.357 / .38 Revolvers

[Arcli9ht]

The idea and look of revolvers are finally growing on me and I figured since I am going to be issued a .38 of some kind in the coast guard (Reservists apparently dont usually get M9s, apparently) I was wondering about the .357 / .38 thing. How does it work? any .357 can take a .38? can .38's take .357? or would I need a revolver that has a .357/.38 designation?

Also, if there are +P and +P+ loads for a .38, can a revolver in good condition handle them?

edit: oh, another thing... What is with the itty bitty grips on all the revolvers I see in the stores nowadays? Do they give you a better grip? I would think that people would prefer the larger handle on something that wants to embed itself in your forehead

thanks

/Arcli9ht

 

[ahadams]

okay first off: A 38 CANNOT TAKE A .357 round and please do not ry to force it - the case on the .357 is intentionally too long.

secondly: a .357 *can* take a 38 spl round since the actual diameter of the .38 spl bullet is .357" . Why did they do this? probably because if they'd called it a "35 spl" nobody would have bought it!

now. with regard to your issue sidearm: be very careful! I strongly recommend that you use the assigned ammo in that firearm. I'm not certain, but I believe that both the CG and the USN have .38 's going back to at least the 1950's time frame. you do NOT want to fire +P or +P+ ammo in them since they are NOT built to take that. You also need to check whether you are functioning in the CG as part of the Dept of Transportation, or Dept of Defense. You are normally DoT, but in wartime your unit may be transferred to DoD. Believe it or not the difference between the two is that (as far as I know) DoT does not forbid the use of hollowpoints while DoD (last I heard) still requires the use of ball ammo IAW the Geneva and Hague conventions (never mind that the terrorists couldn't even pronounce either of those city names).

sound confusing? it is! be careful! the career you save may be your own!

 

[Nick96]

Any revolver chambered for .357 Magnum will take .38 Special (but not vise versa). The cylinder is slightly longer in the .357 revolver since the .357 shell is slightly longer than the .38. The bullets for .38 Specials and .357 are essentially the same - and come in a variety of weights and shapes. The differance is the powder charge. .38's are loaded to standard, +P and +P+ pressures (IE slowest to fastest velosity for a given bullet weight). .357's have recently been offered in medium velosity (somewhat hotter than a +P+ .38) and traditional standard velosity (a lot hotter than any .38).

The use of +P or +P+ .38's should be limited only to .38 Special revolvers specifically rated to handle them. The hotter loadings will fit, but many older small frame revolvers can be damaged with extensive use of +P or +P+.

These of course are fairly general descriptions. The bottom line though is if you have a .357 revolver - you have the choice of dozens of different loadings available to you. The .357's natural home is a medium to large frame revolver. Smaller and lighter revolvers tend to be .38 only. This is probably where you are seeing the small grips (revolvers intended for concealed carry). One nice thing about a revolver is the grip size is interchangable. There are multiple manufacturers that can provide most any grip you want (even custom molded to your hand).

If you are being issued a revolver in the Coast Guard, most likely it's a medium frame .38 Special (not a .357). It's an all around good choise for ease of use with a round of adequate power.

 

[Shane]

edit: oh, another thing... What is with the itty bitty grips on all the revolvers I see in the stores nowadays? Do they give you a better grip? I would think that people would prefer the larger handle on something that wants to embed itself in your forehead

.357 magnum recoil is not that bad. Its actually on the light side, IMO, for a magnum round. The only type of gun in which its REALLY going to hurt is an alloy framed snubby--like the Scandium and Titanium jobs some makers are making now, or one of those insane derringers they made in .357 mag.


In a medium sized frame .357 magnum, there is NO danger of it "embedding into your forehead". That is an "old wives tale", IMO.

As far as the "itty bitty grips", I don't like them. I don't like large grips either, but I tend to like an average size grip since I have average sized hands. I think the "itty bitty" grips you describe are primarily useful for CCW--less grip = less potential for the weapon to show through clothing.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Competitive shooters commonly use .357 magnum revolvers with .38 spl as the firearm of choice. The small grips are usually found on single action rather than double action revolvers. Of course the size of the revolver also determines the size of the grip.

 

[twoblink]

I'm against 38Spl +p rounds, as if you want to shoot "hot" loads, buy a 357. I like to shoot 38's for target, and 357's for homeD. Versatile, perhaps one of the most versatile combos in the handgun world! The 38's in SemiWadcutter cuts a perfectly round hole in the paper, and that makes target shooting great. 357's will put a nice hole in a bad guy, and that makes it good for homeD.

BE CAREFUL!! Old 38's are designed to take +P and the hand you safe, might be yours...

I have a 2" .357Mag snubbie and I love it! It's accurate with 38's and I bought Hogue replacement grips for it because I too hate the little grips. (I have a Ruger SP101, it's TOUGH as a tank)

Have fun, 357/38 is an awesome combo. For use by the whole family! My ex-gf was who I originally bought the revolver for to shoot; no recoil in 38's, but a hand cannon in 357's.

Since I can shoot 38's in 357's and not the other way around, I ALWAYS buy 357's, it's more versatile..

 

[Jim March]

He meant to say:

>> BE CAREFUL!! Old 38's are not designed to take +P and the hand you safe, might be yours... <<

Now, I'm in favor of 38+P under the right circumstances. If I have a 38 that can handle at least some +P, esp. if it's a 2" barrel gun, I can get MUCH better odds of expansion out of the right loads than if I avoided +P. This can also be a good choice if I've got a 357 that I don't want full recoil or noise with.

One round that has proven itself for expansion in short tubes is the Winchester Supreme 38+P 130grain JHP. It's hollowpoint cavity is enormous, among the biggest I've seen in a 38/357/9mm size projectile. I'm not certain I'd want it for a 6" barrel gun for fear the relatively thin hollowpoint walls will "cave in completely" if you drive it too fast. But in a 2" or 3" it dominates, and should work OK at 4".

For every inch of barrel you add, you get about 50 feet per second more velocity in most circumstances, at least with ammo meant for handguns. (If the stuff was designed for rifles or the barrel length is really weird for the caliber, all bets are off!) In any case, hollowpoints are designed for a specific speed range, driving 'em too fast can be as bad as driving 'em too slow.

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On grips: a lot of the smallest "two finger" grips are designed to help make a gun concealable. Please recall that we have 33 states with widespread legal gun carry with permits that are obtainable easily and fairly. We have over 5 million people thus legally armed, plus we have cops buying backup and off-duty weapons, or plainclothes concealed carry pieces. It's really a HUGE market, and snubnose revolvers are probably the single most common gun type in that market.

So you get small grips available. Cool. If it's a common gun type, there'll be a pile of different grip choices floating around, it's one of the best things about wheelguns .