THINK .38 SPECIAL (NOT .357)

fxvr5 said:

.358 bores are on the big end for the typical 38 Special, at least compared to modern SAAMI specs.

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I should have said bullet size not bore size, since most of the bullets I shoot are lead/coated/plated and mic at .358.

Good catch.

Stay safe.

I'm a 38spl lover! I have 2 38spl and 2 357 mags. I load the 357 J-frame with 38spl and 357 L-frame with magnum. But I like shooting soft 38spl the most.

Agreed with OP. I'm currently in the market for a Colt Police Positive Special. I have a Smith & Wesson Model 10-5. There's got to be a reason why these 38-Special revolvers were popular with law enforcement in days gone by.

The only .35 cal revolver i have will shoot 9s, .38s, and .357s. it's only seen a few .38s because they are twice the cost of .357s out here. Seen 2 boxes of .357s so far, and maybe 500 9mms.....only a couple outings.
The 692, even with a 2.5" barrel, is a pretty big gun. Even 158s running a max charge of h110 were pleasant to shoot.
.38s were smoother, and 9mms lower recoil but sharp....given my druthers I'd probably shoot mostly .38s, but I like the moon clips and 9mm is cheaper...even now.

UncleEd said:

Truth is, most people who insist on getting a .357 for defense will rarely if ever shoot the magnums.

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The truth is, most people will never drive their car over 83mph on maximum Interstate speed limits of 75, but nobody would like to have their cars governed to cut out at 78.

I didn't like the way my S&W Model 13 revolver fit my hand period back in the early 1980's whether I was firing .38 Special or 357 Magnum cartridges until I replaced the factory grips with a set of Pachmayr grips. I sold that gun in 1984. I'm honestly not interested in owning any S&W K frame revolver. Just me.

There have been revolvers designed with multiple cylinders for firing an assortment of cartridges that use the same range of projectile diameters. The FN Barracuda is one, here's a link to one made by Astra.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/878328958

I have no problems using .38 Special ammunition in my .357 Magnum revolvers, and enjoy the flexibility it affords but note that flexibility doesn't apply to revolvers chambered for 38 Special cartridges. I have a nice 3" barreled Astra 357 Magnum revolver for a truck gun and a 6" barreled Astra 357 Magnum revolver for a bedside gun, both of which accommodate 38 Special cartridges.

I love .38's. With the right load, it'll do what I want it to. And it doesn't require fancy schmanzy expensive modern bullets (despite the marketing hype and the fads and fashions).

And I have a .357 magnum on my hip right now! BUT, it's a big old Model 27. Makes the magnum manageable. Some of the hot loads still sting your hand a little, but it's not too bad. I have NO desire to shoot some of these PMC 158gr Soft Points I got, rated at over 1400fps out of a K frame.. or definitely not out of a J!!!! I would prefer some not quite so hot loads, myself. When I finally get my bench made and my reloading equipment put up, I'd like to make up some 158gr hard SWC's, or maybe some JHP's, if I can find them, at about 1100 or so fps. Not super hot. I don't need 1400 fps.

.357 is a great gun fight'n caliber. I carried one in the SO when I was a younger man.
Fortunately I never had to fire indoors or in a cruiser, or I'd have serious hearing problems because of it.
But .357 was all the rage before wunder nines became popular.
When I learned i could shoot a .44 Spl more accurately than a .357 I sold my Pythons and never looked back.
If a .357 "N" frame came my way I'd be very very tempted though.
Shooting a .357 in a J frame is, to my mind, just plain crazy.

I have my share of 357 Magnum revolvers and lever action rifles.

I have my share of 38 Special revolvers.

I began shooting IHMSA Silhouette competition with a 357 Magnum revolver and a 357 Magnum 10" T/C Contender so I've done my share of full power 357 Magnum shooting.

I do not care to shoot many full power loads these days so I load 158 grain SWC in 357 Magnum cases to about 900-950 fps from a four inch revolver. (If I want wrist snapping recoil, I'll drag out the 460 S&W Mag).

Most of my 38 Special shooting is with wadcutter bullets. I enjoy shooting the guns so any good accurate ammunition scratches that itch.

Both guns fill a shooting niche for me.

Bottom line though, is there is something special about shooting 38 Special ammunition in a revolver chambered for 38 Special.

My wife's carry gun for the last 30 years has been a Ruger SP 101. I think the last time it fired .357 Mags was probably back in the '90s. But she shot USPSA with me for almost 10 years with a GP 100 and a 1911 and she can place those warm 158 gr. .38s precisely where they need to go. I have loaded some 180 gr. .38 Spl. loads that I love to shoot in her gun. People at the range have seen them smack steel poppers down and ask "What the heck is THAT?" "Jest a leetle .38!"

I shoot 357 loads out of my SP101, the weight of the pistol eats up alot of the felt recoil for me, but I shoot more 38 special. Love my old, no frills Model 10.

Old Model 10s are wonderful guns.

Howdy

I'm not going to say how many 38 Special revolvers I own, let's just leave it at a whole lot.

I own a few 357 Magnums too, but no where near as many 38s.

I can tell you that when I bring a K frame 357 to the range, I will shoot a few Magnums through it just to confirm that I don't really like shooting Magnums, especially not through a K frame. I don't mind shooting 357 out of an N frame Model 28, the bigger frame eats up a lot of the recoil, but it does not help with the muzzle blast.

I reload 38 Specials all the time. I have never reloaded a single round of 357 Mag, all I have is factory loads for 357 Mag.

That should say a whole lot right there.

One of these days I should try loading some hot 38s like the old High Velocity 38 Specials that the factories used to load for the 38/44 Heavy Duty and 38/44 Outdoorsman.

Then I should shoot them in my 38/44 Heavy duty.






And my 38/44 Outdoorsman,






That should be fun.

Stophel said:

And I have a .357 magnum on my hip right now! BUT, it's a big old Model 27. Makes the magnum manageable. Some of the hot loads still sting your hand a little, but it's not too bad. I have NO desire to shoot some of these PMC 158gr Soft Points I got, rated at over 1400fps out of a K frame.. or definitely not out of a J!!!! I would prefer some not quite so hot loads, myself. When I finally get my bench made and my reloading equipment put up, I'd like to make up some 158gr hard SWC's, or maybe some JHP's, if I can find them, at about 1100 or so fps. Not super hot. I don't need 1400 fps.

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PMC's 1471 fps reported speed is likely from a 8" or 10" barrel.

cfullgraf said:

Bottom line though, is there is something special about shooting 38 Special ammunition in a revolver chambered for 38 Special.

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I couldn't agree more, sir.

I think the .357 is a great "what if..." gun. What if I find myself taking an unplanned trip into black bear country? What if the floor drops out on the world and I need to pick a gun with maximum versatility?" One doesn't have to search very hard to figure out that folks posting on the internet (regardless of the hobby) are big what iffers

I love the .357. I would probably get rid of my 686 last if you made me prune my handguns. I Ike the versatility and I like that the L frame soaks up the recoil. I plan on packing it on a trip up north next month.

...but as i type I have a Charter Undercover DAO .38 in my pocket. It's light, robust, and just an easy little friend to carry.

Why not a gun chambered for magnums? Cost wise, on the used market where I got my police trade in S&W model 65, there was very little difference in price.

I don't always shoot magnums through it, but I like having the capability to use them if I so desire. Also, I feel the magnum gun is a little stronger than the ,38Spl version, so perhaps it will hold together better.

My hand loads in .357 cases are somewhere between a .38Spl and magnum loads. Very comfortable in the K-frame. Nice to be able to make choices.

Speedo66 said:

Why not a gun chambered for magnums? Cost wise, on the used market where I got my police trade in S&W model 65, there was very little difference in price.

I don't always shoot magnums through it, but I like having the capability to use them if I so desire. Also, I feel the magnum gun is a little stronger than the ,38Spl version, so perhaps it will hold together better.

My hand loads in .357 cases are somewhere between a .38Spl and magnum loads. Very comfortable in the K-frame. Nice to be able to make choices.

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In a J-frame the cost saving is significant. Compare the price on a new 642/442 vs a new of any of the S&W Airweight 357 Magnums and the price savings is significant.

38 Special performs better from a 38 chamber. Shooting 38 Specials in a 357 Mag chamber you get a small amount of blow by as the round leaps down the longer chamber. This can result in a small lost of velocity (25-50 fps typically) and sometimes a small lost in accuracy. In most cases its nearly negligible but it is there.

Model 15 S&W...do I need to say anything else?

-kBob

I have both, DA 38spl with the hammer, I'm very accurate with it, my carry gun is a 357, no hammer, I shoot purty well with it. A 38spl is lighter by a few oz. My wife couldn't shoot my 357, she'd be better with a 38spl, though she shoots a 9mm. All depends on the person and what they want to shoot.

mcb said:

38 Special performs better from a 38 chamber. Shooting 38 Specials in a 357 Mag chamber you get a small amount of blow by as the round leaps down the longer chamber. This can result in a small lost of velocity (25-50 fps typically) and sometimes a small lost in accuracy. In most cases its nearly negligible but it is there.

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Do you have a source for data on this? I'd love to read it. Thanks.

fxvr5 said:

Do you have a source for data on this? I'd love to read it. Thanks.

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Unfortunately I don't have one or two good authoritative source to support those claims.

bluetopper said:

Model 649 no dash 38 Spl., love carrying this thing. Here it is with its Sunday best on. View attachment 943016

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My Airweight with its workshoes.

Bought this Model 36 for my MIL to replace the Titan .25 that she used to scare off a late night intruder 35 years ago. (Pardon the window screen reflections on the pretty blue finish)

mcb said:

Unfortunately I don't have one or two good authoritative source to support those claims.

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So, maybe it's not true.