up, regardless of all the advice here. And .38 out of a .357 has NEVER been shown to be less accurate

 

[rduchateau2954]

Lemme ask you guys this, am I making more work for myself here by adding another caliber?

What I mean is, instead of looking to add 38/357 should I instead maybe buy a 4" 44 and just load for 44 special instead?

Or on the other side, maybe a 41 mag?

I have a 45acp 1911 for a carry gun and a big 44m for hunting and barn burners.

All I really know is that I don't want a 45 acp or 45 colt revolver.

I realize I'm all over the place here, but I have all these random wonderings in my head and they are starting to bug me.

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[rduchateau2954]

The dies are identical. Only their adjustment differs.
You seem to have your mind made up, regardless of all the advice here. And .38 out of a .357 has NEVER been shown to be less accurate

I apologize if that's how I'm coming across. It just seems the response to this question is always "buy a 357 so you can plink with 38 and then shoot 357 when you want some power"

It's just that I don't need the "power of the 357" when I already own one of the strongest 44's ever made.

Know what I'm saying? I want something in a 4" that's pleasant to shoot and as accurate as a 4" can be.

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[ThomasT]

You seem to have your mind made up, regardless of all the advice here. And .38 out of a .357 has NEVER been shown to be less accurate.

If you will do a little research Dave Arnold, Jan Libourel and Brian Pearce have all stated the accuracy is a little less when fired from a 357 cylinder and also the velocity was on average a little lower. But believe what you want to believe.

For my own use I have not seen any remarkable difference. But I don't shoot in the class as the other shooters I mentioned. And I won't mention the carbon ring from shooting 38s in a 357.

 

[kscharlie]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Factory ammo is expensive and I've already got a magnum. So if I want to shoot 38 I'll load for it. To buy another set of dies for 357 just doesn't make much sense.

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.38 and .357 both use the same dies. Thus, if you plan on reloading for the .38, you can reload .357 with the same set of dies.

 

[ThomasT]

You can buy a spacer ring from RCBS that will shim the 38 dies so that they will load 357 without adjustment. Supposedly. I sometimes still need to make small tweaks in my dies.

 

[rduchateau2954]

.38 and .357 both use the same dies. Thus, if you plan on reloading for the .38, you can reload .357 with the same set of dies.

That I didn't know.

Lemme ask you this what is gonna be the difference, in a 4" gun, between:

38
357
41 mag
44 special

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[billybob44]

S&W Model 10....

Keep your eyes out, especially at J&G Sales, and Buds Gun Shop for trade in Model 10's, or for a little more, the Stainless Steel Model 64, and never look back.
Most of these have been carried lots, but shot little. Most are sighted with 158gr. projectiles, and are FUN plinkers...Bill.

 

[maxxhavoc]

If you didn't say you were a reloader, I would have said get the .38 hands down.

I have both, and I have also heard that the .357 is less accurate with .38's than a .38. If there is, I can't shoot well enough to see it.

For me, I like the .357 better for practical reasons.
-I don't weigh every charge for .38s (maybe THAT's why I cant see the difference?). I do it by volume. In my experience, .38 likes being loaded on the top end of the powder charge. Lower charges for me lose accuracy. I worry much less about accidentally going .2grains over max shooting .38 from a .357.

-If you buy the .38, a shooting buddy will ask you if you want a big bag of .357 cases he is going to toss out otherwise. (this kind of stuff is a regular occurrence for me.)

-If you want to play with loads, pull out some .357 cases and make some +p, +p+, +p++ rounds. As long as the charge stays below .357 level for the same powder. (Don't play with low charges of 296, though.)

-Sometimes it's fun to shoot a low-recoiling magnum pistol (compared to your .44 Mag or a .454). Try some 125gr XTPs over w296 and you will be hooked.

 

[cfullgraf]

There is something special about shooting 38 Special ammunition in a gun chambered for 38 Special.

S&W still makes the K frame Model 67 in 38 Special and Model 14s and 15s are plentiful on the used market.

I think Ruger still catalogs their mid frame revolver in 38 Special but I have not actually seen one.

I shoot only 357 Magnum cases in my 357 Magnum guns to avoid needing to clean the carbon ring one gets shooting 38 Special in the longer chamber. Most of the 357 Magnum rounds I shoot today are hot 38 Special loads.

Then I save my 38 Special cases for my 38 Special guns. I mostly shoot wadcutters in the 38 Specials. They make for a pleasant afternoon at the range.

 

[FL-NC]

Go 357 just for the added capability. I like Rugers for the price and how they are built like a bank vault- not to mention customer service.

 

[bullseye308]

I recently picked up a S&W 67 4" in 38 and absolutely love it. I have a Ruger GP-100 6" that I shoot 357's out of. I thought about getting a 4" 357 to carry but I prefer 9mm and a few more rounds. The 357 is my house gun and range toy. The 38 is a range toy, and my 9's are with me always. I don't hunt but if I did the 357 loaded properly would handle it.

There are plenty of 4" 38's out there and are a handloader's dream. I'd say go get one.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

The correct answer, of course, is both...(says the man with a 4-inch GP100 in .357 and a 4-inch Model 64 in .38 Special.)

If you're only going to shoot .38s then the extra capability of a .357 is of no use to you and you might as well get a .38. But shooting .38s out of a .357 isn't going to hurt anything, so if you find a .357 you like you might as well get that.

Is there a particular model or brand to which you're partial? That might help narrow down your choices. If you're a S&W guy there are any number of inexpensive used K-frames on the market in either .38 or less frequently .357; if you're a Ruger man then a .357 is more common, be it a GP100 or an older Security/Service/Speed Six, although they can be found in .38. If you want a single action then a .357 Blackhawk is the easy choice.

 

[evan price]

Here is the deal. The only difference between the 38 & 357 is a dime's length of brass case. The only reason 357 exists is to fire more powerful powder charges and prevent them from chambering in 38s.
Any 357 revolver will cost more than its equivalent 38 counterpart. If you don't want or need 357 performance the world of 38s is wide open to you.

Colt Official Police 38 was made for half a century. They are fun to shoot. And shoot very well.
A K-frame Smith & Wesson in 38 is a sweet shooting gun, commonly available.
Both of them are available in conditions from beater to safe queen and prices from under $200 for a project gun, under $300 for a rough looking shooter, under $400 for a very respectable survivor, and even higher if you want near new in box. They've made them for over a century so they are not scarce at all.
At one time I was in the "why bother using a38?" camp. After buying a couple I realized how much the 38 is a sweet cartridge. I hand load and cast my own bullets. It costs me about $2 a box to load 38 specials and I can shoot all day long. I think that 38 is now the must common caliber I own. And I plan to get more. I really enjoy a4" 38.

 

[IlikeSA]

The 38/357 is cheaper to reload for than a 44 or 45. I was not a fan of 38 until last week, when I shot them out of my .357. Six shots, DA, 5 yards, wadcutters in a 1/2 inch hole. Buy the .38 or .357 and enjoy.