How many .38 spl is OK before .357 mag w/o cleaning?

[stormborn]

Just picked up my first wheelgun, a used 4" GP100. Function checks look good, aside from a very small amount of end shake in a few cylinder positions that I've been told is normal, so I'll be taking it to the range this weekend. I plan to bring a bunch of .38 spl and a box or two of .357 magnum.

Since it's my first time with this gun, I'm inclined to start with the .38 spl to get a feel for it, before moving to the magnums. However, I know that the specials will leave residue in the chambers that will be difficult to remove, especially after crushing it down with the magnums. I'm looking for guidance about how many rounds of .38 spl are advisable before shooting .357. I'd rather not have to break out the cleaning kit after a single box of ammo. Should I just start with the magnums? I'll likely be putting a few hundred rounds through it either way

Thanks!

 

[Frank V]

Stormborn
Welcome to the forum. If I were you, I'd just take a cleaning rod, .38 bore brush, some solvent, patches. When I was done firing the .38s I'd just run the bore brush through each chamber a few times, it won't take many, then wipe dry with the patches, & enjoy.
It's really not a huge ordeal to shoot .38s then .357s, a simple quick clean & you are ready.
I had a S&W Customer Service Rep. tell me a week ago that about the only thing that would happen if shooting .357s after .38s with no cleaning is it'd make ejection a bit harder. He told me he didn't think it'd raise the pressure beyond normal.
I shoot mostly .38s in my .357 & if I have call to shoot a .357 before cleaning I don't worry a great deal about it.
Good Shooting.
Frank

 

[oldbear]

Unless you are shooting really dirty ammo it should not be necessary to do much cleaning between shooting 38 special and .357 Magnum ammo. Remember to really clean your new revolver when you are done shooting for the day, this should avoid any carbon build up in the charging holes.

Don't worry about a carbon build up in the charging holes causing a over pressure situation.

 

[EVIL]

I've shot 200+ of an even mix of .38 SPL & .357 MAG handloads out of a 3" Ruger SP101 and didn't clean it until I went home with no problems to report.

 

[rcmodel]

On the other hand, how much trouble could it be to throw a short pistol cleaning rod with a chamber brush screwed on it in your range bag??

Thats what I do.

rc

 

[AFDavis11]

I find it really difficult to eject rounds when fired in that order (.38 then .357)

I would clean it in between, just to make life easier.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like said above, unless you're shooting a very dirty ammo you shouldn't have to clean your cylinders between shooting 38's and 357's during 1 range trip.

You can do what was suggested above, carry a cleaning rod or do what I do, carry a spent .357 Magnum case and if you do get excessive Carbon build up tap the spent case into each cylinder. That easily removes any Carbon buildup in the cylinders.

 

[BullRunBear]

I often shoot 38s and 357s in a range session and never had a problem with extraction or anything else. All my 357 revolvers happen to be Rugers. Maybe S&W are different. Also I clean the guns after each session. I'm a little compulsive that way.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have lost count of how many 357 Mag revolvers I own. S&W and Ruger. I shoot them all mostly with 38 SP ammo, mostly reloads loaded with Unique, then usually throw in a few 357 Mags just for the fun of it while I am at the range. I have never had any problem with 357 mags, either chambering or extracting from the carbon rings left behind by the 38 ammo.

 

[MCgunner]

I clean my firearms after EVERY use.

 

[BCRider]

The crud ring buildup really doesn't happen all that fast. Unless maybe the ammo you're using has a very dirty powder.

I've only run into issues of the magnums feeling sticky while inserting once or twice. And that only happened on guns which had seen a LOT of .38's over two or three range sessions. The guns generally get cleaned after about 300 to 400 rounds when they are so dirty that it's like holding black coloured chalk. With cast lead, which I only shoot when outdoors, they get that bad after around 250 to 300. Even then I've only run into seating issues with the magnums once or twice as I said.

 

[snakeman]

I scrub my cylinders out with windex after every 50 rounds of 38.

 

[PapaG]

You'll find you can shoot more jacketed bullet loads before needing a cleaning than with cast bullet loads. It takes no more than a minute or two to brush out the crud (after giving it a good soaking in solvent--not the whole gun, just run a wet patch down each chamber)..

 

[BSA1]

There apparently no other retired LEOs here. The short answer is you will need to clean the crud buildup when your gun will no longer chamber magnum rounds. That is usually going to be in the hundreds of rounds.

With the exception of my black powdeer guns my guns are cleaned once a year whether they need it or not. I have a pair of revolvers that I have used in cowboy action shooting with lead bullets for 15 years and they have never failed me.

 

[Cop Bob]

I used to shoot a LOT of PPC, that entailed a 500 round a week practice schedule. The ammo was reloads, with 2.8gr of 700-X and they were not the cleanest burning round. I would hose out the ejector rod and under the star and pull the cylinder and crane every couple of weeks if it started to act up.. As far as a detailed "Tech" cleaning, every 6 months whether it needed it or not... Never had any function issues at all.. sometimes I got the feeling that the dirtier the barrel was, the tighter it shot..

However, my service pistols, I kept them pretty darn ship shape. They got cleaned, and cleaned right every time I qualified, or when they were exposed to bad weather, which was fairly often..

One break in procedure that I have seen used, was to shoot several boxes, up to 200 rounds of a lead reload, the back it up with a cylinder or two of jacketed service loads.. Tending to "Lap" the barrel in, then a good scrubbing with a good lead and copper solvent.. I like Butches Bore Shine for copper fouling, and good old Hoppe's #9 for most everything else, including an internal lubricant.. I try and keep away from putting Teflon based lubes down the bore, as later tests on a ransom rest showed on at least two different guns, that my groups opened up.. However the Teflon based lubes are good for internal part lube. But that is just me, and there are as many rituals for gun cleaning as there are world religions.. I would just avoid using caustic chemicals, other that known copper fouling agents.. and when you do use those, clean THAT out and back it up with a mop of good bore solvent, as most of the anti-copper agents are ammonia based...

Good luck, and good shooting...

 

[stormborn]

Thanks for all the input - looks like it's not something I have to worry about during a single trip to the range. I do clean all my guns every few hundred rounds (usually after every trip to the range)

Thanks!

 

[oldfool]

good advice, good decision
People who wait until they have a problem with a gun have a whole lot more problems (of every kind) than people who clean 'em every range session
(if you wait until you have chambering or ejection issues, you probably waited longer than you ought)
for those of us who shoot factory ammo and are too cheap to shoot more than a couple hundred per session, it's a non-issue

 

[rcmodel]

clean the crud buildup when your gun will no longer chamber magnum rounds.

Hard chambering is the least of the problem.

The real problem is, if the carbon ring gets so think a .357 is hard to chamber?
It is thick enough to take up all the room in the chamber the Magnum case needs to be able to expand fully under pressure and release the bullet cleanly.

If it can't expand to release the bullet, pressure can sky rocket.

rc

 

[Dave_in_Fairview_Park]

How many .38 spl is OK before .357 mag w/o cleaning?
Just picked up my first wheelgun, a used 4" GP100. Function checks look good, aside from a very small amount of end shake in a few cylinder positions that I've been told is normal, so I'll be taking it to the range this weekend. I plan to bring a bunch of .38 spl and a box or two of .357 magnum.

The correct number of .38's to shoot in a .357 mag before cleaning is 187.
on a Monday you can shoot a few more.

 

[larryh1108]

I have a .38spcl and a .357mag and I've never shot .38spcl out of my .357 because I don't want to deal with the carbon ring. My M19 has a 4" barrel and the .38 is a snubbie. I do not have the time nor space to reload (yet) so I am stuck buying factory ammo for now. Obviously, the .38 ammo is a lot cheaper to shoot at the range so my question is: Does anyone make (factory) .38spcl loads out of .357mag brass for people like me? Would this prevent the carbon ring build-up? I understand that the longer brass would mean higher cost and the price may come in between the 2 prices now but I cannot think of any .38spcl ammo made in .357mag brass. Anyone?

 

[sugarmaker]

I never experienced problems with a carbon ring. At age 12 I was told it was the bane of all .357 revolvers and so I never shot .38's in my .357's. A friend of mine bought a new 686 about 20 years ago and lots of .38 ammo to go with it. I warned him of the dreaded effects of the carbon ring and he informed me he had already shot several mixed boxes with no problem. I proceeded to try .38's in my own .357 revolvers and found no issues. I still shoot .38's in my 38's and .357's in my .357's but I'm less concerned about carbon rings then I used to be.

 

[theicemanmpls]

i shoot lots of .38's through my s&w 357's. I usually reserve the 357 for special occasions. i.e. carry in bad places, Hunting, SHTF, or just to smile.

For the lighter pistols i use a 110g wad cutter. For the larger pistols, I move up to 148g w/c.

For SD practice, I only use wad cutters.

I have not had an issue with leading. I mostly shoot outdoors, so lead spray and fumes are a non issue.

I have no issues in moving from .38 to .357 without cleaning.

After the range session, I spend a great deal of time making the wheel guns all shiny and new looking.

I use gloves for cleaning, washing hands in cold water. My shooting clothes are washed separately. Lead is nasty stuff. Use with caution.